LPNs and temp agencies

forget it! · Jul 20, 2002

I don't know about temp agencies, but I have just landed a new job working for a Nursing Registry and they offer private duty nursing. I think it is the best opportunity, I am so thankful to hae the job. I thought I would never make it out of Long Term Care in the nursing homes. I have worked as an LPN for seven years in the nursing home enviroment. It is so fast paced and I would work 12 to 16 hour shifts and not be able to sit down for 30 minutes out of both of the shifts. i busted my butt! I felt I had to do that to get every thing done the residents needed. Don't get me wrong I loved working with the elderly, but you can be run ragged with no energy left at all. I would stay over an hour or two most of the time to complete all the paper work the facilities required. Now I have a job taking care of one patient, total care, for ten hours at a time and I have a little energy left at the end of my shift so that I can go back to school to get my "RN". Private duty at night is great, you would have time to read your lessons in between taking care of your patient, probably. I have a patient that requires alot of care. ( Diabetic, CHF, Trachea care, and is on a ventilator, is crippled and uses the bed pan several times a night and needs suctioned and turned several times a night and it takes me three hours to give her a complete bed bath, washing her hair and every thing, transferring her over to her w/c with a hoyer lift) and I still am able to squeeze in atleast two chapters a night. I would advise this to anyone wanting to go back to school. I even make $4 more dollars an hour than I was making running my butt off. I still can't believe it. It is like a dream come true. I said a little prayer the night before I landed the job and told God that whatever his will was that I would accept it, but please let me get this job. The agency is probably great too, that is what I hear anyway, I don't know first hand. Good luck doing whatever you choose. I know where I am working there are several openings and they can't find nurses to work. It is freaking me out!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

Guest20074 · Jul 21, 2002

By ForgetIt!: I thought I would never make it out of Long Term Care in the nursing homes. I have worked as an LPN for seven years in the nursing home enviroment. It is so fast paced and I would work 12 to 16 hour shifts and not be able to sit down for 30 minutes out of both of the shifts. i busted my butt! I felt I had to do that to get every thing done the residents needed. Don't get me wrong I loved working with the elderly, but you can be run ragged with no energy left at all. I would stay over an hour or two most of the time to complete all the paper work the facilities required. Now I have a job taking care of one patient, total care, for ten hours at a time and I have a little energy left at the end of my shift so that I can go back to school to get my "RN".

I had a friend of mine practically tell me the same thing when she worked in a nursing home. Its because of that reason why I decided not to pursue nursing homes. Thanks for responding to my post :).

nurse2002 · Aug 8, 2002

Ive worked agency for 5 years now. I wouldnt have it any other way! I set my own hours. go the facilities iwant and get paid in between 20 and 22.00 an hour. But I work for it. Believe me!

Most places will give you the MOTHER LOAD. They feel you make more money so most of them give you the most work, the hardest teams....etc. This makes my time go by fassssssssssst, so I dont mind it, unless it just gets ridiculous. Some places treat you well other treat you awful. Sometimes when I get a team of patients that were 'hand picked' for me because im agency I want to, all the sudden "feel real sick" and go home, but I dont.

What they dont realize is that if I did go home they would have to split my team up. Or if I were not there at all they would have that many more patients. If I were a staff nurse I would WELCOME an agency nurse with open arms for making my day that much easier.

I meet many different people and this is enjoyable. Good Luck.

IrishCream · Jul 9, 2003

I have worked agency for about 4 years now. I love it. My agency contracts with hospitals. I go to only two hospitals and they make me feel like one of the staff. I work 12 hr shifts and can choose my days. No weekends unless I want to. No holidays unless I want to make $45-$51 per hr. I get $30 for weekdays, $34 for weekends and time and half for holidays. It sure is worth it for me. I never get a bigger load then the "regular staff" Sometimes there are 4 agency nurses and only 2 staff nurses on duty.

graysonret · Jul 16, 2003

Work for 2 agencies myself. Most of my nursing career has been agency work. I love it. I like the freedom and the challenge. Of course, working for yourself, you have to keep in mind your own self-discipline. Easy to say "no" and take the day off, so I push myself some. There isn't any office politics either everyday, though, once staff get to know you, one or two may vent to your "neutral" ear. :). Once you establish yourself as a good, reliable nurse, pay increases come. All in all, a good life.

HelanaDietrich · Mar 31, 2005

As an LPN I worked acute care nursing in a psyche hospital. I loved psyche nursing; but we were so understaffed, I had to literally drag heavy beds out in the patient lounge area to make sure I could watch physically fragile and/or demented elderly patients, or suicidal patients, so I could do my nightly paperwork and monitor them at the same time. At first we had 20 prn nurses. Less than a year later, we had none we could call on. The hospital closed. I went back to working for a private agency where I cared for homebound patients. I did alot of ventilator/trache care. Trache care paid higher than other areas of home nursing, even as much or more than RNs were making. Many nurses shy away from it; but once I was oriented to it, I was comfortable with it, and actually enjoyed the work. After completing many of the courses for entrance into a BS nursing program, I had an accident on a horse and broke my writer's arm and was out of work for 6 months. I'd worked as a secretary before my nursing career. I decided to take a medical transcription course through independent study at a local community college. It was work, but because of my background, I faired better academically than the other students in my class. I am now pursuing work-from-home as a medical transcriptionist. Overall, I like this type work more than anything I've done in the past. Secretaries were not paid well years ago. After going through nursing school, the salaries for office administrative staff has gone up considerably. I came to realize that I could make as much money, even more, sitting behind a desk working a computer without the physical and legal risks that nurses are at on a daily basis, and without getting half-way home mentally and physically drained, and suddenly freak wondering "Did I forget to perform an order." One day I may go back to nursing, as it is one of the most rewarding and respectful professions. For now, I have over half my plate full getting my daughter through the teenage years, and need a break.

HelanaDietrich · Mar 31, 2005

Here in SCarolina, many LPNs have become employeed in school nursing. Many work some weekends in the hospital setting or outpatient clinics to keep up their acute clinical skills. School nursing isn't the best pay; but it has great advantages: awesome hours, time off (summers, holidays, sick days, spring and Christmas breaks). The benefits are good, and you can't beat the state retirement plans. It's particularly great if you have school age kids, or if after years of practicing you just want to slow down and take a load off from the long hours of most other nursing positions.