Agency in Adelaide

Grace Oz · May 10, 2008

well jay, congratulations! on your excellent choice of locality! :)

y'know, it does get hot here in summer! lol

i'm thinking agency might be good for starters. it'll give you a chance to suss places out before applying for somewhere permanent. jmho.

pm me if i can be of further help. only trouble is, i'm now retired,- coming up 6 years,- and am somewhat out of the loop.

however, my friend's who are still working, are a wealth of information on the current status of things. i can always ask them! :)

cheers..............

nyapa, RN · May 10, 2008

Thanks Grace. It's going to be a while yet but I want to be prepared...

aussiemags · May 21, 2008

has anyone worked agency down there? What is it like? Is there much work available?
If you had a choice would you prefer to work agency or have a permanent position down there, and why?quote]
Hi Jay.
I currently work in Adelaide for one of the largest agencies here, and I have also worked for a smaller agency in Adelaide for 6 months last year so I guess I can help you. The amount of work you get depeneds on a few things:
1. how often you make yourself available - it appears that the agency takes care of its full time staff first people who just want to pick up a shift here and there. I work 4-5 shifts a week and am rarely without work.
2. which hospitals you make yourself available for. Obviously the more the merrier. Each person has to decide for themselves which hospitals they like and which they dont. A bit of trial and error here, I guess. Some people have a preference for private vs public hospitals. I've been agency working for 18 months and have finally got brave enough to tell the agency that there is a couple of hospitals I would prefer not to go to - still have plenty of work with those I do attend. I think listing as available for the major public hospitals is best likley to get you work for a start.
3. time of year - things quieten down in summer but if you work full time you will probably still get more than enough shifts. Also in summer some agency staff increase the number of hospitals they will go to thereby increasing their chance of work. I worked all summer doing 4 shifts a week without changing my availability.
4. depends on your background and preferences. If you are happy to go to aged care you will work non stop. However my agency wont send you to any area of nursing you havent been in for the past 2 years, so that ruled out aged care for me. If you have intensive care experience this helps get extra shifts. Maybe midwifery would help too - I dont know, not a midwife myself.
5. encourage the wards you work in to complete an assessment sheet on you after a good shift - it takes less than a minute for them to do but it gives the agency some feedback and keeps you in their minds eye. Dont know if this helps but it cant hurt to let the boss know that you are doing ok!
You can private message me if you like - I have no idea how that works - have never done it before. But if you know how and can contact me off the public forum I can give you a few specifics. LIke the names of the hospitals in the area you might be living. Luckily Adelaide is still a smallish city so you can get around ok but you wouldnt want to be going to Noarlunga Hospital if you lived at Gawler. Local knowledge does help!
Best wishes, Maggie

aussiemags · May 21, 2008

If you had a choice would you prefer to work agency or have a permanent position down there, and why?
quote]
Sorry didnt answer this bit. Well, clearly being an agency nurse and all I prefer this life. I have worked for hospitals and aged care in the past but agency life is for me. Like all things there are swings and roundabouts.
It is great not to be involved in the personal nitty gritty of ward life - who said what to who, those staff who insist on working with their buddies and no-one else, the nasty side of working in a group. However this means that you miss out on the fun side - the little celebrations, the day to day chat, the support of fellow workers. For example, recently I smashed my lovely new car into the letterbox on the way to work -$2500 damage to the car not to mention the letterbox! But there was no-one to share this with when I got to work, no one to laugh about it or talk it over. Likewise the friendships you form are different. It is possible to get to know people if you are sent regularly to the same weards, which happens a lot. I guess you can be a bit discerning as to who you chat with and who you dont. but there is a barrier. BUT THE BEST THING IS NOT BEING CAUGHT UP IN THE PETTY SQUABBLES!!
Second best thing about agency life is the learning. The chance to increase your skills and knowledge base like you wouldnt believe, and the increased confidence. I can now walk into any ward in any hospital and believe that I can work there for the day - not as an expert obviously but that I have enough knowledge to be able to help in some way at least. Even if all I do is the basic ADL's etc. But while I'm there I'm learning little bits of info, little skills each day, so that the next time I go there I can carry more of the load. But you'd be surprised how much of nursing is the same regardless of what ward you work in. And staff genuinely are grateful for whatever you can do (at least most of them are).
The fun of every day being different, not knowing where you are going to be working until you get there. Paediatrics one day, neuro the next. Mental health specialling, gastro intestinal. 4 days 4 different areas = one week for me.
I believe that agency nursing suits some people are not others. You either love it or hate it - have not met anyone who is luke warm about it. I was unsure about how I would go but quickly fell in love with it and cant imagine going back to permanent ward work.
Maggie

