Difference between agency nurse and nursing home nurse?

817nurse · Feb 14, 2015

A 1:40 nurse to resident ratio is not illegal in the nursing home setting.

An agency nurse can work at five different facilities over the course of a week, while a nursing home nurse can work at the same LTC facility for many years. The difference is that the nursing home nurse is an employee of the LTC facility, but the agency nurse is an employee of the staffing agency.

Also, agency nurses can be sent to hospitals and other settings.

Here.I.Stand, BSN, RN · Feb 14, 2015

Hi,
I have been confused about the topic of agency nursing and skilled nursing facility nursing. I have been on interviews for skilled nursing facilities but am not so sure of what the difference between these "nursing homes" are from calling an "agency". Do they give you less orientation. Do agency nurses hop from skilled nursing facility to skilled nursing facility at someone's beck and call. Also why is there such a stigma against nursing homes as opposed to hospitals for new graduates. One of my interviewers said to me flat out that I would be on a 1:40 nurse patient ratio if hired in the nursing home? Isn't this illegal?? Please any insight would be appreciated!
Thank you!

Agencies hire nurses to be sent to facilities that are short staffed. If a facility is short a nurse, they may get one from an agency rather than making their staff work short.

Generally, you don't get much orientation. I was briefly employed by an agency when I was a CNA (I quit because they never needed me when I wanted to work, and were always calling me at 0400 when I was at my regular job and my husband was trying to sleep) and I got NO orientation in the facilities. The agency RNs I've worked with have gotten a day with a preceptor and then have been expected to function independently. For that reason I don't recommend new grads try to work for an agency.

1:40 ratio is high but not illegal. The only place in the US that has laws about nurse-pt ratios is California, but their law is for hospitals only. Not SNFs.