Why agency pay more?

garnet · Feb 17, 2004

If you're working agency & only making $20-23 an hour...something is wrong. I've never heard of an agency paying under $30/hr. Usually it's closer to $40/hr.

I need to know the agency you know about. 30 is a good wage and many jobs are under that. I have never found an assignment for close to 40 and hour and have tried numerous agencies.

suzanne4, RN · Feb 17, 2004

WyomingRN:

First of all, why would you ever consider working for an agency that works out of their garage? You want to work for a reputable company, from the beginning.

I have worked agency for almost twenty five years, started actually first out of nursing school as a G.N. in Detroit, and have worked agency most of my career to have the flexibility that I wanted. And have never had any of the problems that you described. Never once had a check not deposited when it was supposed to be. Nor ever had it removed form one of my accounts like some others had done. Perhaps you should check out your agency before signing up with them. And very rarely has it been on a med-surg floor, perhaps less than 100 hours. Always specialty areas, last as a member of a surgical heart team in several different top-rated programs.

One word of advice to any of you, make sure that your agency has a good reputation, as well as the hospital where you are being placed.

WyomingRN · Feb 17, 2004

As to a company working out of its place of residence (be it a converted garage or basement), that is nothing unusal out here. Many very reputable service companies - especially contractors (which is what an agency is) operate out of their home. I myself now operate my nursing company out of my home. Maybe we just do things different out here, but being operated out of a home is nothing special or abnormal out here.

All the agencies around here bill the facility additional charges if they have to supply housing. The housing cost DOES NOT come out of the agency's pocket. Many facilities have deals made with motels and apt. complex managers to supply housing so that the agency won't add it to the bill. The facilities figured out that paying for housing direct was cheaper than what the agencies where charging with the markup. Most agency's hourly rate around here is $23-$25 an hour. So far, I have only talked to one nurse aournd here that made $30 - and that was for her to work as a charge.

Also, if you work as charge, that is billed as an extra to the facility also as is anything which is paid to the nurse for travel. The only thing that comes out of the agency's pocket is its share of the taxes. Every agency that we have talked to so far, doesn't want the nurse to know that it is passing all the additional cost on to the facility. It has been my experience that agencies in general like to pretend that they are having such a hard time making money paying all those additional cost.

I was able to find out this information by talking to facility personal and ex-employees from a couple agencies. While there are probably a few exceptions, I generally consider agencies as unethical because of their deceptive practices.

From talking to nurses, I do believe that there are some good agencies, but unfortunately, I think it is the exception rather than the rule.

suzanne4, RN · Feb 17, 2004

Like I said before, I have worked agency and I own my own agency. I have done this for over 25 years. And I have never had problems with one agency in all of that time, but yet that is what you keep here in some of th agency threads. Mostly it has to do with how professional the staff is. Whether the agency is actually in one's home or a separate office doesn't make a difference but how efficient that they work, etc. does. Agencies do not get paid immediately by the hospitals. However, nurses like to be paid right away, so you have to make sure that you have the proper set-up, with your bank, or private company, to make sure that your employees get paid on time. This has been the biggest downfall with most agencies. Before you go to work for anyone, you should check them out also, just like they would do with you, or should be doing. It is just plain common sense.

suzanne4, RN · Feb 17, 2004

WyomingRN: Read your first post. You go on and on about how bad the agencies were that you worked for, but in your second one you are talking about all of the reputable companies working out of their homes. An agency is an agency if it employs other people, doesn't matter on the size. The thing is to find an agency that is reputable and dependable. It doesn't have to be mutually exclusive.

WyomingRN · Feb 17, 2004

Suzanne,

As everyone can see, I said,

"Many very reputable service companies - especially contractors (which is what an agency is) operate out of their home."

The words "reputable service companies" in no way means just nursing agencies. My husband is and has been a contractor for 14 years. We know dozens and dozens of companies that are run out of private homes all over Wyoming. Moreover, I specifically stated, "especially contractors (which is what an agency is)".

