Expectations of agency nurses

mattsmom81 · Dec 10, 2004 05:23 AM

What is the deal out there today? Is it me or do staff nurses place increasingly unreasonable expectations on us?

Seems like every shift is the same...they sit and watch me run with the worst assignments AND admissions. And what is this deal about expecting an agency nurse who comes in once in a blue moon to manage a critical unstable patient? What kind of charge nurse would make an assignment like this? I don't know their docs, their unwritten protocols, their 'ways' of doing things....

Had to vent guys...its getting to me....can anyone relate? How do the rest of you manage getting 'dumped' on...sadly, I can no longer find anywhere to go where this does NOT happen to some degree and its more than wearing on me...

maybe its time to retire....

nightingale · Dec 10, 2004, 05:29 AM

I agree, MattsMom; it IS unreasonable. I have learned, and I am sure you have too, you cannot change people. YOu can only change how you respond. So...

I am now doing MDS Care Coordination and it is a slow going process of learning etc... Now "they" are starting to insisit I work night shifts here and there... ugh.... I am so tired of feeling like a push me pull me doll...

So I hear ya but I do not have any answers other then trying to control your own environment the best you can.

I do plan to drum up my business, probably Massage, in the spring. To me, it is all about quality of life issues and control of my schedule. I also LOVE the personal touch of massage. Come visit the Nurse Massage Therapy forum here on AllNurses

and see what we are doing there.

Blackcat99 · Dec 10, 2004, 08:39 AM

I work in LTC and it seems they sometimes give the "agency" nurses the hard
assignments. I think some of the regular staff are jealous of the "agency" nurses making more money than regular staff. I'm not jealous of "agency" nurses and I try to help them when I can.

Dream_Nurse2b · Dec 13, 2004, 03:17 PM

ITA with the above statement. I am a CNA, but I have seen it in my own facility, and doing agency work. Regular staff are often upset because agency nurses are making more for the same work, so they give them the hardest of everything on the floor. What I think that regular staff doesn't understand is that they have things that agency nurses don't have such as job stability, agancy work isn't alwasy constant. They also often have benefits that agency nurses don't get.

anndoodle · Dec 13, 2004, 03:40 PM

One of the hospitals close to where I live is "doing away" with their pool nurses and hiring in agency nurses to replace them. This makes no sense, because the pool nurses get around $28 per hour and the agency nurses are getting $45 per hour. One nurse told me that she thinks they are doing this to try and get the pool nurses to take full time positions...but in reality all they are doing is running off the good pool nurses that have worked there for a long time. And since the full time staff nurses are losing their friends because the company is bringing in agency nurses, the full time nurses aren't very happy....they have new people that they don't know coming in and working, and making much more money than they are.

I myself have no problem with agency nurses, and have even considered doing contract work. But I know of one nurse who came to work the other night and was told to "orient" her own replacement...and no one had bothered to tell her that she was going to be replaced. Every job has its pitfalls.

fergus51 · Dec 13, 2004, 04:29 PM

I have seen agency nurses get the more time consuming and annoying patients. The attitude seems to be that they are making more money so they can put up with more crap. Fortunately I have never seen them given the sickest patients, EVER.

cotjockey · Dec 13, 2004, 05:36 PM

Our charge nurses tend to give our agency nurses the pain in the *** assignments. They always seem to stick them with the patients that are there all the time for nonsense. It seems silly to me to give a very qualified nurse an assignment that they are way overqualified for...give the frequent fliers to the experienced people who know their tricks. Give the patients who are truly sick to the nurses with the best skillls!

Moonepie · Dec 13, 2004, 05:53 PM

Where I work, the charge nurse usually gives the agency nurses the easier patients and the more sicker patients to the staff nurses. I think there are good and bad agency nurses just as there are good and bad staff nurses. It all depends on what kind of nurse you want to be regardless of whether or not you're staff or agency. I thought about doing agency, but I don't really like change all that much. I'd hate to have to try to find my way around each facility and their protocols. What a headache.
It's nice to work in an environment where you're with familiar co-workers and you know your team members and how each member functions. I have a lot of respect for agency nurses who brave this area of nursing. I don't mind that they get more pay than me. I realize I'm benifitting in other ways.

mattsmom81 · Dec 14, 2004, 07:22 AM

Well I guess the staff's attitude is the agency nurse should do whatever they don't want to do that shift. I don't mind taking my share of admissions in ICU after I've gotten comfortable with the place and their computer, etc.......but my first shift there?? and every shift? Sometimes 2? I'm good but not that good....it feels like dumping to me. We all know how time consuming the admissions processes are today and someone who doesn't know the place has it even tougher. Add an unstable new patient and...well those of you who are ICU nurses can relate I'm sure.

I have tried to say 'I'm uncomfortable with that' (unstable new admit my first time at this facility) and then I am DNR'd. As I shared before I find this same type thing every ICU I go to these days. Guess its time to do something else for a living as I'm no longer adaptable to this type work environment. I hate the politics of onstaff so that's out too.

I always asked an agency nurse (just like I asked my own staff when I did charge) their comfort level. I never expect a nurse to be comfortable with EVERY situation and tried to make assignments based on skills, experience, and comfort. I never enjoyed my coworkers's discomfort and seems like staff plays games with agency today...I've watched them do this to other agency nurses as well so I don't feel singled out.

I tried to be a nice person to everyone I worked with but I'm not the norm out there anymore. More and more I work with hateful, vicious, bitter people. I'm hating going to work and am fearful the entire time I am there. The hostility is overwhelming.

I cannot do this anymore. Quit the agency today, gonna read a novel, watch some warm fuzzy Christmas specials, bake some cookies for the kids and be good to myself awhile. Then I will look for other options. It will not be in a hospital and maybe not even in nursing.

Whatever has happened to the majority of the nurses out there in my local ICU's I don't know. I can understand their frustration but not when it is directed at coworkers so blatantly.

God Bless all of you who are still hanging in there...I cannot do it anymore. Thanks for letting me vent and come to a decision. It is not worth doing something that makes you feel this bad.

Hope everyone's holiday season is joyful and relaxing. Hugs to all here.

Nurse Ratched · Dec 14, 2004, 07:55 AM

Mattsmom, I've often thought reading your posts that you are exactly the kind of nurse I would love to work with

. I'm sorry that shortsightedness and pettiness on the part of workers in those hospitals is driving you from them. Their loss, IMO.

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