How do You Treat PRN/Agency Nurses and Why?

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I have been an agency nurse, and I have also worked with agency nurses. It wasn't until I did a stint as an agency nurse that I really considered my actions. It's not that I am unusually mean, but at times when I am busy, it is hard to stop and continually give advice, find materials, and smooth things over for PRN nurses. I was reading a post by a nurse who is having trouble in this position. How do you think we can help our agency nurses, and also help them to help themselves? How do we make the ride easier for both the regular nurse and the PRN nurse?

Specializes in Geriatrics, Home Health.

I worked briefly in an facility that used a lot of agency staff, mostly from the South. I'd heard that agency staff were treated very badly because they made a lot more money, their housing was paid for, and their shifts couldn't be canceled. I always tried to help the agency staff, simply because you never know who you'll run into down the road, or how they could help you out.

I've never worked agency, but I'm an obvious transplant in an area with tension between natives and transplants. Since I don't look or sound like a native, the first question people asked me after my name was "Are you agency?" I think I encountered some problems because people assumed I was agency.

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I've never worked agency but I used to work PRN float for the hospital where I currently work.

I floated to all floors and all treated me fine except the med/surg floor. The people were friendly and answered questions when I had them, but I would get the worst assignments, more patients than everyone else (max was supposed to be 6, but I always got 7-8), and sometimes my assignments would be so spread out that I spent way more time taking care of my patients than was necessary just because I had so much territory to cover.

It wasn't until I took a full time position in the ED about a year and a half later that I discovered that the charge nurse on the med/surg floor didn't take an assignment but was supposed to help the other nurses with their patients. I NEVER, not one time, got any help with any patient care or any of my med sheets, even though I also never got a lunch break because I was so busy.

I've thought of doing agency from time to time but this is one of the big issues that stops me.

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Specializes in floor to ICU.

When I was charge nurse, it could be a love/hate relationship. I loved the extra help but sometimes there were a few that just shouldn't have been there. Meaning, they weren't a strong nurse to begin with and needed hand-holding the entire shift for common sense things. It is hard to run an entire unit if one person is dominating all your attention/time.

In general, tho they were an asset.

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i've seen agency nurses shunned and nurses have come right out and said things like, "with what he/she's getting paid, i don't feel bad for her" or "she's getting paid twice what i make." i've come right out and said to those nurses, "then why don't YOU become an agency nurse?"

seriously, if i mistreated and purposely went out of my way not to help everyone who got paid more than i do - there would be a lot of frazzled nurses and suffering patients. nurses tell techs "if you want RN pay then go to school" which i totally agree with, but it works both ways. if you want agency pay then go work for an agency.

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I worked briefly in an facility that used a lot of agency staff, mostly from the South. I'd heard that agency staff were treated very badly because they made a lot more money, their housing was paid for, and their shifts couldn't be canceled. I always tried to help the agency staff, simply because you never know who you'll run into down the road, or how they could help you out.

I've never worked agency, but I'm an obvious transplant in an area with tension between natives and transplants. Since I don't look or sound like a native, the first question people asked me after my name was "Are you agency?" I think I encountered some problems because people assumed I was agency.

this is exactly right and i've heard it from the horse's mouths.

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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!

i agree. i'm a nursing student working as a CNA right now and i go out of my way to be nice to the agency nurses because i know how poorly they get treated (at least from what i've seen). i think it's ironic that nurses hate on agency nurses bc they get paid so much more, yet the lowest paid people in the joint treat them with the most respect. there's something wrong with that picture.

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I treat them as part of the team; because they are. I don't give a rat's a** how much money they make. They chose their job, I chose mine.

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