As part of our commitment to strengthen Victoria’s nursing and midwifery workforce, a sign-on bonus of $5,000 is available to nursing and midwifery graduates.
To be eligible, you must graduate between 2022 to 2024 and start your career in a Victorian public health service, working for at least 2 years.
Timing of the sign-on bonus payment
The bonus will be split into 2 payments:
- The first $2500 will be paid by the end of the 2nd quarter of your graduate year.
- The second $2500 will be paid after you complete 2 full years of continuous employment with your eligible health service. This is calculated from your graduate program start date at a minimum of 0.8 FTE or pro rata equivalent.
Eligibility criteria
To be eligible for the first sign-on bonus instalment you must:
- be currently registered as a nurse or midwife with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia
- have graduated from an eligible Australian undergraduate nursing or midwifery course in 2022, 2023 or 2024
- have begun a nursing, mental health nursing or midwifery graduate program in a Victorian public health service
- start the graduate program in the same calendar year or the calendar year immediately following course completion.
To be eligible for the second sign-on bonus instalment you must have:
- received the first sign-on bonus payment
- completed 2 full years of continuous employment within an eligible health service. This is from the commencement date of the graduate program at a minimum of 0.8 FTE or pro rata equivalent.
Who isn’t eligible?
The sign-on bonus will not be available to nurses and midwives who:
- participate in a graduate program in a non-eligible health service
- did not graduate from an eligible Australian undergraduate nursing and/or midwifery course in 2022, 2023 or 2024
- are not eligible for the first sign-on bonus instalment
- work for less than 2 consecutive years in an eligible health service
- studied as an international full-fee paying student/temporary resident
- have previously received a department sign-on bonus to start a graduate nursing or midwifery program.
How to apply
If you are an eligible graduate, you don't need to do anything at this stage. More information will be available soon on this page.
More information
‘Graduated’ relates to when you have successfully completed all required academic and clinical requirements of your course. It does not mean the graduation ceremony date, completion certificate date or issue of exam results date.
If you received the first instalment of the sign-on bonus but withdraw later from the graduate program, you will not be required to repay the sign-on bonus.
You may be liable to pay tax on your sign-on bonus payment. For more information, see information on bonus payments on the Australian Taxation website.
The department strongly recommends that recipients seek independent tax advice for their sign-on bonus payment/s.
Reviewed 17 April 2023