Grace Oz · May 22, 2008

if you had a choice would you prefer to work agency or have a permanent position down there, and why?
quote]
sorry didnt answer this bit. well, clearly being an agency nurse and all i prefer this life. i have worked for hospitals and aged care in the past but agency life is for me. like all things there are swings and roundabouts.
it is great not to be involved in the personal nitty gritty of ward life - who said what to who, those staff who insist on working with their buddies and no-one else, the nasty side of working in a group. however this means that you miss out on the fun side - the little celebrations, the day to day chat, the support of fellow workers. for example, recently i smashed my lovely new car into the letterbox on the way to work -$2500 damage to the car not to mention the letterbox! but there was no-one to share this with when i got to work, no one to laugh about it or talk it over. likewise the friendships you form are different. it is possible to get to know people if you are sent regularly to the same weards, which happens a lot. i guess you can be a bit discerning as to who you chat with and who you dont. but there is a barrier. but the best thing is not being caught up in the petty squabbles!!
second best thing about agency life is the learning. the chance to increase your skills and knowledge base like you wouldnt believe, and the increased confidence. i can now walk into any ward in any hospital and believe that i can work there for the day - not as an expert obviously but that i have enough knowledge to be able to help in some way at least. even if all i do is the basic adl's etc. but while i'm there i'm learning little bits of info, little skills each day, so that the next time i go there i can carry more of the load. but you'd be surprised how much of nursing is the same regardless of what ward you work in. and staff genuinely are grateful for whatever you can do (at least most of them are).
the fun of every day being different, not knowing where you are going to be working until you get there. paediatrics one day, neuro the next. mental health specialling, gastro intestinal. 4 days 4 different areas = one week for me.
i believe that agency nursing suits some people are not others. you either love it or hate it - have not met anyone who is luke warm about it. i was unsure about how i would go but quickly fell in love with it and cant imagine going back to permanent ward work.
maggie
exactly!!!! i totally agree with you maggie. i finished up my nursing career doing agency for all the reasons you have cited in your posts. especially the bit about not being caught up in the petty nonsense which exists in all permanent places of employment.
and, you're very wise to ensure your performance sheet gets filled in at the end of the shifts. believe me, the agency does take note of those. i used to also photocopy mine and kept my own record as well.

nyapa, RN · May 23, 2008

Thankyou very much ladies! I love Adelaide, from what I saw in 9 days. Dh was there for treatment in 2005, and it reminds me of where I live, but 10 times bigger. Well planned, buildings not too high, parks everywhere. The traffic scares me a bit though...

Re: escaping the squabbles - I work 'bank' in my hospital for the same reason. You don't care if they talk about you...you are there to do your work; that's it.

vamparee · Aug 26, 2008

Hi. I am thinking in the future of moving to Adelaide. I'm just wondering, has anyone worked agency down there? What is it like? Is there much work available?
If you had a choice would you prefer to work agency or have a permanent position down there, and why?
It would be helpful to be slightly prepared when I go down. I know I'm going to need a really good heating system though!
Thanks heaps
Jay...

HI

my daughter shifted to Adelaide beginning of the year Worked NASA for 6 mths to see where she liked the best. She was never short of work . She ended up at he Flinders HDU 8 shifts a fortnight and picks up one night duty with nasa in an A& E dept once a month. She love this. The agency pays very well she earnt $9 grand more than me in the six months she was working for nasa and I am same level working full time

Vamparee

noromyxo · May 2, 2009

A lot would depend on which branch of nursing you are in.

I have worked for a couple of the agencies as well as in State Hospitals. The biggest problem down here, especially in Mental Health is the standards of management. It is probably the lowest in Australia. Smoke dope, get drunk when a detained patient and nothing it done. Attack a nurse, easy, move the nurse and no Police.

On the other hand in general there are some happy units out there...

If going for an Agency, I would suggest Nasa as they have the most contracts and a very good Nurse Manager.