Weighing up the pros and cons.

[thenightnurse456]

I'm thinking about trying agency nursing. Some people I've talked to love it, others say it's a horrible experience and not worth the extra money. Before I join, I'm trying to create a pros and cons list. I would like anyone to share their experiences good or bad with being an agency nurse. What's it really like walking into a floor you've never worked and expected to start work?

Thanks in advance.

[Nibbles1]

I did it a little over a year ago. This is in the Dallas TX region. My pay rate was 30.00 per hour. First time ever trying it, I got lucky and was sent to a wonderful facility. The staff was a bit standoffish, so I just showed them what I could do. By the third night, I had a job offer, which I declined since it was a good ways from my home. I loved it. The only draw back was I signed on with a company that could not keep steady shifts. Plus, they did not take taxes out either or give me a paycheck stub. I thought that was odd. I decided that I had to have a steady income so I went back to PDN.

[NedRN]

Agency = per diem, or "by the day". So try it out one day at a time!

[rnccf2007, BSN, RN]

I have nine years of nursing experience and have been an agency nurse for almost two years. The first thing that I recommend is to thoroughly check out the various nursing agencies in your area and find out what they have to offer such as benefits, pay scale, etc. For example, pay scale... At one hospital I worked at I talked to another nurse (doing the same job I was) working for a different agency and found out that she was making almost $5 less an hour than I was. She then quickly switched to my agency! Benefits...some offer medical benefits, some do not and this can depend if you work on a contract or prn. As far as extra money... consider no pto, no vacation pay, no short-term or long-term disability insurance, have to pay for your own BLS and ACLS classes, no tuition reimbursement, etc. So, in the end it may not be extra money. Flexibility in scheduling is another thing to consider. Remember, you will usually work at facilities to provide gaps in regular staffing. I have talked to and worked with nurses who have been agency nurses for many years. At one time, (at least in my area---Akron/Cleveland/Youngstown, OH) you could basically pick and choose when you wanted to work. Not always the case these days, although there is still some flexibility (but then again this is the same if you are an employee, because many facilities have self-scheduling).

Also, r/t filling in the gaps. If doing prn, you will be the first nurse to be cancelled r/t census and staffing. When I first started doing agency, I worked for only one facility and was rarely cancelled. Then census went down, and I was sometimes going two weeks without working. So, I started working for multiple facilities through my agency. And being unsure if you are going to work that day sucks...getting that call that you are cancelled two hours before you start work. However, if you take a contract, you are basically guaranteed your hours, which I prefer.

You wrote, "What is it really like walking into a floor you've never worked and expected to start work?" To be honest, the first time that I did it was scary. I was told to come in an hour early to learn the computer system and acclimate myself to the environment. Well, got there and couldn't get into the computer system...when they finally got me in two hours later, I had to take care of my patients and learn the computer system on my own. So, another thing to check out is what kind or orientation you will get at the facilities you will work in.