Alice, your Graduate and Final Year Student Support Officer
Starting your career as a professional nurse or midwife can be challenging and daunting.
Hi Alice,
I did an online orientation day for my grad year – are we supposed to get paid for this?
Thanks, Gar
Hi Gar,
This is a great question. Yes, you are supposed to get paid for this!
Any education or training that is compulsory or mandatory for work needs to occur within an employee’s paid time. Things like basic life support, EMR training, manual handling, foetal surveillance education program (FSEP), orientation days (etc.!) are all examples of mandatory training, which must be paid in work time or arranged by your employer to be paid.
This is very separate from study leave and professional development leave. Professional development leave is for the fun things – conferences, workshops, seminars – not for mandatory training.
Hope this helps Gar.
Take care out there,
Alice
Hey Alice,
I’ve been an EN for six years and have just finished my RN degree. Can you let me know what my pay grade will be, as the grad level entry pay is less than my EN pay?
Thanks a lot, Bess.
Hi Bess!
Sounds like you have been busy! Congrats on completing your bachelor. I would encourage you to reach out to the ANMF Member Assistance team to seek individual advice about your correct pay – but for the general rule of thumb, your pay grade will progress to the Grade 2 increment immediately above the rate of pay you were being paid as an EN.
ANMF has fought really hard to ensure any nurse returning to study to complete their bachelor should never take a pay cut. Good on you for getting your RN ticket, Bess!
Toot toot,
Alice
Hi Alice,
I’m a RUSOM and have got my AHPRA registration. My grad year starts in May in a public hospital – but I’ve heard I might be able to be paid as a midwife now, since I’m registered? Is that true?
Em
Hello Em.
Big congrats on completing your mid and becoming registered! You have caught all those babes! You have witnessed so much power, strength and magic! It’s all happening. I’m so excited for you to kick off your career this year in the beautiful and wild world of midwifery. Toot Toot! To answer your question – yes, you are correct.
The Victorian Department of Health has confirmed to ANMF that RUSONs/RUSOMs who obtain their nursing or midwifery NMBA registration prior to commencing their grad program will be paid as a Grade 2 Year 1 YP2 or Y01 under the public sector enterprise agreement.
This means any accruals such as personal or annual leave balances will rollover into your graduate nurse/midwife employment contract. Hooray!
With agreement from your employer, following registration you will be paid as a registered midwife but by agreement you can continue to work under the RUSON/RUSOM position description (including duties and exclusions list). Your RM scope of practice will kick in once you commence your graduate program.
To organise this graduate-level pay, you need to provide proof of registration to your employer. When everything is approved, your first pay cheque at the higher rate will then become your anniversary date for calculating your ‘year of experience’ and associated pay increases (anniversary date is the official name for your midwifery birthday). Because your anniversary date may be earlier than other graduates in your intake, it’s really important you keep your first payslip. This is evidence of your anniversary date, which will remain the same throughout your career. When 12 months rolls around and you are approaching your midwifery birthday in 2025 (how exciting) reach out to your HR/payroll service, attach your first payslip as evidence of your anniversary date and confirm with your workplace you will increase in pay classification to Grade 2 Year 2 on that date in 2025.
Sing out if you have any questions Em – I’ll be thinking of you in May!
Cheers,
Alice
