Tips on Working for a Nursing Agency Per Diem

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I have started working Per Diem through a nursing agency not so long ago in addition to my full-time job at a hospital. I have never worked for a registry before and I feel I need some advice on how to deal with agencies and recruiters.

When I just started, I told them very basic information about myself and they quickly found local assignment for me. A few weeks later, I ran into a problem. Initially, they just said that they have an assignment for me and gave me location of the hospital. No specialty or rate was provided, which felt very strange because I was so used to hearing from other nurses that you usually get an offer that sounds something like, “We have an assignment at this location for you. You will be working on this unit. The rate will be this much.” You then decide if you want to accept it. I asked the same thing from my agency and they replied that it will be MS unit and the rate is $720 per 12-hour shift. I accepted it and successfully completed it.

They got back to me the same day and said that this facility wants to book me on any other day that I am available. I responded that variety is more important for me at this moment and I would rather prefer that they rotate me through 2-3 different facilities. They said that they work with different facilities in the area and can certainly do this for me. I gave them my availability for the next few weeks and they reached out to me again. To my surprise on all subsequent days that I booked with them, they sent me to the same facility. When I got paid the next time (this was weekly pay), the rate was much lower than on my first paycheck. I called them and expressed my concerns. They responded that the other rate was pandemic pay, and they switched to regular pay no so long ago.

It was sort of bait and switch game, so I ended up working two shifts with them at a lower rate without even being told that this was the case. At the end of the conversation, they said that they will send me a list of facilities they work with and their rates. Four days later, they sent me a list of several places that were 2-4 hours away from where I live and that supposedly offer higher pay. They surely did fulfil their promise, but their definition of local surely didn’t match the definition that I gave them.

I feel that there was total lack of transparency on their end and complete lack of control on my end. They place me wherever they see fit and pay me what they feel is okay by playing dirty games.

I had enough with them and went to another registry in the area, and they upfront gave me a list of facilities they work with and the rates that these facilities pay to RNs. They said that the rates are subject to change, but they will notify me if they ever go up or down. They also mentioned that it is not a problem for me to work at several hospitals to gain experience I am after. I have no idea how it will go with them, but since I lack necessary experience, it will be a trial and error game for me.

To have a better outcome this time around I decided to ask a few questions before I even begin my first assignment with them:

(This is for Per Diem position, not a travel contract)

1. What are some tips for negotiating a good deal with an agency?

2. Is there a way to find out current rates in the area where I live, so I know that I am being paid at least an average market rate?

3. Are there any ways to negotiate better rates with the agency?

4. What would you expect a professional agency to provide you with from the very beginning?

5. What should I ask from a recruiter from the very beginning?

6. Any other questions that I missed…