I'm sick to my eyeballs of incompetent agency nurses.

Nurses General Nursing

Published

:angryfire

I am sick and tired of having to work with incompetent agency nurses. Ones that have no clue what to do but take the shift anyway because it's money.

I'm sick of having to teach them stuff, I am not there to teach them, I am happy to teach our own nurses but not agency nurses. If they feel they are suitable enough for agency, then it is their responsibility to make sure they have the skills not mine.

I'm sick of having to pick up the pieces and listen to complaints from relatives about them. I have had a gutful.

I'd rather work shortstaffed that watch someone do the bear minimum or nothing yet getting paid better. It really irritates me.

I hate it.I have had a gutful. I am ready to crack up.

I think that standards to become an agency nurse need to be raised. I've recently bumped into someone who has been out of the hospital system for 7 years and has come back through agency. She ended up on our ward and couldn't cope. Tonights idiot didn't know he had to empty the catheter bag of the bladderwashout and it burst. Considering they hold 4 litres, you can imagine the mess. He didn't know how to get a patient ready for theatre and a patient who was in pain was told by him to wait for another 2 hours until the medication was due again. Didn't know how to do a NJJ feed. It's appauling.

So I spoke to the manager who said he'd make a note to say he wasn't suitable, but I know from past experience it won't happen.

Then the agency nurse got offended when I told him he shouldn't take placements on a surgical ward if he doesn't normally work surgical. He said he worked medical. I don't bloody care if he is offended, that is his problem not mine.

Specializes in ICU, ER, EP,.

honestly not reading all of the 11 pages, in our cardiac/medical/surgical... we get it all in all our ICU's..... Normally we have one to three that work out past three grueling weeks.

Now we have for 10 beds (5 icu's 10 beds each, they will float first), We have 4 core staff members... full time, two only weekends.. figure out our staffing needs, huge. we fired one with in 3 weeks, two weeks too long, one can skate by because the acuty is low(calls rapid repsonse t0 the ICU in a panic, not thinking we'll fix the mess as our ICU IS RAPID RESPONSE) , so she's right now a keeper, another, that is a step down type traveler who is on the ball, will ask the right questions... can keep this one with constant monitoring (as acuitity will increase, we might have issues, will give safe assignments and hope for the best

Another is golden, pure ICU, but not for the absolute sickest which is fine, is where I come In , and or train the newbies with. Then we have simply dumb.... not dumb enough to fire, but can't get enough to document it, but spends more ancillary nursing time helping in non acute situations, and basic acute situations.... where I could scream..... when you call a code.... could you at least BAG THE PATIENT instead of nervously pace.

ugh, we've a mixed blessing, no different than many levels of staff nurses that would be making their way through, so we nurture, teach, watch like a hawk and remove at last expense after all else has either failed or there is too much element of the surprise where they hide their mess, which is worse.

We live on agency for years on end, and I can call 'em a mile out, I'm 9/10... it takes more documentation to get management the know how to fix it, or keep ''em. It's exhausting to say the least.

In fairness, they do rest us, they do stop us from trippling, they do decrease our call time.... some just work us harder when we're there, unfortunately, many of them.

I've been an agency nurse for several hospitals, it's not about the policies and politics I speak, it's about pure nursing judgement. I'm finding this lacking in general, but still pleased at out weeded out group if that makes sense.

Specializes in Med-Surg/Oncology, Ortho.
As for the teaching side, I simply don't see why I should teach agency nurses new skills. If they can't do something, it's quicker for me to do it than teach them. Fair enough, if it's one thing but when they can't do anything then my BP rises. However, if it's one of our own nurses, then yes, I'll take the time out to teach them because that is part of my job anyway.

I'm sorry, but I don't understand this line of reasoning, i.e., you'll take the time to teach 'one of (y)our own nurses' new skills, but won't afford an agency nurse the same courtesy?

Agency nurses are there to fill a need. I was an agency nurse at one time when I was going through school. You would not believe how unkind facilty nurses are. They expect you to know policies and procedures of facilities as soon as you walk in the door. Things that took many of them months to know, but they expect the agency nurse to know it all. Agencies do not provide orientation to facilities. Many times the only orientation a nurse gets to a hospital or nursing center is when they walk in that door. Remember agency nurses are nurses just like you and me. Trying to pay mortgage notes, car notes and / or put food on their tables. Stop being so judgemental. Or would you rather work short?

Specializes in Med-Surg/Tele, ER.

Ew. Why did we resurrect such a negative thread? It's from 2 years ago.

I think when it comes to Agency, there are good and bad - just like the floors - Sometimes its not the nurses fault, you think you are being sent to do one thing and get roped into another..Got one a time a go never worked a day on the floor as an LPN thought she was coming as an aide and got the rope-a-dope. As painful as it was to me I figure she was terrified - planted he to my right hip and it was great to have 4 arms.. sometimes ya just have to roll with it..

:angryfire

I am sick and tired of having to work with incompetent agency nurses. Ones that have no clue what to do but take the shift anyway because it's money.

I'm sick of having to teach them stuff, I am not there to teach them, I am happy to teach our own nurses but not agency nurses. If they feel they are suitable enough for agency, then it is their responsibility to make sure they have the skills not mine.

I'm sick of having to pick up the pieces and listen to complaints from relatives about them. I have had a gutful.

I'd rather work shortstaffed that watch someone do the bear minimum or nothing yet getting paid better. It really irritates me.

I hate it.I have had a gutful. I am ready to crack up.

I think that standards to become an agency nurse need to be raised. I've recently bumped into someone who has been out of the hospital system for 7 years and has come back through agency. She ended up on our ward and couldn't cope. Tonights idiot didn't know he had to empty the catheter bag of the bladderwashout and it burst. Considering they hold 4 litres, you can imagine the mess. He didn't know how to get a patient ready for theatre and a patient who was in pain was told by him to wait for another 2 hours until the medication was due again. Didn't know how to do a NJJ feed. It's appauling.

