Nurses Helping Nurses
allnurses Network: Central | Jobs | Books | Newsletter
allnurses: A Nursing Community for Nurses
Home General News Blogs Articles Students Region Specialty Degrees F.A.Q.
Agency Nurses /

Help Please..shall i run up the hill?



Did You Know?
allnurses is the largest community for nurses on the web. We now have over 388,405 members! Join today to network with other nurses, laugh, share, and much more.

Aug 15, 2008 02:51 AM

Help Please..shall i run up the hill?

by heavymetalrn Premium Member

my agency wants to pay me 40 /hr to do phone triage for 13 week assignment ..no benefits...then when i bargained for more she said she will pay extra 200 dollars for health. i quit my old job and desperate for work.i am fairly new now to agency..did it a couple of years ago....
heres the scoop:
1. she emailed me with salary quote..40 /hr for per diem pscyh and 34/hr for med surg all no benefits. 10 /hr for orientation....this includes a whole day of computer class for 10/hr.
2. yesterday i drove almost 2 hours to shadow a nurse for 4 hours in a group /psychiatric home in the middle of nowhere and learned later thru email that i will get 10 dollars an hour for that....i ended up cancelling x2 shifts supposed to be for the weekend bec it is high acuity pscyh patient and i was the only nurse with x4 techs to 26 patients.....in the middle of boonie land ....
i dont want to make haste decisions even im desperate for work...i do pscyh and agencies for pscyh nurses are hard to find...thanks for your help and advice....i feel so alone and isolated...of course...nursing license is more impt than a pay check.
i goggled the ceo of my agency and found out she is not a nurse or lpn.i did not ask of course her qualifications..i dont think it was professional and respectful to her.
1. would u work for agency that is not run by nurses?
2. would u take 40/hr with no benefits for 13 week assignment on pm shift with no benefits/shift diff / weekend diff and blah blah blah..
the facility that i was offered a 13 week contract is 1 and a half hour away from me.. what are the red flags and dos and donts before taking a 13 week assignment..thanks to allnurses for this great forum and listening to my sad story....i cant sleep and it is almost 3 am....


Share

Search Tags
None
Top

 
Advertisement
Sponsored Links
 
Reply
3 Comments
No. 1
from RN1989
Old Aug 15, 2008, 04:02 PM

Default Re: Help Please..shall i run up the hill?
Most agencies are not run by nurses. There aren't many nurses that have enough business knowledge to be able to run a successful agency.

Agencies rarely offer any kind of health insurance - most nurses who work agency either buy their own insurance or go without it.

I have never made $40/hr as an agency nurse in the south. Considering your location, I believe that $40/hr is fair.

I have driven 2 hours one way to work PRN at $27/hr because it was a better work environment and slightly more money than working close to me. Driving far to a job may or may not be good for you - only you can judge that.

As an agency nurse, you will be expected to work independently without assistance from others. It is not unusual to show up at an assignment and find that they are short 2-4 nurses and you are the only nurse that they could get. It is also not unsusual for agency nurses to work as charge nurse on the spur of the moment.

When you take an assignment for a period of time, you will be expected to follow the schedule that the facility gives you. If you call in sick, you may be penalized by the agency for not fulfilling the contract. I recommend writing out your concerns and talking to the agency personnel to get answers to your questions before you take on this type of work.
Top

1 Reader Gave Kudos
 
No. 2
Old Aug 16, 2008, 07:17 AM

Default Re: Help Please..shall i run up the hill?
RN 1989..i learned that the president/ceo of this nursing agencys background is insurance ...aint that something? she did the competency tests and grading of all the nursing stuff... as for pay...er nurses are paid 60/hr in some agencies with no benefits..i worked agency 13 years ago and got paid 45/hr. my former manager told me that hosp paid agency 75/hr for agency to work in unit but what agency makes she dont know..
thanks rn 1989 for your kind advice and support...
Top
 
No. 3
from charlee71
Old Oct 01, 2008, 10:37 AM

Default Re: Help Please..shall i run up the hill?
Originally Posted by cebugirl View Post
RN 1989..i learned that the president/ceo of this nursing agencys background is insurance ...aint that something? she did the competency tests and grading of all the nursing stuff... as for pay...er nurses are paid 60/hr in some agencies with no benefits..i worked agency 13 years ago and got paid 45/hr. my former manager told me that hosp paid agency 75/hr for agency to work in unit but what agency makes she dont know..
thanks rn 1989 for your kind advice and support...
Cebugirl,

That is some money you got ripped off there. What is your agency's name?
Top
 
Reply




Thread Tools


Who's Online
245 members
2,377 guests
2,622

2

Interesting article on ThedaCare's Collaborative Care Model

5

Possible breakthrough regarding MS

61

16th Philly area hospital to stop delivering babies: Mercy...

10

Really interesting article on Indian open hearts

6

High-Tech Pump Does What Her Heart Can't

3

Air Force RN Found Not Guilty

7

California Imposes Stricter Rules Regarding Drug Abuse In...

44

Are older nurses being forced out of the profession?

3

An outlook in California?

8

Australian surgeons successfully separate conjoined twins






Currently Reading This Page: 1 (0 members & 1 guests)

Interested in the hottest topics of the week? Subscribe to the Nurse-zine Newsletter.
Enter email address: