Nursing Agencies--are they worth it???

[chelojelo]

Has anyone worked for any of the nursing agencies in Lexington, KY? I currently work in LTC, but I'm anxious to get away from that area for at least a little while, I'm pretty burned out on it. I've been seriously considering signing on with a nursing agency. Has anyone had experience working for any of them? Is it better to just work prn or to actually "sign contracts" and go to the same facility for a while? Do you really get enough hours working for them? Is it mostly weekends and night shift? Is it wise to sign on with more than one agency in order to be sure and get enough hours? Any advice, tips, or any kind of info from ppl experienced in working for them would be greatly appreciated!

[shenay]

I have worked agency before, but not in the Lexington area. I think it would be better to work prn first to get a feel for agency nursing. If you like it, you can always choose to sign a contract later. As far as going to the same facility, that would be your own preference. Personally, I like variety. On Monday I would go to a nursing home, Tues. to a correctional institution, and Wed. to a different nursing home. With agency work, you can usually work as little or as much as you want. I worked a lot of 7a-3p, some 3p-11p and no 11p-7a. It's been my experience that you can pretty-much choose when you want to work. I suggest (if you choose agency work) that you work for only one agency to begin with, again, to just get a feel for agency nursing. Like all jobs, there's positive and negative and it just boils down to personal preference. When you interview with an agency, ask them what hours you would most likely be working, will you be working all shifts, etc. Be sure to know all the facts before signing a contract. Good luck in whatever you choose to do.

[chelojelo]

Thanks for your advice! I actually went today and signed on with an agency. Not one in Lexington, but one in Somerset, which services facilities closer to me. It took 6 HOURS to apply and get all the paperwork, do the tests, etc. I couldn't BELIEVE it took that long! They said it would take 24hrs before i could start picking up shifts. I'm pretty excited about it. They said they only do "direct deposit" when they pay you, and i wasn't too crazy about that, since i've always had this habit of carrying my "extra" paychecks (i work prn at another facility, and usually my checks from there will be for just one or 2 days of work) around in my purse for days or a couple of weeks before cashing or depositing them, like it gives me a sense of "saving money", lol.