My point was that while the majority of plumbers are reputable - even thought they work out of their homes, it has been my experience that the majority of nurse agencies are not very reputable regardless of whether they work out of their home or spend the money on a big and fancy office.

Please do not twist my plain and obvious words. If you disagree, just say so. If you have a question, just ask; but to intentionally distort is just plain unethical.

cannoli · Feb 17, 2004

WyomingRN:
First of all, why would you ever consider working for an agency that works out of their garage? You want to work for a reputable company, from the beginning.
I have worked agency for almost twenty five years, started actually first out of nursing school as a G.N. in Detroit, and have worked agency most of my career to have the flexibility that I wanted. And have never had any of the problems that you described. Never once had a check not deposited when it was supposed to be. Nor ever had it removed form one of my accounts like some others had done. Perhaps you should check out your agency before signing up with them. And very rarely has it been on a med-surg floor, perhaps less than 100 hours. Always specialty areas, last as a member of a surgical heart team in several different top-rated programs.
One word of advice to any of you, make sure that your agency has a good reputation, as well as the hospital where you are being placed.

Just curious, how were you able to work for an agency as a G.N.? Most agencies (even 25 years ago) require at least one year of acute care experience, and how were you able to work in only specialty areas without any experience?

suzanne4, RN · Feb 18, 2004

Twenty five years ago you could get a job with an agency as a GN. Remember,back then the nursing exams for the state boards were pencil and paper and only given several times a year and over a two day period. Now you can go in and take NCLEX right away and find out your score right away.

WyomingRN, I did not attemt to distort, I just interpreted what you said about contractors. And I was referring only to nursing not any other service industry. I am sorry that you had such a bad time with agencies, but in twenty five years I never have had one problem. Perhaps it was due to a difference in where I was living and where you are living, and the particular agencies that are available to you. Because you had bad service or problems, does not mean that happens to everyone else. Sorry if you took things the wrong way.

cannoli · Feb 18, 2004

Where I was living 25 years ago, a nurse had to have acute care experience to work for an agency.

What kind of hospital would have an agency nurse work, particularly in a specialty area, who didn't have any experience? It sounds like an incident waiting to happen.

suzanne4, RN · Feb 19, 2004

I did have acute care experience back then. I worked my last year of nursing school as a nurse tech. Because of my prior experiences working in the hospital as an IV tech, back before they needed to be nurses, etc., I was given alot more responsibilities. We would work a city ER at night with one RN, one LPN, and myself as a tech. Things got done, and never any problems. I was also allowed to care for patients in the ICU and a licensed nurse was there to back me up and give my medications. I had already been working at that hospital for about 6 years by the time I finished nursing school. Also much different now in terms of the type of schooling that students get. I was in a hospital program, so we did much more in terms of hands-on. That is why I was permitted to work as a GN. The hospital where I did that knew me and my level of care of patients when I rotated through there as a student.

But I was also not your typical student. I had completed three years of pharmacy school then switched to nursing. I took the second ACLS course ever offered in MI and then was a long time ago. Even though I am now living overseas, I still mange to get over 150 hours of CEUs per year and keep up my ACLS, PALS, and NRP. I am continuously reading and learning. Also makes it much more of an advantage for my students.

WyomingRN · Feb 19, 2004

WyomingRN, I did not attemt to distort, I just interpreted what you said about contractors.

Suzanne,

Apology accepted. maybe I am getting too querulous. LOL - that is actually a word. :chuckle

Brownms46 · Feb 29, 2004

Suzanne,
Apology accepted. maybe I am getting too querulous. LOL - that is actually a word. :chuckle

I and many, many, many, of other agency nurses have run into unprofessional agencies, that weren't run out of anyone's home! There are very large agencies that have not paid them, left them hanging, and just plain good ole fashion, messed over them! And those same agenices continue to gobble up all those around them, because they have perfected the art of screwing nurses over royally!