How to apply for the graduate program

Eligibility

You must use our program portal to apply. We’ll post the link on our Registered Nursing and Midwifery Graduate Program page when applications open.

We recommend you prepare all the documents you’ll need in advance so you’re ready to submit them through the portal when it opens.

To be eligible for the graduate program, you must:

• hold Australian citizenship, Australian permanent residency, New Zealand citizenship (with a subclass 444 Special Category Visa or right to be granted), or a visa with non-employer sponsored work right
• be eligible for registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA), including all necessary documentation and identity checks
• have graduated within the past 2 years (domestically or internationally) from your first undergraduate nursing degree, midwifery degree, or graduate-entry Master of Nursing or Master of Midwifery
• have not worked as a registered nurse (if applying for a nursing position) or a midwife (if applying for a midwifery position) for more than 960 hours (equivalent to 6 months full-time) since qualifying in the relevant qualification.

If you're working as a registered nurse in a non-government residential aged care facility, general practice, disability service or other community health organisation, you can work up to 1,976 hours (equivalent to 1 year full-time).

If you applied in the previous recruitment campaign and meet the above criteria, you're still eligible.

Completing the application

Completing the application form will take about 1 hour in total, if you have prepared beforehand. We've prepared an application guide [PDF 1587.92 KB] that steps you through each part of the online application process.

To apply, you'll need to upload the following:

• a cover letter
• an academic transcript
• 2 referee reports, or receipt emails for electronic reports.

We can't accept applications without these 4 documents.

It's a good idea to prepare early so you can submit your application on time. You can choose 'save and continue later' in the application portal if you need to pause your application.

Referee reports

We're starting to use online referee reports in the coming year.

For the January to February 2025 application period, Queensland Health referees may be able to complete an online referee report as part of pilot program. If we ask your referee to take part, you'll get an email receipt when they complete the online report. You'll need to upload the email receipt when you apply. This pilot program is a trial, and won't apply to everyone.

Most applicants can use the following referee template, and upload a PDF copy. We can also accept referee reports that used last year's copy of the template.

Referee 1 – must be a Clinical Supervisor

Referee 2 – can be an employment line manager, a volunteer supervisor or a second Clinical Supervisor

Clinical Supervisor means someone who has direct knowledge of your clinical practice and can speak about your clinical practice from experience. Typically this includes:

• clinical facilitators
• nurse unit managers
• nurse educators
• registered nurses who've supervised you during placement.

Clinical Supervisors with recent knowledge of your clinical practice are preferred.

Education, clinical placement and employment history

The application form will include an online resume section. This is to make sure we have your history captured in a standard format. To complete this section, you’ll need to include information about your education, clinical placements and employment.

You’ll need to include information about your principal midwifery or nursing qualification. You can also add related nursing or midwifery qualifications and any other relevant qualifications, these can be non-clinical qualifications.

For each qualification, you’ll need to provide the name of the University or other institute issuing the qualification and your Grade Point Average (GPA).

You’ll also need to list the clinical placements you did for each year of your study. Please include how many weeks you were placed and the clinical area where you did the placement – for example unit, ward or service.

In addition, you’ll need to list your current or most recent work or volunteer history. When you do, include the name of the organisation, the nature of work and your commencement and end dates.

Other things to consider

Work out your availability to start work, taking into account the time you need to get AHPRA registration and any personal commitments you have.

Queensland Health has introduced a mid-year application round and therefore, please ensure that you can commence employment through the period associated with the particular round.

Round One: July to August application period each year.

Applicants in round one, if successful, are intended to commence work between November in the same year as the application period, and May the following year inclusive.

Round Two: February to March application period each year.

Applicants in round two are intended to commence work between June and October inclusive in the same year.

Once the graduate portal is closed, you won't be able to make changes or edit your application. However, you can email the Office of the Chief Nursing and Midwifery Officer about any changes at NursingMidwifery-GraduateEnquiries@health.qld.gov.au, they’ll make a note on your application.

There'll also be a section for your cover letter. Your cover letter is essential to the application process and you must upload one with your application.

It should be one A4 page in length and outline your motivations for applying for the role, your passion for the profession and what you'll bring to the team.  Your cover letter can be addressed in a generic manner, i.e. “To whom it may concern”. In some cases, your application will be viewed by more than one HHS. However, the focus and context of your cover letter, should be on your first preference HHS.

Watch our Prepare to Succeed webinar for more information about preparing your cover letter.

If you are accepted into the graduate program, you will be employed by Queensland Health and are required to fulfil functions as outlined in the Graduate Registered Nurse [PDF 794.14 KB] or Graduate Midwife Generic [PDF 853.28 KB] role descriptions. Read the role description as it will help you decide if the program is suitable.

Choosing your preferences

Choosing a Hospital and Health Service (HHS)

Group A has HHSs that are in remote, rural or regional locations. If you live in these areas or want to work for one of these HHSs, you only need to provide one preference. You can provide up to 6 HHS or the Rural and Remote Pathway (RRP) preferences if you want.

Group B contains HHS and RRPs. Some of the HHSs in Group B receive significant number of applications compared to Group A. These HHSs are typically in metropolitan or large regional centres. HHSs in Groups A and B are listed below.

Group A

• Central Queensland HHS
• Central West HHS
• Mackay HHS
• North West HHS
• South West HHS

Group B

• Cairns and Hinterland HHS
• Children’s Health Queensland HHS
• Darling Downs HHS
• Gold Coast HHS
• Metro North HHS
• Metro South HHS
• RRP
• Sunshine Coast HHS
• Torres and Cape HHS
• Townsville HHS
• West Moreton HHS
• Wide Bay HHS

You have 3 options for your application:

1. If your first preference is a HHS in Group A, you aren’t required to provide any other preferences. You can provide up to 6 work location preferences if you want.
   If your first preference is a work location in Group B, you must provide a second preference. If your second preference is a HHS in Group A, you aren’t required to provide any other preferences. You can provide up to 6 work location preferences if you want.
2. If your first 2 preferences are from Group B, you must provide a third preference. You can provide up to 6 work location preferences.

For each HHS selected, you must select at least one facility (hospital or other healthcare delivery location), but you can select up to three.

We have produced a guide to HHS facilities [PDF 535.18 KB] and specialities, please use this to help identify which facilities offer the above specialties.

Preferencing midwifery

Midwifery isn’t considered a clinical preference because it’s a separate profession to nursing. If you have dual qualifications, you will need to make a choice between midwifery or nursing. If you want to work in a rural and remote location and work across both professions, you can discuss this with the HHS at interview.

You will be asked to select, in order of preference, the midwifery model of care you would prefer to work in. Queensland Health options include;

• Midwifery Group Practice or Continuity of Midwifery Care Model
• Rotational shifts across all areas of midwifery practice, or
• Work in one specific area of midwifery practice (e.g., postnatal ward).

We have produced a guide to HHS facilities [PDF 535.18 KB] and midwifery models of care, please use this to help identify which facilities offer the above midwifery models of care.

Modifying your application

You can save your application and return to it later to continue or modify the application.

Once you submit your application, it cannot be modified. If you have made an error and want to correct this, you will need to:

1. withdraw your application on the application portal
2. click into your withdrawn application and scroll to the bottom of the first page
3. click on ‘delete’ to remove your application
4. use the ‘Apply now’ button on the home page to access the application portal again
5. resubmit your application with the correct information.