agency vs. float pool

[meriposa]

Hi Everyone!! I am contemplating which would be best--- doing per diem agency nursing or going float pool in a local hospital??

Do float pool nurses make more money than the regular staff?? Have you found that most of the time with float pool PRN nurses have more guaranteed hours vs. an agency that can cancel you???

Also- I know that in Maryland- Johns Hopkins hospital has their own internal agency and I wonder how the pay compares to the regular staffs pay....

Any thoughts, feedback and suggestions are much appreciated!!

[ncnurse99]

I know that I have worked both agency and float pool and have found that I was more likely to get called to work in the float pool. Agengy was too sporatic and always last minute. At least with float pool, I had some idea a couple days in advance most of the time. Now this may vary from place to place. Pay was better working agency but hours were worse. Good luck.

[ArwenEvenstar]

I liked float pool at a hospital. The last hospital I worked at had its own internal float pool and stopped using agency nurses all together. I was in it for a couple years. It likely varies by hospital, but at this hospital you did make considerably more an hour for floating. There were different "levels" of pay depending how many hours a month you committed to work. The more hours you committed to, the more your hourly rate. Plus, you could sometimes sign a 3-month contract to work full-time hours on one unit (that had a staffing crisis) and you would make an EXTRA $10/hr more on top of it! Seriously, you could make as much as low to mid 40's an hour!

I was NEVER called off. I only worked part-time hours by choice, but could have worked much more. You also had TOTAL control of your schedule. You would actually turn in your own schedule of when you wanted to work, and that is when you worked - they just plugged you in wherever you were needed. I often did "creative" self scheduling - I'd clump my hours together on purpose so I would have gaps of time off of working!

Unfortunately, after 14 years years of hospital nursing I burned out. The only thing I miss about the hospital was the great pay and schedule flexibility. Now I work through an agency but doing private duty nursing - huge pay cut! But the payoff of very low stress was/is worth it for me...

[ilostmymuse]

I worked as a float pool nurse at a hospital right out of school. I had a set schedule of 40 hours a week. It was hard at first but you learn alot going to every floor. I really liked it but I always got the hardest assignments.

Now I am working for an agency. I havent been there long but I would say if you are just starting out go with the float pool. At least you have some stability bc once you go to each floor a certain amount of times you know everyone and get used to it.

I make alot more as an agency nurse though so if money is an object you might want to look into agency.

[OriolesMagic]

I just got hired into a float pool job in a local hospital and was told that more and more hospitals are getting rid of agency nurses and replacing them with float pool nurses. I was told the reasons were "saving money"-obvious, and ability to discipline nurses. This hospital had gotten rid of all agency nurses except ER nurses. I would caution you against getting into an area where the supply of nurses might exceed the position. If you have a high demand specialty like ER and ICU this might not apply to you.

[chademack]

Agency is awesome for the taxes. If you know what your doing, that is. If not, then float pool staffing is on target for not getting called off. On the other hand, with an agency, you don't have to settle for crap (like rude people) as you do with your regular job and the HA is alot less.