New Grads and Temp Agencies

Nurses General Nursing

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Any new grads having any luck with temp agencies???

yep i agree and i disagree with morte.i know an "older",very experienced nurse who adviced me to look into home health care since not even one hospital wants to hire so that way i will prevent forgeting all the skills/theory i learned.now the nurse who made the suggestion about the home health care is an excellent and safe nurse and i know for a fact that she woud not recommend anything that would jeoperdize the pt safety and my license.she just believes in new grads unlike many other seasoned nurse or nurse recruiters...and i agree with you that ones the baby boomers start quiting their jobs the hospitals will be desperate to hire us...but then they can shove it up down their....

i wouldn't go into home care for the same reasons that i wouldn't work for an agency. i would never think about being on my own in someone's home without at least 1 or 2 years acute care med/surg experience first. i am not experienced enough to make those life an death decisions in the seclusion of one's home. vna won't hire new grads for that same reason, so there is another option out for us new grads. lack of experience pretty much excludes us from employment for any area that is not hospital based preceptor training.

i understand your frustration, as i have had my moments of wishing i never bothered to work my behind off for the past 3 and a half years to get my nursing degree.

You will have to consider relocation. I had to move 1,100 miles from my home as a new RN in 2002 to work an ER position I wanted. Unfortunately, the answer is jobs are out there. If you are not willing to move, you may never find work as a nurse.

You will have to consider relocation. I had to move 1,100 miles from my home as a new RN in 2002 to work an ER position I wanted. Unfortunately, the answer is jobs are out there. If you are not willing to move, you may never find work as a nurse.

Then why is it that there are numerous posts from new grads ALL ACROSS THIS COUNTRY who cannot find a job? Saying to move is ridiculous when moving would involve several other people's lives being turned up side down. Not to mention the house that would have to be sold in this terrible housing market. Relocation is great if you are single or a single parent with young children not in school yet. I am not going to ask my husband who is a VP in a company he has worked for, for 20 years to give up his job so that he can be unemployed in another state so that I can make 1/3 of his salary as a nurse. Many of us cannot just relocate. I appreciate the suggestion, and I am sure that is a viable option for some, just not me.

Ok sorry to burst your bubble but I know several new grads that do homehealth (with no prior experience whatsoever and they are making it...I guess what I'm trying to say is that you either got it as nurse or you dont,how long is it going to take you to listen for crakles..years?? With that said some new grads jump into the scene right away and catch up for some it takes longer than than and I'm not disrespecting them but it all depends om how quick of a learner you are.

Who ever mentioned relocating...this is not a solution to the existing problem...there are many new grads (just consider the average age of the starting nurse) who cannot drop everything and leave to other state.And why should we be forced to???? We went through all this hard work just to change our entire lifestyles?:down:

I am new grad and have been looking into agency temp work. I don't feel qualified to do this type of work. There are many skills that I can do well solo, but many skills are just skills learned in a lab on a dummy. I eel unsure about doing them without someone watching the first time. Most temp agencies in my area require at least one year of experience and I understand why.

I agree that agency work is not for new grads. You may think you know how to be a nurse when you graduate, but it just isn't so.

Can you honestly say you've gotten enough experience in nursing school to be able to walk into a hospital with no orientation (other than the rah-rah we're wonderful type stuff) and pick up a job and function as an experienced nurse? Agency nurses don't get orientation. They're lucky if someone takes the time to show them where the supplies are kept. That's one of the reasons the pay is better than a staff nurse. Agency nurses are also often assigned to the most difficult and highest acuity patients.

Hospitals pay a lot of money for agency nurses and they expect to get their money's woth out of you. They aren't going to pay more money on teaching a new grad.

Nobody will be there to explain how to do a procedure you've never done. You will have to be able to work well, and work fast.

This is nothing against new grads. Every agency I've seen required a minimum of one year in a specialty before taking on nurses. I know you want jobs, and the money looks really good, but you could be setting yourself up for some serious failure.

Specializes in LTC.

I'm a new grad and have I have an interview with a temp agency today to give flu shots.

Who ever mentioned relocating...this is not a solution to the existing problem...there are many new grads (just consider the average age of the starting nurse) who cannot drop everything and leave to other state.And why should we be forced to???? We went through all this hard work just to change our entire lifestyles?:down:

That may involve relocation. This concept is not unique for nurses. People all over the country are wiling to move for employment. We have fallen into hard times and the days of rolling straight into a job at you local hospital are over. I am a fairly experienced nurse with specialty certifications, and I have to commute just over 100 miles one way to my place of employment. We are all effected and it is unreasonable to think we should have a plethora of jobs open in our local areas. Additionally, no body is forcing you to move; however, you may have to move if you want to nail a job. This is an unfortunate reality most people in this country face, not just nurses.

I'm a new grad and have I have an interview with a temp agency today to give flu shots.

totally different from what we're talking about. we're talking about going into hospital settings.

i have done:

medsurg

detox

LTC

sub acute

rehab

home care per visit

home care block time

i stand by my original assertion. Unless someone has prior expreience, such as a LPN that has bridged to RN, they have no business doing agency.....the flu clinic idea being the only exception i can think of....

Thanks everyone for posting. I have been getting a lot of calls from temp agencies. They get my resume off of a major job site. They are very aggressive like telemarketers. I know their bottom line is money not careing for me, so I take what they tell me with a grain of salt. I see nothing wrong with working for them for flu clinics, bedside sitters and small clinics, but anything other then that worries me because I know there will be no training. The last thing I need is to be placed in the ICU (which I wouldn't take of course). I moved 2,000 miles and finding a job has been a nightmare. I will take anything at this point as long as I am safe for my patients. I am even considering giving up and getting a non-RN job until I can find a RN job. So sad.

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