Agency status?

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Specializes in CVICU.

Can anyone share their views with me on agency nursing? I've just

started in this arena and I'm having difficulty understanding the

flow of it - how it works; what institutions look for in a nurse from

an agency, what the up and downsides might be for the registered

nurse. All viewpoints and help would be appreciated as I'm trying

to decide if it is applicable for me. Thank you for any viewpoints!

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Specializes in Med-surg, ER, agency, rehab, oc health..

Upsides to agency nursing:

1. Better pay

2. You choose what days you work

3. You can be selective on where you work

4. The agency works for YOU not the other way around

5. Good to put on the resume

6. Broader work experience

7. You get to see which hospital treats their employees right(for a future job there)

8. Most of the nurses are happy to see you and will do what they can to help you find that institutions flow

9. You get to network

10. You ultimately decide WHERE you work. If you do get put in an unsafe environment you have the option not to go back there!

11. Less politics

12. Sometimes some good benefits (I get up to $350 a month to buy any health insurance plan I want, free scrubs, and $80 a week bonus)

Downsides:

1. First to be cancelled

2. Your agency can throw you in an unsafe working environment

3. You WILL get the toughest team. Its a given. A good hospital will give you a FAIR team (one they would give one of their own nurses).

4. You must be a quick learner.

5. You must put aside an emergency fund for the Summer and December (alot of low census then)

6. You must stand up for yourself and not be afraid to barter/bargain with the hospital/agency (gotten alot of free meals for working 16 hour shifts when a hospital needed it!)

7. You must be punctual/not call in. You do this and you could be DNRed. (I called in once when a deer jumped through my windshield... I took and sent a picture of this to my agency.... they were cool with it)

That's my :twocents:0.02

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Specializes in Med-Surg.

Sounds like there are lot more positive aspects in agency nursing... may be I am not liking my current staff positon :( Regular staff nurse can be OT alot and get to float to the other floor then get short working hours because of the floor budgets. What do you think about having prn nursing job outside of the hospital while holding on to the staff position?

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Specializes in ER, Oncology, Travel Nursing.

Agency Nursing does have many positive points...which is why I did it for awhile. Of course, with the economy still in the toilet and hospitals continuing to cut staff, agency nursing continues to suffer big time. Two out of the 3 nursing agencies I used are out of business...and might get a call once a month for a random shift. Of course, I work ER and in my neck of the woods...we have had a nursing surplus for a few years...even before the economy tanked. I would continue to hold onto your regular job in these uncertain times. But if you can pick up a PRN job...that would be great!! Some decent hospitals out there pay their PRN staff better than agency nursing!!

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Specializes in Med-Surg.

FarmerRN, Thanks for your opinion. I am just frustrated my current staff situation. I just want to try something different. I will think about PRN or Homehealth.

thanks. :)

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