I'm sick to my eyeballs of incompetent agency nurses.

Nurses General Nursing

Published

:angryfire

I am sick and tired of having to work with incompetent agency nurses. Ones that have no clue what to do but take the shift anyway because it's money.

I'm sick of having to teach them stuff, I am not there to teach them, I am happy to teach our own nurses but not agency nurses. If they feel they are suitable enough for agency, then it is their responsibility to make sure they have the skills not mine.

I'm sick of having to pick up the pieces and listen to complaints from relatives about them. I have had a gutful.

I'd rather work shortstaffed that watch someone do the bear minimum or nothing yet getting paid better. It really irritates me.

I hate it.I have had a gutful. I am ready to crack up.

I think that standards to become an agency nurse need to be raised. I've recently bumped into someone who has been out of the hospital system for 7 years and has come back through agency. She ended up on our ward and couldn't cope. Tonights idiot didn't know he had to empty the catheter bag of the bladderwashout and it burst. Considering they hold 4 litres, you can imagine the mess. He didn't know how to get a patient ready for theatre and a patient who was in pain was told by him to wait for another 2 hours until the medication was due again. Didn't know how to do a NJJ feed. It's appauling.

So I spoke to the manager who said he'd make a note to say he wasn't suitable, but I know from past experience it won't happen.

Then the agency nurse got offended when I told him he shouldn't take placements on a surgical ward if he doesn't normally work surgical. He said he worked medical. I don't bloody care if he is offended, that is his problem not mine.

Personally I am troubled to be working in a field with people who have attitudes like this. This is a misandrist attitude that happens to creep out from under cover every once in a while. Perhaps you need to go to counseling and figure out what it is that causes you to have such a discriminatory attitude towards a minority group in nursing. You might even need anger management to help with your feelings about male nurses.

If you substitue african american, asian, hispanic, women etc etc into your statement then it becomes very offensive. I am surprised no one has bothered to call you out.

Why are you hassling DusktillDawn for making an observation?

Do you think she said it because male nurses are a minority? I don't think so. Maybe she was making an honest observation.

I doubt you can name an occupation in which some people don't think this! You're saying that this person shouldn't generalize, but then you're saying their attitude troubles you about the entire field of nursing. Kindof ironic.

Does it make it right that in any occupation people think that certain members are lazy, stupid etc etc. Because the majority do it, it becomes okay to marginalize, target, or disrespect a group of people? The surprising thing to me is that workers and colleagues could excuse this kind of thinking or come out openly in support of it. The thread here isn't the first time i've heard stuff like this and it's not the first time i've seen the dance go on about how it's okay to marginalize a certain group of people.

Finally, I believe that my statement was about working in a profession WITH PEOPLE who had attitudes like this. I might not be a real good writer and perhaps I could structure that sentence to be a little more clear. I reread it and didn't see it as a global condemnation of the nursing profession. If you read it that way it's a shame. The intent here is to point out that it's not okay to disrespect people and certainly not okay to do it on the basis of race sex religion etc etc.

Why are you hassling DusktillDawn for making an observation? Do you think she said it because male nurses are a minority? I don't think so. Maybe she was making an honest observation.

Personally, I doubt it about that being an honest observation. I think it was a biased & disrespectful observation. I said what I meant to say and I stand by it.

:angryfire

I am sick and tired of having to work with incompetent agency nurses. Ones that have no clue what to do but take the shift anyway because it's money.

I'm sick of having to teach them stuff, I am not there to teach them, I am happy to teach our own nurses but not agency nurses. If they feel they are suitable enough for agency, then it is their responsibility to make sure they have the skills not mine.

I'm sick of having to pick up the pieces and listen to complaints from relatives about them. I have had a gutful.

I'd rather work shortstaffed that watch someone do the bear minimum or nothing yet getting paid better. It really irritates me.

I hate it.I have had a gutful. I am ready to crack up.

I think that standards to become an agency nurse need to be raised. I've recently bumped into someone who has been out of the hospital system for 7 years and has come back through agency. She ended up on our ward and couldn't cope. Tonights idiot didn't know he had to empty the catheter bag of the bladderwashout and it burst. Considering they hold 4 litres, you can imagine the mess. He didn't know how to get a patient ready for theatre and a patient who was in pain was told by him to wait for another 2 hours until the medication was due again. Didn't know how to do a NJJ feed. It's appauling.

