Agency earning opportunities

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My question is this.

If you work for an agency, is it possible to make a comfortable yearly salary?

Say, you join an agency that lets you take "local" travel assignments. Is it possible to work 3, 13-week assignments for 3 different hospitals and still factor in time off?

Can you make a job or even a career out of agency nursing?

Also, what about benefits and retirement?

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I was satisfied with my home health agency, not a travel agency, when I was allowed to work overtime and was paid for it. Since then, all my employers don't let the employees get anywhere near overtime unless they overlook the fact that they are not getting paid for it. So most of the time I am limited, even less than full time. I have considered looking for traditional work for something that is consistent.

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for years l only worked agency and l made a decent living, but l had more than one agency l was working with and in between l would do a contract here and there. I only worked agency because l had small children and needed to work a different schedule every week or so, working agency allowed me to work according to my children's schedule. And l cleared no less than 60K every year.

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Specializes in Telemetry.

I am a full time agency nurse. I started a little over a year ago, did it to pick up some extra shifts as I needed to supplement my staff position. A year later, I quit my staff job and have been full time for about 2 months. It took quite awhile (close to that year) to get established with enough hospitals to be able to work regularly- most require some sort of orientation, and as they've gotten to know me they call and request me. I work as much as I want, minimum of 3 shifts a week (my own choice, I can work as little or as much as I want). I work per diem only, I don't want a contract... then you have to commit to a schedule. I work for one agency. I make nearly twice as much as what I made in my staff position. Will clear about 80k this year. I purchase health insurance on my own, though my agency does offer it- they don't pay much towards it and my plan is less expensive than theirs.

I love it, I don't plan on quitting. As long as I can get my shifts and the work is steady I'll ride this as far as it takes me, until I leave the bedside. I love the variety, the not having to put up with BS politics, the better pay, the freedom, never having to work weekends or holidays unless I choose to. I can't say enough good things!

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Beachbum6 , May I ask which agency you work for?.................Thanks

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Tele, PCU.

:redbeatheHow many years into mursing do you think is appropriate to get into agency, or contract, or travelyou know...any of these where you can get rewarded monetarily to make a good living. As for me, I'm a 2-year old nurse. I tried travelling on one job-that didn't last for reasons beyong this. The second one is a current contract job (tele floor) which I make a pretty decent living, buthey're not renewing my contract because they say I need to get more knowledge of cardiac meds and read tele strips better. I can truly say that I have done just as good as any of the other nurses there. Put it this way, I'm safe and I do the job. I'm also 55 and I need insurance- good insurance. After 50...it's a high meintenance program! The prior agency I worked for before, the insurance was very poor. If I purchase my own insurance now, at my age it's at least $900 a month. I think under a permanent position, even though i have to stick to a schedule, at my age it's worth it because I can get excellent insurance. I'll be honest with you, I went into nursing late in life. My first two years has been a run of bad experiences. I'm really getting depressed over this and I think I've developed some GI problems. Guess what, I don't have insurance to see a doctor and get some diagnostic testing done! Really sad. My last string is to possibly give up hospital work and go into home health care. It's my understanding that after you are out of the acute care settting after a few years, it's very difficult to get back in. Especially if I try to go back in at let's say age 60. It doesn't even sound good! I'm ready to throw in the towel on nursing. Except now I have a gazillion dollars in nursing loans and after having invested 6 years of my life into such an intense industry, I don't know where to go from here. I would sure appreciate your feedback. If anyone out there knows anyone who has gone through this, what did they do to make a decent living at a late age. I mean let's face it. i'm going to probably work until age 70. Do I really want to spend the next few years of quality of life (God willing) with the constant stress that I am currently having. I say no. But what to do?

I can sure use some advise from this great allnurses community!

Thanks folks!:crying2::confused:

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I am a full time agency nurse. I started a little over a year ago, did it to pick up some extra shifts as I needed to supplement my staff position. A year later, I quit my staff job and have been full time for about 2 months. It took quite awhile (close to that year) to get established with enough hospitals to be able to work regularly- most require some sort of orientation, and as they've gotten to know me they call and request me. I work as much as I want, minimum of 3 shifts a week (my own choice, I can work as little or as much as I want). I work per diem only, I don't want a contract... then you have to commit to a schedule. I work for one agency. I make nearly twice as much as what I made in my staff position. Will clear about 80k this year. I purchase health insurance on my own, though my agency does offer it- they don't pay much towards it and my plan is less expensive than theirs.

I love it, I don't plan on quitting. As long as I can get my shifts and the work is steady I'll ride this as far as it takes me, until I leave the bedside. I love the variety, the not having to put up with BS politics, the better pay, the freedom, never having to work weekends or holidays unless I choose to. I can't say enough good things!

This is my dream situation!

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Specializes in Cardiac.

Do you get shift differential with agency work?

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I have worked as an agency nurse home health for over 6 months now. I am so overwhelmed with the amount of work I get, I start to feel guilty that I can not work every day. I make excellent money working 12hr shifts up to 6 days a week. I can take time off as needed. I am usually working with the same patient/client every week. I am also attending school and becoming a case manager. I would recommend home health only if you are a very strong clinical RN. You have to be able to continue patient family education and be able to identify and changes from baseline on your patient within minutes of arrival. Home health as an RN is not for the weak. You have the right to request a higher level patient which only improves your skills, allowing you to obtain critical care certifications.

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OT/NOC differential and pay depends on case needs.

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Specializes in Quality, Cardiac Stepdown, MICU.

I work per diem with an agency, there is another nurse from the same agency who works at the facility with me, she drives about an hour and a half. I ask why she would come so far, and she says they pay her enough that she only has to work one day a week. (I assume she gets travel stipend even though she is per diem without a contract, because of the distance.)

As far as experience, I've worked two years tele/PCU and have had no trouble fitting in with the agency.

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