Published
Houstonnurse,
I am an agency nurse, RN, in Austin, covering San Marcos, and the San Antonio area also. We have the same conditions here. Most of the agency nurses I talk to are feeling very desperate. In this area the hospitals are offering some very good incentives for the staff nurses to work extra shifts, which eliminates a lot of need for agency nurses. They have done this before and it will not last. Summer is also low census time.
Hang in there it will get better!
Houstonnurse
19 Posts
I have been a LVN for 20 years (man, I am getting REALLY OLD), and most of that time I have been an agency nurse. Recently I moved back to Texas and reg. with my old agency, and a new one. Though I prefer working pedi/ and step down nursery, I can work well on any floor except ICU and L&D, so I started getting my bookings easily enough, but only a couple of days in advance. And out of two weeks, all days were cancelled but one!
Now, used to--------- agencies fought over getting nurses, and GOOD nurses were able to recieve a schudule a week in advance or from some hospitals a month at a time. I can't with all these cancellations, so I went and reg. with three more agencies, (WHAT A PAIN IN THE BUTT) And seems they book only a couple of days in advance too.
WHAT IS THE DEAL? Is agency nursing dead in Houston, or is the nursing shortage over down here, or what is going on????