Should I run far, far away while I still have my license?

[Murse901, MSN, RN]

I'm still a very new LPN, just 6 months into my first job (LTC). I have some experience on the side doing flu clinics and health fairs, but I wouldn't count those as real nursing experience. I'm fairly confident in my skills (at least in an LTC setting), so I thought I'd give agency a shot just to pick up some extra hours - not to replace my full-time gig. I know that everyone says that you should get at least a year of experience before doing agency. But, let's face it - LTC isn't really that hard to get a handle on as long as you have good time management skills.

Having said that, I put in my application to a fairly well-known agency last Friday (let's just call it Mixam to protect the innocent). By Monday morning, they had called me in for an "interview". The interview consisted of being asked what hours I could work and filling out some preliminary paperwork (background check, application, etc). They also made a copy of my ID, CPR, and nursing license. That was the interview.

Wednesday, I was told that my background check came back good and that I could come in to complete the process. I had to take an overall competency exam and a skills rating. The competency exam consisted of 25 fairly easy questions (although, to be fair, I did miss a few). The skills rating was a self-evaluation of my skill level in various areas. I also filled out my W-2, direct deposit, and other various sundry paperwork. The Mixam rep told me that he would submit my paperwork to one of the big LTC facilities here and let me know if/when I would go to orientation. I was handed an employee handbook and that was that. No mention of pay, uniform requirements, anything like that. Just a kind of, "Great, you have a license. Let's get you working" kind of atmosphere.

Naturally, I asked what they pay would be, and if it varied by assignment. The rep said, "Probably something like $18 an hour". First of all, I don't really like the "probably something like" bit when telling me how much I'll be making. "Probably something like $18 an hour" can be $15 an hour. 15 is *like* 18, only less. Second, I currently make $18.50/hr (and he knew this), which is fairly common in the local LTC market for LPN's. To work PRN as an agency nurse for less money seems stupid to me.

To top it off, I get a couple of voicemails today asking me if I can go somewhere this weekend. In the second voicemail, he said in kind of a threatening tone, "If you don't get back to me pretty soon, I'm just going to have to use someone else who can commit". I never said that I would be able to start working this weekend. I had assumed that I would just be waiting for my orientation to go to this other facility.

I know that agencies are there to make money, but I just have a bad feeling about this. No drug test, no skills assessment, no real interview. Don't get me wrong - I'm always appreciative of a job offer. But, I'm not stupid, and I'm not willing to put my license on the line for anyone. Am I just overreacting?

[CHATSDALE]

going and taking a hall of residents cold is not easy and yes agency nurses should make a considerable bit more than nusres who work as staff

sometimes agency will assume that your home facility has done the back ground checks and drug screens you will certainly be subject to a drug screen if the facility you report to decides to require it

you rarely are oriented as an agency nurse, you are called in as a warm body with a license because they are short

whether or not to get your feet wet is a personal one..sometimes you have to go with a gut feeling

[steelcityrn, RN]

Thats how they are until you lay down some ground rules, since you do have another job. I would call them monday, tell them you got the message after you got home from work. Tell them the shift and days you would want, and the locations/area of travel. Ask "what is my pay rate"? Tell them your flexibilty. I also have been there and done that, with agencies. I also have had the threatening messages before, and have had to call them back with my own preferences. Just don't spread yourself too thin, the money is great but so is your days off!

[KellieNurse06]

No!!!! Run!!! lol!

I just left a company for home care that was a fiasco waiting to happen.....& I felt my license was in grave danger.......Go with your gut instinct.....I now have a new job that I feel alot better about with a different company.....

[LadyNASDAQ]

You need a really good Med-Surg background to work agency. Trust what I say because I have been a Nurse for 28 years and started off as a LPN back in 1979. I am a RN and work in all the ICU's for 25 years. In retrospect, I can only tell you that if you work through an agency they expect you to know everything and hot the ground running. You should actually be thinking staff job, working and circulating in all the areas where you can take on any assignment and get that RN with the college tuition reimbursement programs out there. Salary will not be an issue later on, trust me.

[caliotter3]

What you described is par for the course for a certain agency that sounds like the name you used. It is also par for the course for other agencies. Do what steelcityrn advised. Call them back, let them know that you do not sit by a phone, turning purple from holding your breath waiting for them (or anyone else) to call, and lay down the rules. And I would be very adamant about clearing up the matter of pay. A certain company that sounds like the name that you used advertises $18-$22/hr and will pay some people $15/hr. See? You have to be firm about what you want/expect. As far as the background check, skills check, interview, etc. that is the same just about everywhere. If your license is good, they will hire you. And do not expect the people who do the scheduling to be able to see your point of view when you talk about anything dealing with the actual "nursing" aspect of the assignments. Although they get quite involved sometimes, their fallback excuse is that they are not nurses. When you have a real issue dealing with nursing you have to force the issue to talk to the nursing supervisor or Director of Clinical Services; provided that they are not "too busy". The best way to make it with a certain company that sounds like the one you named, is to develop a positive relationship with the staffing coordinator and be clear and firm about what you will/will not accept. Good luck to you.

[pjs91n]

First, you are mighty brave to step out there being a "new" nurse. I started doing agency after 3 years of med-surg. they expect you to hit the floor working they do not really have time to orient you, we are there to fill in on a last minute basis at some places. They count, give you a half way decent report, keys and you are on your own. I would call other agencies to see what their pay rate is,if the one you mentioned is what I think, you would be wise to look elsewhere. That rate is pretty low for agency. you might consider doing per-diem at a LTC the money is decent and you won't get "bumped" often.