[doodles]

I have just started agency nursing and just wondering why the staff is so mean to a agency nurse when if we werent there to help they would be short?? I have encountered rude people and just wondering what is up with that??

[Hellllllo Nurse]

I'm an agency nurse- a traveler.

On the contrary, I find that most staff nursses are very nice to me and are glad to have the help.

[Tweety]

Sometimes it's jealousy. They know they want the help and they know you're making more to do the same job.

Sometimes their experience with Agency nurses is not good. I have to say a few the agency nurses around here, especially the ones on night shift are not very good. (A few are outstanding as well.) There were times as a charge nurse I chose to take a patient load rather than have certain agency nurses in. If they are going to make that kind of money, you think they would work for it.

Agency nurses are sometimes very quick to point out their salaries, why the work agency and how stupid you are for being staff. Travel nurses can come to an established units, "humph....this isn't the way we do it in New York".

Sometimes staff nurses can be trolls. Good luck.

[SillyLilly]

My manager calls agency a 4 letter word. Most of the agency nurses, and CNAs that we get are not up to standard.

We had a CNA from agency who just up and left the unit 2 hours before her shift ended. Luckily for the unit and the patients, I picked up the slack and left late. Funny thing is-the other CNAs said so what, not our work.... Also, most importantly, she could not take temperatures. She recorded several patients temps as 95.6 or 94.5! And had an O2 sat as 87!! i ran to the room right away to check on the patient after i read that (an hour later)......

I was nice and up front with her (someone had to be), and i dont think that she was used to such a busy floor....but her incompetence realllly urked me

With a shortage on a unit though, comptence is not as important as it should be.

On another note, this is cute and wanted to add it in

[beautifulb]

Some of the best nurses I have worked with have been agency nurses or "traveler's" if you will. Then again, I am biased ~ having been a travel nurse myself for a number of years. Personally, no one has ever been "mean to me" because I am (was) an agency nurse.

[Hellllllo Nurse]

Originally Posted by Tweety

Agency nurses are sometimes very quick to point out their salaries, why the work agency and how stupid you are for being staff. Travel nurses can come to an established units, "humph....this isn't the way we do it in New York".

Good luck.

Every travel contract I have signed states that I am not to divulge my salary to anyone at the contracting facility, even the facility mgr, and I never have. I've never known of any travel nurses doing this, but I have seen travel techs walk around showing regular staff their pay stubs!

As a traveler, I rarely get any kind of orientation to a facility. So, I do things my own way at first, then after I have enough time on the unit to become familiar w/ how the facility does things, I pretty much do things their way. "When in Rome..."

I also find that many travelers are frequently much harder working than some regular staff.

Travelers have to make an impression, lest they get DNR'ed, or not have their contracts extended. If I make a bad impression at one facility, I may not be allowed back to any of their facilities. A traveler could lose out on hundreds of opportunities this way.

I have had 3 contracts with the same health care company in the last 14 mos and have worked at 4 of their facilities.

Travelers are usually quick to make friends with reg staff and other travelers alike, as they don't have much time to get to know staff or pts.

Of course we know that there are good and bad nurses of every ilk.

[Tweety]

Hellllo, I can only relate my experiences, and am trying to give insight to the original poster why sometimes they are not well received. I certainly don't judge travel/agency nurses by a few bad sees. More than one has divulged their pay and benefit package. Seems some ignore their contract. More than one has been snotty saying we're so backwards and primitive and "up North things are so much better".

In my experience travel nurses have been pretty awesome too. Most like to lay low, work hard and go with the flow.

It's the per diem agency that I find aren't very good around here. Sorry, it's just my experience. Again, when an agency nurse comes my way that I don't know I'm not going to presume them to be lazy.

When I opened up the Tele unit here, I was the only staff/charge nurse and everyone else was agency or travelers with a contract. So I have plenty of experience working with them. Sorry, but they all don't give you a good name. But again, I don't judge all by a few.

[Hellllllo Nurse]

No problem, Tweety.

I was just adding on to your post to show that everyone's experiences w/ travelers/agency are different.

I've gotten so much respect and appreciation as agency. I almost never did as reg staff.

[Tweety]

Originally Posted by Hellllllo Nurse

:
I've gotten so much respect and appreciation as agency. I almost never did as reg staff.

As it should be. You're there to help them out. They should roll out the read carpet.

[Hellllllo Nurse]

Originally Posted by doodles

I have just started agency nursing and just wondering why the staff is so mean to a agency nurse when if we werent there to help they would be short?? I have encountered rude people and just wondering what is up with that??

In my experience, bad facilities w/ miserable staff treat everyone badly- staff, agency, and pts.

The opposite is true for good facilites w/ content staff.