Independent Contractor as a new nurse

[neyvy21]

Hello everyone,

I was quickly onboarded with an agency. After reading the employee handbook, I discovered that I will be an independent contractor 1099...that means no overtime pay if you work over 8 hours (and the facilities have 12 hr shifts), no workers comp, etc. However, my bigger concern is that I sent in my resume, and I was pretty transparent about me being a new nurse with just a few months of experience. They just asked me if I was willing to work at skilled nursing facilities, to which I said yes via email. I even agreed to a few shifts after they onboarded me. However, after reading the employee handbook I found out they do not even provide a formal orientation unless the specific facility wishes to do so. I feel like this is a bad situation waiting to unfold for a new nurse like me. The last thing I would want is to endanger any patients or to lose my RN license.

How should I go about telling the agency that I do not think this is a good fit?

Also, have other new grads had a similar experience with recruiting agencies? Should I just forgo them altogether as a new nurse?

[Nurse SMS, MSN, RN]

If you aren't under contract, you simply don't accept any new contracts. If you know you aren't going to accept any new contracts, simply tell the agency you have decided to go in a different direction and thank them for the opportunity.

If you are a new nurse with less than a year of experience then agency nursing really isn't appropriate for you. When facilities hire agency or travel nurses, they are looking for someone who can "plug and play" ie: hit the ground running. None of them are going to spend the kind of money they pay for an agency nurse giving them a good orientation. You will get one shift, at most. Orientation will consist mostly of showing you where the pyxis, med room, crash cart and supply room are and maybe helping you log in for the first time. Then you will be on your own.