What's Up With Agency Nurses?

Published

Specializes in Gerontology, Med surg, Home Health.

No offense intended to any good nurses out there, but will someone tell me what's up with agency nurses these days. We fill in our regular staff with agency at least 4 times a week and it seems to me that the agency nurses are a bunch of prima donnas. I had one tell me "I don't do treatments"...what do you mean you don't do treatments...she was making several dollars an hour more than anyone in the building and she copped an attitude. The next one said she didn't like the way we had our MAR's set up...the one after that said she didn't "do" Alzheimers. Zowie! When I worked for an agency, I went where they sent me..that was part of the deal...no set schedule, going where you were needed, and doing everything the staff nurses did (with the exception of MDS's and care plans)...

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I have worked agency off and on since '87, and I gotta agree with you. When I started agency, an agency nurse was expected to walk into a facility and perform, (which we did), then agency got so big that now they ORIENT an agency nurse for 4 hours. 4 hours. The way I see it... if you aren't quick enough, or experienced enough to walk in and do the job, how is 4 hours gonna help?

Never needed orientation. Have patients, MAR, cart, chart... going to work. Don't need anyone to show me the linen room, I will ask when I need it.

Big changes in nursing, not always good.

We did have a choice of where we went, but if you got picky, you didn't work.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Sometimes the bravado and prima dona attitude is really just a cover for the fact that someone is too proud to ask how to do something -- maybe they are afraid they don't know what the hospital policy or procedure is.:stone

Or they are insecure -- don't know anyone, new place, new faces....:stone

OR maybe they really are prima donas and we are blessed to have been graced by their presence on our lowly unit.:rolleyes:

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I thnk it is the last... although, why don't we ever FEEL blessed?

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Gerontology, Med surg, Home Health.

OK...so now I'm going to add travellers to the mix. We have 3 at my facility. One is so slow it takes her ALL shift just to do meds and treatments...she has 16 patients. The other 2...one was psychotic...quit and called out for her last scheduled shift. The other one who did basically nothing but meds and treatments couldn't do more than one thing at a time...HELLO...did you go to school?? Did you ever take off a telephone order??? Tonight she was a no call no show for her last shift. The day traveller makes, and y'all better sit down for this one, $56 an hour PLUS a housing allowance!! When I heard that I told my husband I was packing my bags.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

When I did agency- I was expected to walk in and know everything and run the shift- well didn't know everything but did run the shift- I had Med Tech's in most places I went to so didn't have to worry so much about meds-Agency Nurses are suppose to do the same things as the nurse that they were sheduled to work for did

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I am really glad everyone is so down to earth it is funny I was going to do agency nursing but realized that long term care is where my heart is! Thanks everyone for your wonderful posts

Up Vote Up Vote ×

My experience with agency lately has been in the negative! We only use them a few shifts a week, if they do show up (it must be easier to Call off working for agency) they are etheir A) great experienced nurses or b)could not obviously kept a nursing job anywhere else For some reason the A's have went somehwere besides our faciltiy!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in ER.

CapeCod Mermaid....I am not defending the traveler in question, but I am a traveler, and I doubt seriously she is making that kind of money, and least not unless it is overtime if she is not working a strike. Basic traveler pay is higher than most staff but not by as much as you might think. I usually make $28-30 per hour, plus a housing allowance. California is a bit higher, I have a friend making $38 in Bakersfield. I know Mass may pay more, but under ordinary circumstances it is not $56/hr! I wish it was. I have heard all kinds of rumors about how much certain jobs pay, but when you check them out, most is just rumor.

I have worked as a traveler and have worked with travelers, and while some may be prima donnas, it think most try to fit in and do the job they are contracted to do. I have always felt very welcomed by the staff and have usually extended my contract at least once and several times longer. Actually I have only had a few bad experiences with travelers. So while there are some bad apples in every basket, keep in mind all of the regular "staff" over the years who have been pretty useless too, when you complain about travelers.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I'm with you, Dixie- I've worked staff and travel jobs all over the country, including MA, and no nurse there is making $56 an hour. That is likely the bill rate the agency charges the facility for her.

CapeCodMermaid- The agency gets $56 an hour, out of which they they pay for the nurse's salary, benefits, housing, and their own costs. The nurse is probably getting $24 - $30 an hour, plus having her housing provided. If that nurse has a home she pays for then she should have housing provided- I wouldn't want to pay rent or mortgage twice! :) If she does not have a home that she pays for then the housing money is taxed as income.

If staff RNs add the cost of their benefits (usually about 1/3 of your salary I believe) to their salary, then add the necessary cost of the middle man (agency) the totals are pretty much the same.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in NICU.

I have a friend making $50 an hour plus housing allowance, being a traveler in a California NICU. She works permanent nights though, so I don't know if her particular agency just offers a bigger shift differential or not. Plus it's ICU and her agency pays more for that.

We seem to have more luck with travelers than regular agency, for the most part. I think part of it is that the travelers are going to be there for a while, so they really try to fit into the group and go with the flow - or else it's going to be a horrible couple of months for them.

We've gotten quite a few agency nurses who said they had level III NICU experience, but when they came in to work, they refused to take anything but a couple of feeder-grower babies. Some refused to take ANY baby with even a nasal cannula, IV, or NG tube. HELLO??? If a baby has no oxygen, IV, NG tube, etc. - they're usually not in a level III NICU anymore! The nurses usually state that the level III NICUs they got their experience at didn't have anything more complex than feeders (yeah right) or that they don't want to risk their license by taking anything more than a feeder. Of course, we put them on a "do not return" list, and once or twice the charge nurse has dismissed them immediately without pay and reported them to their agencies.

On the other hand, I'd say that 75% of the time the agency nurses we do get are pretty good. After they've been by us a few times, many ask for more complex babies and if we begin to feel comfortable with them, then we oblige. We NEVER give them a nasty assignment - it's usually one that's a tad easier than our regular ones, since we figure it's always a bit harder to work in an unfamiliar place without having a bad assignment. The first time any agency nurse comes by us she gets an easy assignment so we can see what she's comfortable with for the next time. It seems to be a mutual trust thing - once we've become well acquainted and trust the nurse enough to give them really sick babies, I think they understand that we believe in them and they feel more confident working by us.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

They stole narcotics according to my manager and so my hospital stopped using them.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Join the Discussion