So I spoke to the manager who said he'd make a note to say he wasn't suitable, but I know from past experience it won't happen.

Then the agency nurse got offended when I told him he shouldn't take placements on a surgical ward if he doesn't normally work surgical. He said he worked medical. I don't bloody care if he is offended, that is his problem not mine.

Your posting just makes me blazing mad. I have been an agency nurse for 5 years. And as someone else posted, I was offered a job on every unit I worked at. DO NOT jusdge agency nurses just because they make more than you, you have the same oppurtunity. There are staff nurses as well as some agency that i would like to know how they got a liscense. So do not put everyone in the same boat.

Personally, I doubt it about that being an honest observation. I think it was a biased & disrespectful observation. I said what I meant to say and I stand by it.

You conveniently left out the entire first paragraph of my post:

I've seen good and bad. There are definately some agency nurses that are more than welcome back to my unit. I do try and bear in mind that since they are not regular staff, they may (or should be) asking some questions. Asking questions I don't really have a problem with, or being asked to double check something because they are unfamiliar with the equipment either.

You singled out the first sentence only:

Unfortunately I have seen the "lazy" and one of the worst ones I encountered happened to be male.

I stated the person happened to be male. I did not state all males are lazy. You also failed to notice the quote included in my post. Two of the male nurses I work with regularly even commented about this particular person I was referring to. Here is the rest of the paragraph that followed that particular sentence you singled out:

Even worse are the "GOD's gift to the Nursing Profession" that know everything and you can't tell them nothing, oh and they want to tell me how to do Charge. But in all fairness, I've also seen this behavior from staff floated to our floor also and not just with agency nurses
.

I emphasized the last sentence. Bad behavior has to do with the individual. I suggest you read my post in it's entirety including the quote included.

I happen to regularly work with 3 male nurses. They are good at what they do. I have absolutely no anamosity towards these men I work with. In fact I have no anamosity towards the individual I referred to as being lazy, I would rather work short than with this person. I'm actually not against men pursuing a career in nursing. Far from it.

Personally I am troubled to be working in a field with people who have attitudes like this. This is a misandrist attitude that happens to creep out from under cover every once in a while. Perhaps you need to go to counseling and figure out what it is that causes you to have such a discriminatory attitude towards a minority group in nursing. You might even need anger management to help with your feelings about male nurses.

If you substitue african american, asian, hispanic, women etc etc into your statement then it becomes very offensive. I am surprised no one has bothered to call you out.

Personally, I doubt it about that being an honest observation. I think it was a biased & disrespectful observation. I said what I meant to say and I stand by it.

I guess it's easy to highlight and focus on one sentence Bloviate, jump on your soapbox and cast aspersions against another. Maybe you should look in the mirror and examine your own anger.

First, last, and only reply in regards to this matter.

Specializes in CCU-ICU, Informatics.

Your post, to be blunt, really ticked me off. As a former travel RN I know from experience that many times we are FORCED to work in areas where we are not comfortable, espcially new travel nurses who don't know enough to have where they will work mentioned specifically in their contracts. It saddens me to hear about nurses like you who aren't willing to show a little kindness to your fellow nurse. It also gives proof to the saying that nurses eat their young. Maybe someday you will be thrust into a situation you are not comfortable with and left to sink or swim on your own. When that day comes don't come crying to the message board for support.

:angryfire

I am sick and tired of having to work with incompetent agency nurses. Ones that have no clue what to do but take the shift anyway because it's money.

I'm sick of having to teach them stuff, I am not there to teach them, I am happy to teach our own nurses but not agency nurses. If they feel they are suitable enough for agency, then it is their responsibility to make sure they have the skills not mine.

I'm sick of having to pick up the pieces and listen to complaints from relatives about them. I have had a gutful.

I'd rather work shortstaffed that watch someone do the bear minimum or nothing yet getting paid better. It really irritates me.

I hate it.I have had a gutful. I am ready to crack up.

I think that standards to become an agency nurse need to be raised. I've recently bumped into someone who has been out of the hospital system for 7 years and has come back through agency. She ended up on our ward and couldn't cope. Tonights idiot didn't know he had to empty the catheter bag of the bladderwashout and it burst. Considering they hold 4 litres, you can imagine the mess. He didn't know how to get a patient ready for theatre and a patient who was in pain was told by him to wait for another 2 hours until the medication was due again. Didn't know how to do a NJJ feed. It's appauling.

