How do You Treat PRN/Agency Nurses and Why?

ChristineN, BSN, RN · Mar 26, 2011

As a PRN nurse that goes to different floors one of the most helpful things is when I get to a floor I've never been I introduce myself and ask for any codes that I would need throughout the day for the med room, etc. Some floors have handouts with room codes, dr's numbers (especially in ICU), and other information which I find helpful. I try to be as independent as possible, and if anything normally just have to ask charge minor questions about their protocol.

danh3190 · Mar 26, 2011

I don't know how people can be PRN nurses. It must be a matter of experience. I've only been a nurse 2 1/2 years and I dread getting floated to a different unit, and PRN nurses do it all the time! From what I've seen of our PRN nurses, they're fine as long as they have the codes.

Flo., BSN, RN · Mar 26, 2011

We give them a packet with all the info that they might need. A little bio about the docs, the procedures they perform and what they like for thier pts. It also includes a step by step guide of any exams that they might need to do. The charge first makes sure they can do them. It helps alot.

JulieCVICURN, BSN, RN · Mar 26, 2011

We bend over backwards for our agency nurses on the rare occasion we get them. We're so damn grateful to have extra help that we don't mind taking the extra time to make sure our temp knows where to find things and to get meds for her out of the pyxis. We've been told by many agency nurses that our facility treats them better than any other places they work.

Treating agency nurses like **** is like shooting yourself in the foot. If you care about your patients and you're a decent human being, you'll do your best to make the temp feel comfortable and supported. It doesn't take that much extra time to be courteous and helpful.

Chin up · Mar 26, 2011

The agency nurse can help herself, tremendously by being on time, introducing herself to staff, making friends with the CNA's and working like this is her facility. I did it for years, and never had a problem. My greatest resource were the CNA's. I always would listen to them, and take their advice. They kept me out of trouble, so many times. They would also make me look good. You must be confident, not easily frustrated and go with the flow. The staff will respect that and be helpful naturally. I got many a good job, made good friends working agency. Peace!

DaisyMountain · Mar 26, 2011

We use tons of agency. Like any other group of people, some are good and some are bad, but in any case they are people, so I treat them with respect. I actually feel sorry for them, because my place of work is pretty nuts, and unless you have done the charting a few times, it is overwhelming. I always feel bad asking them if they got an "end of shift report", ins, outs, abnormal vitals, FSBS, Prns, all have to be written out to give to the charge nurse at the end of the shift, on top of us already charting this stuff more than once for some of it. I can see them sometimes just want to cry. So I try to help as much as possible, but we get a lot of repeated agency too, which is nice.

CathyLew · Mar 26, 2011

I love the idea about the card with codes and numbers on it.

unfortunetly where I worked, they treated agency nurses pretty badly. It was a union hospital, and they looked at agency nurses as a job threat.

linearthinker, DNP, RN · Mar 26, 2011

Same as everybody else.

Chin up · Mar 26, 2011

I love the idea about the card with codes and numbers on it.
unfortunetly where I worked, they treated agency nurses pretty badly. It was a union hospital, and they looked at agency nurses as a job threat.

Jmo, I don't think agency should work in union hospitals unless staff is supportive. In the eighties, I worked as an agency nurse at a large union hospital for about a year. When they were about to strike, they asked us agency nurses to support them. Of course, my progressive self, did. Others crossed their picket line and it was not pretty. Once the strike was over, those nurses who crossed, could never come back. The rest of us were welcome back and treated as staff. The nurses really appreciated our support.

DeLana_RN, BSN, RN · Mar 26, 2011

All I can say is this: I'll never take a PRN position again. Although the ones I had were not as a float, but assigned to one unit, you were still never treated like full-time staff and held to impossible standards without the necessary support.

Kudos to those who can do it (agency as well).... no more for me.

DeLana

canesdukegirl, BSN, RN · Mar 26, 2011

I have worked with agency nurses and have myself been an agency nurse. In my experience, agency nurses were treated badly. I asked one of my peers (back when I was a staff nurse working with agency nurses for the first time) why our co-workers treated them poorly. Her reply was that everyone has the same assignment, same expectations and the same job to do. The staff nurses were resentful because they knew the agency nurse was making SERIOUS cash. I didn't understand that. Sooo....if you want to make serious cash, then do agency nursing. If you cannot for some reason, how 'bout putting a lid on the attitude? After that enlightening convo, I went out of my way to make the agency nurses feel welcome and made sure that they knew where all of the supplies were, what the "flow" of the unit was, and who to call for what reason. Some of the agency nurses were grateful, and some were so jaded that they were kinda jackwagons.

When I became an agency nurse, I fully expected to be given the cold shoulder...and I experienced this. For about two weeks. Once the staff nurses saw that I was pulling my weight and then offered to help out when they were in the weeds, they treated me just like any other co-worker.

Bottom line is that it never hurts to make someone feel more comfortable and welcome when you can spare a few minutes.