Census has been terrible

nightingale, RN · Dec 2, 2002

WOW... low census for that long? Are the facilities also using a lot of travelers?

I hope it eases up soon!

B.

BadBird, BSN, RN · Dec 5, 2002

Here in Pittsburg I keep pretty busy. I have noticed a trend the past few years where certain hospitals try to establish their own inhouse agencies and don't want to use outside agencies as much, usually it doesn't pan out.

Mariam Soulane · Dec 5, 2002

Why don't you try travel nursing yourself. They pay well and you get to go all over the place plus health benefits.

If your interested I do know somebody who might be able to help

sa48sh · Dec 14, 2002

There are so many factors involved besides supply and demand. I have had a TERRIBLE year. After 15 years of steady work at a correctional facility I've been lucky to get an average of 24 hrs. a week(thats some weeks 40 and others 8). I would have thought that with the 'shortage' there would be high demand, but I have since discovered that sometimes the scheduler messes up, some times another agency person endears themselves to the scheduler.OR someone from another agency endears themselves to the supervisor.Many facilities will work short rather than pay agency when they can get away with it.(whick makes me glad I'm not one of their employees) Either way I agree with Nurse4God, that all and all it seems to work out. Somehow I've gotten by. One good thing is that I make more per hour than the average bear and I've learned a long time ago to put back a nest egg for the lean times. That way when work is slow, instead of worring, I go to the beach, or clean my house from top to bottom, or catch up on paperwork or reading, things I had no time for when I worked the 40+ hrs I used to........I'm considering looking around for a travel position and may do that if need be...........It's pretty much out of my hands anyway................

renerian, BSN, RN · Dec 14, 2002

I know OSU Med Center uses alot of travelers and so does the Grant Riverside Group. I don't think Mt. Carmel in Columbus does though. I am hearing from other people in agency they are saying the same thing. How long can you hold out with such low hours? I know I could not hold out long.

renerian

funnygirl_rn · Dec 19, 2002

Sorry to hear that. It has been slow in my area as well. A lot of my friends seem to think that staff wants to pick up extra hours due to the holidays & also noticed more travellers/contracts being used as opposed to agency (per diem). So, I recently applied for a new position accepting a 14 week contract...at least I will be guaranteed my hours...just may take a little getting used to since working agency allowed me freedom/choice of my work schedule. Good luck!

funnygirl_rn · Dec 19, 2002

Originally posted by funnygirl_rn
Sorry to hear that. It has been slow in my area as well. A lot of my friends seem to think that staff wants to pick up extra hours due to the holidays & also noticed more travellers/contracts being used as opposed to agency (per diem). So, I recently applied for a new position accepting a 14 week contract...at least I will be guaranteed my hours...just may take a little getting used to since working agency allowed me freedom/choice of my work schedule. Good luck!

oops trying to learn how to post a reply in a quote.

CCU NRS · Dec 19, 2002

Yeah in my area we had a new Cardiac Hospital open and a few of the Docs from our facility and a few from a nearby facility all went to the new Hosp. The upshot is that we are getting fewer Pt.'s nwo from loosing these guys and the sister facility is also getting fewer and that has been damaging to both. Previously when the other facility would fill up we would recieve their overflow and vice-versa but now neither is filling up so ther is no overflow and things are sort of bleak, I have actually applied for unemployment because I am in school and i ahve only been getting 12-20 hours a week of the Agency is pissed about it and saying they night shifts and stuff and I am turning down shifts but it really isn't easy to work different shifts with a family and going to school and trying to have any life at all. :eek: Thanks for posting Larry

kae rn · Dec 19, 2002

I feel for ya. I have been new to agency nursing since September. Been a frustrating experience for me. Am looking at taking a fulltime reg job. I think that perhaps the economy is starting to affect the jobs in some areas of the country. Spouses are unemployed and the nurse is picking up more hours. Could be related to Christmas too. People want money to spend.

Renerian,

Didn't notice you were from Columbus. Same here. Went to an orientation at Mt Carmel a few weeks ago for agency nurses. There was a traveler there too.

eddy · Jan 16, 2003

Winter is always slow if you are not in the deep south. Snow birds (elderly wanting warm weather) go south for the winter, and this slows things quite a bit for the northern and midwestern states.

CCU NRS - Sorry to say this... but you won't get unemployment. I used to be an accountant (still do some independant work), and I am very familiar with unemployment laws and stipulations. As long as the agency can prove that they called you for shifts and you turned them down, they are not liable for unemployment payments and will fight it tooth and nail (and win). Unemployment rules do state that the employer must provide reasonable accomadation, but as an agency nurse it is typically decided that because you were an "as needed" employee that there were no guarantees of work for a particular schedule and the fact that they offered nights and you turned them down negates your claim for unemployment. It's a nasty world when if comes to the unemployment battle, but 9 times out of 10 the agency is going to win. Simply put, when we hired on we were never guarenteed fulltime hours. It's first come first serve. Not to mention the fact that all the agency has to do is point to the countless ads for nurses in the paper and say "if X employee is not getting all the hours they need I don't think they will have a hard time finding a job... do you". Sucks, but that's unfortunately the way it works.

Laura C · Jan 16, 2003

your census has been low also. I don't normally get called off to often and it has hurt right after christmas. I am waiting on a travel assignment at this time. Good luck.........