So I spoke to the manager who said he'd make a note to say he wasn't suitable, but I know from past experience it won't happen.

Then the agency nurse got offended when I told him he shouldn't take placements on a surgical ward if he doesn't normally work surgical. He said he worked medical. I don't bloody care if he is offended, that is his problem not mine.

I would personally like to congratulate you in your ability to assist in the resolution of the nursing shortage. How will others view "us" as a profession or even dare to endeaver to succeed in the field of nursing with fears of outside hostility by others in "our" profession? I feel that this posting enables other professions to see our profession as "troubled" and perhaps as cut throat. I have always carried the thought that our objective is in the business of teaching, "caring", influencing and accentuating the positive. What are you doing in a caring profession when it is obvious YOU DON'T CARE?

That happened to me, I haven't been back since.

Sometimes when I read your posts I wonder if we are in the same place, or if the same type of things just happen everywhere.

I'm in So Cal and I just DNR'd myself from a scary place. I've done it before due to poor staffers or charge nurses that would rant and scream. After a few years I usually venture back and find the situation has improved.

I am ALWAYS assigned the most difficult patient, the PITA call light jockey with the annoying family members etc. and rarely get a CNA. Mostly I see looks of sympathy on the staffers faces!

Specializes in Emergency Room.

from MY observation and experience, this whole agency vs staff nurse issue boils down to one thing.....jealousy. of course this is not true of everyone, but usually it is very evident when the staff nurses sit around whining about how much money the agency nurses make and yada yada yada. I work with a charge nurse now who HATES all agency nurses, no matter how good they are, she does not like the fact that they make 15-20$ more an hour than she does. so what does she do? you guessed it. she dumps on them big time. and when you work in ER, being given 4-5 ICU/TRAUMA patients is recipe for disaster. we have had agency nurses refuse to work with this charge nurse or they just don't come back period. I am very helpful to all agency because I have nothing to gain by being hateful and vindictive. I work agency from time to time and usually I do just fine. there are some agency nurses that come to our ER that work 10x's better than the staff so I appreciate whatever good help we can get. unfortunately hospitals are so desperate that you don't know what you are getting until you get it and I don't think it's going to change anytime soon.

Specializes in Pediatrics :).

This has been a very interesting thread...and a little scary. I work agency as a Nursing Assistant, and while I'm finishing up my RN, I will be working there as an LPN. I do think that my agency has a good plan though, new grads are very restricted, and we get regular report cards from the regular staff.

Anyway, just one thing I noticed is that there's a big to-do about agency nurses making more than the staff nurses. I don't know if this applies everywhere, but the agency I work for pays more, but doesn't offer ANY benefits. By the time I pay for my health insurance, it about equals out to the hospital pay, and I don't get any paid vacations, or disability or anything. If you don't work, you don't get paid, no matter what the reason. Just my little addition...carry on...:)

Ps. Just one more thing...if there is even a possibility of someone going to a certain site, floor, etc. They have a training and orientation day-obviously things come up and things get missed, but at least we're not left to our own devices. If we haven't trained somewhere, then we don't go there. Saves from adding to the stress of an already stressed out environment.

[quote=MellyOne

Anyway, just one thing I noticed is that there's a big to-do about agency nurses making more than the staff nurses. I don't know if this applies everywhere, but the agency I work for pays more, but doesn't offer ANY benefits. By the time I pay for my health insurance, it about equals out to the hospital pay, and I don't get any paid vacations, or disability or anything. If you don't work, you don't get paid, no matter what the reason. Just my little addition...carry on...:)

You're right about that. I was only making $28 an hour as an RN working agency, used to be $26. The hospital paid its own float staff more per hour than the agency did working at the same place.

I don't get why people react with such defensiveness to a post like this. She just said she doesn't like working with INCOMPETENT agency nurses. Do any of you? I don't. If you're competent, she is not talking about you. I haven't seen a single poster than says they don't appreciate help from well trained agency nurses. By the same token, I don't get upset that caroladybelle says she's sick of incompetent staff nurses. I'm confident that doesn't apply to me, so I don't feel the need to flame her post.

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