Average hourly pay for per diem agency RN?

*** I would say no. I am not an agency nurse but the hospital where I work does use agency nurses. We staff nurses pretty much expect agency nurses to know their stuff and only require orientation to where we keep things, our policies, and our documentation system. We do not expect to have to teach agency nurses to do basic or even advanced nursing skills.
Thats the trade off. Staff get paid less but can expect the hospital to invest in their skills and education. Agency gets paid more but shouldnt expect the hospital to invest a lot in their education. At least thats the way I see it.

It depends on which agency you are working for...and which facility the agency send you to work...it also depends on the type of facility.
For example, if you are working for 10 different agencies, and two of them might call you about the same time and try to send you to the same place, Agency A might offer you $38/hr; however, Agency B might offer you $45/hr....it depends on how they signed the contract with the facility.
In New York, the agency offer you less if you are working in a nursing home....you will get more if the agency send you to the hospital. $500 for a 12.5 hours shift in a "specific hospital."

Sorry to say it, but you got hosed. $36 an hour for per diem in LA is a rip-off! You can easily get much more than that.

I'm not in Atlanta, but chat regularly with a good friend who lives there and she tells me she's making in the low $30s per hour for per diem. I'm currently doing per diem work in different hospitals between Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach, and I'm making $41 (which was a shock to me when I first heard it). BUT, let me be quick to say it depends on which agency you are working with. I know there are some of them out there offering MUCH less for per diem work in the same hospitals if you don't know better and are willing to take it.
Nursing pay is bad all over the south, but especially if you are working staff. You can 'clean up' quite well down here in FL now though because its the busy season and the hospitals are busting at the seams.

Just moved from NJ....As a new nurse, started pay was $31 which i found out was the low end of the spectrum. NY pay as much as 35-40 but it all depends where, your experience, and specialty

I just started with an agency in the Baltimore, MD area. I do MS and L+D/MB. The pay all depends on the hospital. Its about 35-38/hr for MS and 38-45/hr most places. No overtime until you hit 40 hours a week. Someone told me that if you go to some of the less than desirable hospitals in the city you can make more like 48-50/hr.

Honestly, I sometimes wonder if I wouldn't be better off in a float pool somewhere. There is a community hospital in the suburbs, 10 minutes from my house- they pay 35/hr for the first three 12 hour shifts per month then it jumps to 45/hr. Too bad they aren't hiring right now!


In response to the question about NJ- I met a seasoned nurse who did agency there for years. She jsut came to MD because she had been making 50/hr doing PICU/NICU but they just recently CLOSED DOWN FIVE HOSPITALS in that area.

You are being ripped off. You are in a large urban area where many nurses make that much as staff nurses.

I make $46 hourly for agency per diem working tele on days. You are being soooo ripped off!

Ive been doing agency nursing in Chicago for about 2 years. My current chicago agency nursing pay is:

$48 weekdays
$51 weekends

I do work nights and do either icu or tele.

You have to watch out when you do local per diem agency nursing. Some of the nursing agencies that pay the most cancel the most. I have heard it on more than one occation while working that they are canceling nurse nurse that cost the most. Normally if a nursing agency is paying you more then most of the other agencies in your area they are billing the hospital more.

The Chicago nursing agency I am working for now is called Healthcare Personnel Inc. They always seem to have a lot of agency work avaialable in Chicago.

Good luck to all.

Hey Meriposa--I treid to PM you but your box is full! --Here is my question:

"Honestly, I sometimes wonder if I wouldn't be better off in a float pool somewhere. There is a community hospital in the suburbs, 10 minutes from my house- they pay 35/hr for the first three 12 hour shifts per month then it jumps to 45/hr. Too bad they aren't hiring right now!"

Hey question for you! What hospital are you talking about? I'm a pre-nursing students and I'm all over the place when it comes to what specialty area or type of job I want. What exactly is a float pool? You just float around in a hospital as needed? Oh and what hospital are you talking about in the above quote? Do you know anything about AAMC? I live 10 minutes from it. Thanks so much!

I worked Per Diem in the L.A area before moving to Chicago. Initially I made $35/hr for the first 8 hours and time and a half for the last 4 which came out to about $41/hr. I then worked for another agency that paid $43/hr and a year later, I made $45/hr. I realized the differences with agencies when I moved to Chicago because my current company pays $42-44 for M/S and $48-52 for Tele. I called and signed on with Maxim only to find that they were paying $35-38 PERIOD. I chose not to work for them. You definitely need to shop around when it comes to finding a good Per Diem agency. It seems like L.A. agencies typically pay $500-$600 per shift.