So I spoke to the manager who said he'd make a note to say he wasn't suitable, but I know from past experience it won't happen.

Then the agency nurse got offended when I told him he shouldn't take placements on a surgical ward if he doesn't normally work surgical. He said he worked medical. I don't bloody care if he is offended, that is his problem not mine.

It goes both ways- I'm a traveler- which is considered a type of agency nurse.

I am tired of regular staff nurses who have no idea what their facilities' policies and procedures are.

Also, many do not keep up with advances or even the basics in their area of practice. I work in dialysis. Many times, I've mentioned to staff nurses that a pt is having a "renin response" or "disequlibrium symptoms" and reg staff nurses frequently have no idea what I'm talking about.

I've also gone into units as a traveler and found pts with long-standing problems, which have not been addressed. I hate it when a staff member says "Oh, he's always like that." 90% of the time, what they really mean is "We have never bothered to address this particular problem with this pt, and I'm not going to start now."

Funny, how some long-standing pt problems are actually resolved once they are addressed.

I've worked with good agency nurses, I've worked with bad agency nurses. I've worked with good new grads, I've worked with dreadful new grads. I've worked with RN's with suposed lengthy years of experience in critical care that are let go before orientaton is over. I've worked with RN's with no critical care experience that catch on quick and make wounderful critical RN's. I know how you feel somewhat. I do get sick of picking up the slack of those who get payed more than I but, then I don't like going to different facilites and trying to learn new ways every 6 weeks or so. So I can go and make more money traveling or I can have the benifit of staying where I know the system. It's up to me. But if I choose the later, I can't blame those that are willing to take the risk. It's their liscense.

Having worked a lot of Agency, I know I always did my best to pull my own load. When one is new to a floor or facility, it is impossible to not have to ask some questions to take care of the patients - things like, what does this illegible order say and what's the name of the doc who wrote it, what time is the meal cart coming, what are your med times, where is this form or that supply or the freaking Med cart/room? I never expected anyone to do my work but I did expect common courtesy and decency and got pretty tired of the snooty, unhelpful staff I would sometimes encounter. Most staff were thrilled to have me, as I did take at least some burden off of them and, once they got to know me, I was always welcome back on their floor.

I think you sound jealous of their pay rate and their ability to not come back if they choose not to. Instead of being jealous, why not join them and you go Agency, too. You might enjoy being the first one cancelled and might not mind grabbing any shift you can get so you can pay your bills. You might love having to tell staff that you are not an ICU nurse but you are happy to help with VS, feeds, toileting, hygiene, phones, orders, lab draws, whatever you can do for them, and seeing the disgust and contempt on their faces.

I once took a shift in CCU (did have Tele background, was not ACLS, but was calm, practical, hard worker) and let it be known to both my Agency before I agreed to take the shift, and to staff upon my arrival, that I'd never worked CCU. They gave me 2 easier patients, had me help with phones (no secretary), running specimens to lab, getting missing meds from Pharmacy, stuff like that, while they took the heavier patients. It worked out well enough and no one was ugly to me. I was flexible and honest and they realized they'd at least get their VS done and phones answered by me, which was better than working totally short. Of course, my Agency never notified them what kind of nurse they were getting, so they said anyway. Fie on the Agency.

It works both ways but if you are as frustrated as you sound, please switch to Agency.

Specializes in ER Occ Health Urgent Care.

I worked agency for a while and a couple times I accepted an asignment only to find out that I was being put somewhere else I didn't feel comfortble at. Once they even asked me to go to one floor I said no, they called back and said the hospital was going too float one of their empoyees to that floor if I could go to another, I accepted as I felt comfortable in that area and then when I got there they sent me to the one I turned down. I said I had told my agency I wouldn't go there they wouldn't put me where I was supposed to be I called my agency. anyway It was a big mess I ended up staying which I shouldn't have done made it through the night and quit the next day! I'm not sure who lied my agency or the facility but needless to say that was the end for me.

..... but, then I don't like going to different facilites and trying to learn new ways every 6 weeks or so. So I can go and make more money traveling or I can have the benifit of staying where I know the system. It's up to me. But if I choose the later, I can't blame those that are willing to take the risk. It's their liscense.

Thanks for that.

Yes, I usually make more money as a traveler. Occasionally, I make less than regular staff. Either way I earn every penny.

Whenever a regular staff person has a negative attitude towards travelers and says something to me like "You travelers make a lot more money."

I respond by saying the following:

"And you can do it, too. All you have to do is leave your home and family behind, drive across country by yourself, move into an apartment, sight unseen, and work in an entirely new facility and location every 13 weeks. Then when you're done, pack up, drive to another strange location and do it all again."

This shuts them up every time.:D

Specializes in pediatric and geriatric.

i worked LTC for an agency, but for a short time because staff nurses tended to not want to help me in anyway. I just think the bottom line is patient care and safety and if anyone agency or staff has a need for some help then they should get help without the attitudes. I still work for an agency, but in pediatric trach and vent homecare. I am grateful that the nurses who oriented me to my clients are helpful and I really think it is because we all care about our clients. I know there will always be bad nurses, but not all agency nurses are bad. I do agree that agency nurses should have more orientation and a higher skill level before working in a LTC facility or hosp., but that depends on the facility to require it and the agency to provide it. Anyhow I am new to all nurses and this is my first reply. I have been a nurse for over 18 years first as a NA in LTC then LPN in LTC, then agency LPN in LTC and currently LPN in peds home care and I am still learning new things all the time and I really like my work.

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