Why would an agency hire you, and then not give you work?

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Specializes in peds, home health, long-term care.

:crying2: Hi fellow nurses!

I've been working in pedi PDN for about a year. In June, I resigned from my previous position because I thought I had found a place where the grass was greener. To my utter surprise and dismay, the new agency has given me 3 shifts in the last 3 weeks, and I was hired as FULL TIME! I feel that I have been misled, because the recruiter gave me the impression that I would be working full-time hours. This agency gives referral bonuses, so I thought that that meant they're short on nurses, and have an abundance of work. I have no idea about the business aspect of home health, but I was just wondering why would an agency even bother hiring me, if there is no work for me? I call the scheduling coordinators about 3 times a week to ask about assignments. Usually I get the response, "I'll check on it and give you a call." Then, I don't get a call! The only times I have gotten an assignment, is when I went to the office and got in their faces.

To me, it just doesn't add up, so I am hoping someone can give me an explanation, so I can better understand my mind boggling situation.

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Specializes in med-surg, teaching, cardiac, priv. duty.

Hmmm...are you working for Maxim? Maybe not. But if yes, that totally explains it. Maxim is well-known for gross disorganization, poor communication, general incompetence, and totally misleading people!!!

Try contacting the NURSE in charge of peds private duty cases instead of the recruiter/scheduler. I always tried to bypass the recruiters if possible and talk to the nurse, especially toward the end when I'd HAD IT with the recruiters who were always messing things up.

Yeah, makes no sense to hire you full-time then offer you only one shift a week when you got in their face at the office. But generally with agency work there are no guarantees. Private duty case availability can just vary...sometimes a ton is available, sometimes little.

Oh- I have also never heard of hiring someone full-time for private duty unless it was for one specific case where they had full-time hours open. My first private duty position was that - I took the place of a retiring nurse who had been working the same case full-time for several years. If they were just hiring you as a prn fill-in on multiple cases, they definitely could not guarantee hours...

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At least you have gotten three shifts in the past three weeks. I am with two agencies who have NEVER provided me work in, now 14 months. I think they hire people they don't have work for so that they have a phone number to call when they get a rare call off. Also, they know they have you by your reproductive organs when you apply for unemployment. Then they can lie to the unemployment people about whether or not they have offered you work or whether or not you have refused work.

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Specializes in L&D; GI; Fam Med; Home H; Case mgmt.

Are you only willing to work day shift? Are you willing to do full OR partial shifts? Have you been picky about what kinds of cases you will work? Those are the biggest issues we have with our field nurses. If you are totally open to working whenever you should have all the work you want. We're always looking for pm shift nurses. I would go in and ask point-blank if there is a problem. Ask them straight up why you're not getting work.

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I have asked one of my employers point blank more than one time. I am told, oh no, it is not me at all, there is no problem with me, they do not have business. Absolutely no business in 16 months? Not even a call off shift for me? I am not stupid. I don't say anything back because I don't want to ruin the reference, although who knows what they tell prospective employers who call them.

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Specializes in L&D; GI; Fam Med; Home H; Case mgmt.

I really don't get that... I don't know why they wouldn't want to work you, unless they just don't have the cases.

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I know that telling an employee there is no available work is a clandestine way of firing someone without actually firing them, but after 16 months I think they could cut the cord. I don't believe there is no work for that length of time. They have run ads for nurses and most assuredly hired someone and gave someone work in those months. I do not believe otherwise. No agency can go for that length of time with no new business. I had one employer once whose policy, in writing, was no work in 90 days, no employee. Nice to have known you, if you are interested, come in and apply again. They sent a letter formalizing the change in employment status to "terminated". Now that is what I call being upfront and acting with integrity.

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Specializes in peds, home health, long-term care.

Thanks everyone for your replies and advice. I am not working for Maxim. I have heard some unflattering things about that company, and another Pedi PDN company called First Choice, so I am steering clear of both. I am working for a regional company here in Texas. I was hired full-time for a certain case, but it didn't work out because the foster parents apparently decided, they didn't care for another nurse. I had no intention of being PRN because it's not consistent hours. I am not picky about what kind of cases or shifts I take. My first shift was 11pm to 7am, second and third were 6am to 10pm.

Caliotter (from California?), I have had the same suspicions as you, that there is a problem that the company is not being straightforward about. I was thinking that the recruiter/ scheduler girls didn't like me for something I did or said. So, they are purposely not giving me work to force me to quit. Recruiters/ schedulers have the power to assign you over someone else. If that's the case, that's really vicious of them to kill my livelihood to the point where I wonder if I can afford groceries. But, I'd really like to think that the office people are mature adults who aren't so conniving and malicious. I'm in the process of being hired with another company, so hopefully this will one will work out better for me.

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Specializes in L&D; GI; Fam Med; Home H; Case mgmt.
I know that telling an employee there is no available work is a clandestine way of firing someone without actually firing them, but after 16 months I think they could cut the cord. I don't believe there is no work for that length of time. They have run ads for nurses and most assuredly hired someone and gave someone work in those months. I do not believe otherwise. No agency can go for that length of time with no new business. I had one employer once whose policy, in writing, was no work in 90 days, no employee. Nice to have known you, if you are interested, come in and apply again. They sent a letter formalizing the change in employment status to "terminated". Now that is what I call being upfront and acting with integrity.

That really is chickensh*t. But you know what? You're right. I've seen our staffing coordinators do this very thing. Usually it has to do with nurses or CNAs who call out a lot or are PITAs to the client. I personally think it's bullcrap and they should be straight-up about problems. I've found a lot of people to be unwilling or unable to be right up front about anything though.

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Don't expect maturity or lack of maliciousness from the staffing coordinators, particularly if you ever have the misfortune of dealing with Maxim. Some of them actually have the gall to let it be known that they lie when dealing with people and it can be quite obvious that they allow personal opinions to interfere with how they treat employees.

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Specializes in L&D; GI; Fam Med; Home H; Case mgmt.

I find that behavior completely unacceptable in any kind of business. I hate that there is so much of that in health care - all aspects of it.

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If the staffing coordinator does not have the authority or the willingness to fire an employee, then the task should be done by the Business Manager or Director of Patient Care Services. Actually, they should do it anyway. It can be no more than a formal letter, "You have not worked for this agency in the last 90 days (who cares why not?), your employment with us is terminated effective the date of this letter. You are (are not) eligible for employment consideration in the future. blah, blah, blah." At least this is letting the employee know where they stand. Just don't tell them the same tired lie every time they call or come to the office.

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