? and vent re: agency and hospital changing my focus area

[ljds]

I am an LPN, but I have the unusual experience of having worked the last 4+ years as a nurse in a small, independent birth center. I did office hours, labor and delivery, neonatal, postpartum, breastfeeding education, and childbirth education. I am also IV certified.

When I signed on with an agency, I told them I had past experience in medical nursing and in the nursing home, but asked if they had any positions in mother/baby for me. They told me they gave my file to the hospital, and two hospitals approved it.

So I was supposed to orient today; last night I come home (from my last day at my birth center job, which I quit because I am going back to school and needed more flexible hours), and there is a message on my phone--the agency has just been informed that the hospitals do not use LPNs in their nurseries or postpartum areas, would I be interested in med/surg?

I called today, and the person who handles my file is on vacation. Meaning I won't work tonight, or this weekend, and have to wait until Monday to find out what is going on.

On one hand, I'm very frustrated. I *love* working with moms and babies, and one reason I completely left my former job is that I was going to be placed in a hospital with mothers and babies! I would have stayed on part time at the birth center if I would have known that I would only be in medical or geriatric areas. I just finished training my replacements, and all of my hours from the birth center are covered. Argh!

On the other hand, going back to school, medical and geriatric nursing would be a nice review and learning experience for me. I understand to get shifts I need to be flexible; but I'm still very disappointed (not to mention my bank account is going to be tight these next two weeks...).

Is this a bad omen? Does is sound like this agency is on the up and up, or did they really not submit my file, and are just going to screw me around? I have never worked agency before. I don't know if it is just part of the deal, that hospitals do infact change policies frequently, that you will often be working in other areas, particularly as an LPN, and these things just happen sometimes. Or is this some sort of negligence/laziness/deception on the part of my agency, and this is a warning sign?

Any advice, commiseration, thoughts? Thanks for letting me vent.

Lori

[misschelei]

I don't think it's a really bad sign about the agency. They may turn out to be a bad one still but this sounds like someone just made a mistake. Make sure they know you are suffering for it and not very happy with them. But yes, med/surg is good to brush up on because agency mom/baby is very hit or miss. And L&D units generally don't like to use agency for obvious reasons. They would have to really know you and trust you.

Hope this helps.