Going full time at a hospital in which you work for agency?

[NurseCard, ADN]

Has anyone here ever been able to get a full time position at a facility in which they were working for an agency?

I guess what I mean is, is there ever a way to get around that little piece of paper that you signed that says that you won't work full time for a facility, for at least a year after your last agency shift?

I NEED a full time job with benefits, and the place where I currently work is crying for nurses to come work for them. I almost applied for a job there before I went to work for the agency but... everyone else had turned me down for employment, supposedly because of my recent firing... I figured that this place would too.

Now though, I've worked there for a few months, I work all the time, I do a good job, people there have gotten to know me... from what I hear, they have nurses there all the time who were agency one minute, and then full time the next.

I don't want to do anything that is either unethical, or flat out going to get me sued. =( The agency doesn't pay me any more than the regular nurses at this facility make, so I honestly don't understand how they can even enforce their policy.

I love working with the agency because I can make my own schedule and would keep doing it but I have no health insurance, and husband can't get it through his work either. I applied for a policy through Humana and was turned down.

Thanks. =)

[morte, LPN, LVN]

commonly there is a buyout clause with an agency...

[dishes, BSN, RN]

When I quit working for an agency and started working for an employer, I spoke to the hospital's human resources manager first, she told me that an agency clause had never been sucessfully sued in my area. By labour law I had the right to quit and could not be prevented from seeking employment elsewhere, labour law trumps contract law.

Also, the human resources manager agreed not to divulge my start date of employment to any outside enqueries without my permission.

[NurseCard, ADN]

Thank you for your replies. I'm hoping for a full time job with the hospice agency in my area, but if I don't get that

or get something else soon, I may have to go talk to human resources at the facility where I'm

working and see what can be worked out. Again, it's all because of health insurance; my husband needs it more

than I do but we both still do need it.

Thanks!

[kcmylorn]

I know some agencies have waiting periods( or used to)- some are 3 months, some are 6 months and some are 1 year.

I did that when I worked travel and went to work full time staff at one of the facilites I was a travel nurse at. The facility stopped taking travel/agency nurses(2004-2005) so I went on as a travel nurse to another facility. I kept renewing my contract there for 1 year(2005-2006) and that facility stopped using agency/travel( we're taking back in 2005-2006). Agency work was dramatically slowing down to nothing, no contracts no per deim work. I went back to the first hospital( in 2006) as fulltime staff. No one ever came after me, I never bothered to check. I do think if it is within the agency's "non compete" clause time frame, the hospital does have to buy out your contract which back then was approx $60,000 or the hospital you are hired on as staff and you could be sued.

Besides, how will they know if your working there full time as staff. But then again - a whole year had past since I had been agency there and the facility had no more agency contracts with that facility. The reason no more agency contracts was - the facility was applying for magnet status, and back then, a facility had to be solely staffed by it's own nurses without agency suplementation. I think that magnet stipulation has changed.

I would take the job and don't advertise it- nursing is a small world ( an a very back stabbing one). You never know who is going to say what to whom for what reason and have it get back to the agency.

[kcmylorn]

When I went staff at the facility I was orginally agency at- the pay was more as staff then agency and had full bene's- go figure. I think the trend in hospitals now is to hire agencies as opposed to hiring staff. It costs the facility less in the long run.

Who knows where all this is going to lead. No permenant staff in all our US facilities.

[Aviationurse]

I was going to work FULL TIME from agency to hospital where i was doing agency work. They would do a 15 grand buyout to my agency . I would have to pay back the money if i break contract...the pay was low...no security back up working in kids psych hospital and no BENNIES....I did not took job .....the agency got upset that they wont make money of me ( only worked there x 4 shifts ) and stopped giving me assisgnments....i guess everything really boils down to PROFIT and throw the nurse on the bus

[Kashia, ASN, LVN]

I hear there is a contractual agreement between my agency and hospitals. I do not know the terms. I have seen some co-workers through agency go on staff and all is quiet. I have seen hospitals pay big money for an agency nurse they really want.

I heard of one hospital hiring an agency nurse and they were sued when the agency found out, not the nurse.

In a court of law I tend to think labor laws trump contract law but maybe an attorney best to answer this question??

[RNFiona]

Fired for what?