Objective: To explore the pathways recent nursing and allied health graduates have used to gain initial employment in regional and rural Tasmania.

Design: A mixed-methods design comprising an online survey and semi-structured interviews.

Setting: Tasmania, Australia.

Participants: Eighty-four recent nursing and allied health graduates from 18 disciplines.

Main outcome measures: Location and pathway to initial employment, job search strategies, number of job applications and length of time taken to gain employment.

Results: Participants obtained their qualification from Tasmania or mainland Australia. Rural-origin graduates were more likely to work in rural locations after graduating. Graduates sought initial regional or rural employment to be close to family; to avail themselves of more job opportunities and less competition from other graduates; and for adventure. An inability to secure metropolitan jobs led others to seek opportunities in regional and rural Tasmania. Graduates that used multiple job search strategies and who were more flexible regarding location and field of initial employment experienced fewer challenges gaining employment.

Conclusion: For recent nursing and allied health graduates, securing initial employment can be time-consuming and labour-intensive. Being flexible, persistent and willing to adjust expectations about work location will help. Rural employment might provide the right get-go for a professional career. Understanding the pathways recent graduates have used to gain initial rural employment can help better connect graduates and prospective employers.