Why are others nurses rude to agency nurses?

Specialties Agency Nursing Q/A

I have just started agency nursing and I'm just wondering why the staff is so mean to a agency nurse. If we were not available to help they would be short? I have encountered rude people and just wondering what is up with that?

My 2 cents:

At my facility, I am always pleased to see travelers, because as a whole, they are bright, well trained and can be a fount of knowledge about other hospitals policies and proceedures.

Our hospitals experience has been that travelers don't last or re-up because they are treated so poorly.

Inadequate orientation, floating, split shifts(a 12 hour will often have to work 4 hours on 1 unit, and then transfer to another for the remaining 8 hours).

Not to mention the tendency of charge nurses to give the traveler the hardest patients. (And you KNOW it happens).

Yes, they make good money, but they are the nurses who are willing to work 12 hour night shifts, live in motels away from thier loved ones in a strange city with no friends.

Many of our recent travelers are from New Orleans, where there IS no work.

Others come here because they could not hope to make in a month what they can in 10 shifts here.

Nothing wrong with that, I say.

Well I dont know if I have enough knowledge on this issue but here it goes. I signed on with an agency in Late March. I work for NYS. I was an LPN but took a promotion as a supervisor. I signed on with the agency to keep my skills up, to keep myself in the game, to make more money and the agency work is flexible enough for me. i have only worked at one place thus far. But I have been there for over a month. I have floated to 3 of the 4 floors. All the nurses have been extrememly friendly. I have encountered more rude patients than staff. Maybe I got lucky I dont know. I do know that I dont devalge the amount I am getting paid. I do let them know that No this is not my only job. I do put in 40hrs at my primary job and I have been pulling 32-48 a week with this job. I would hope nurses as a whole dont think agency nurses a less par in their skills or less of a nurse as they. An agency nurse is setting themself up to enter new environments on any given week. We dont know the internal games going on in a facility and perhaps that is a perk. I love the agency work. I have learned so much in such a short time. I have done so many treatments that I had only done in school 5yrs ago. I would think attitude and general body language could be a factor. OR... people are just miserable and they take it out on you! Good luck.

M.

These kinds of questions always make me smile. Sort of. I'm a 34 yo male LPN who recently became a nurse. After working as regular staff for a year at a chemical dependancy clinic I decided to work for an agency in order to broaden my experience. I generally work at 3 different facilities a week, a center for retarded adults, a total care nursing home, and a retirement center where the patients are self sufficient. I frequently ask for and receive assignments to new experiences and have not had but one bad experience yet. All the facilities that I've been too have been awesome. I feel that I have such good experiences is due to a couple of different factors.

First...I'm always early to report for my shift. If its the first time I've been to that facility I generally show up 45 min to an hour early to find the charge nurse or supervisor and introduce my self to them. I ask lots of questions (that I think are intelligent) about the patients that I'm working with, and about any skills that I'll be using. If theres something I'm unfamiliar with I ask about it. I ask pointed questions about policy and procedure for that facility concerning common tasks.

Second..I meet with the direct care staff. Every facility has unlicensed direct care personnel. They are the ones who know the patients best. Pick their brains for all kinds of information. I build an alliance with them early because they are the ones I'll be turning to ask where things are, and about patient specific behaviors.

Last...I don't stop moving. Even if I've done all my med pass or whatever I always try to pitch in else where. I offer to help with charting, filing, I clean, or I follow up with other patient requests.

This and my over abundance of wit and charm ;) have helped me to make all the regular staff at the facility feel comfortable with me, and have helped me have a great time as an agency nurse.

Specializes in Cardiac, Post Anesthesia, ICU, ER.
ern91 said:
This is a late reply as I have just joined this forum but I am compelled to reply. In my opinion, hospital administration fosters rudness towards agency nurses as a general attitude by having them in the first place.

I worked for an agency in Columbus, OH, for about 3 yrs., and was never treated overly bad in any of the facilities I worked. I do agree that in smaller markets, agency nurses are ocassionally treated poorly, but that is mostly by individuals, not "administration," and most of the time, hospital administation is in the business of trying to ensure the patients are care for moreso than fostering the negative attitudes. Many areas that are suffering from nursing shortages rely upon these "agency nurses" to fill there holes, and without them would be unable to proviide the quality of healthcare that their pt.'s deserve.

Hellllllo Nurse said:
No problem, Tweety.

I was just adding on to your post to show that everyone's experiences w/ travelers/agency are different.

I've gotten so much respect and appreciation as agency. I almost never did as reg staff.

I have had very good experiences as both Traveler and local Agency insofar as interacting with the staff and management/supervisors. I do not discuss my pay, but know that the RNs I work with at a local University hospital make more than I do if they are being paid for the same number of years experience.I HAVE been treated unfairly by Nursing Admin. on two occasions. Another tale...but each time it had a negative impact on my ability to work in a particular health care system.Hang in...most of the staff behave the same toward any "new" person. Give them a chance to get to know you and your skills and dependability, team-work willingnes....all of those qualities we value in our co-workers.

Let me just relay my experience with an Agency nurse this past week! This young woman walked onto my unit, a rehab unit in a long term facility, on her cell phone, talking to God knows who! Oh, late I might add! Once off the phone, she proceeded to complain about the fact that she was placed on a unit rather that being the evening " supe". Said that every other facility she goes to, she is put on as supervisor, because( just in case I didn't know it) " I'm an RN".

I was working a 12 hour shift that evening, so I was able to observe this unprofessional little twit!

Let me see! She was on her cell phone for the major part of my last 4 hours. She handed one residents wife his evening meds and said " sweetie, take these to your husband since you're on your way down to his room" She prepoured meds and left them on top of her med cart, locked the med cart and left the keys on top of the med cart, and walked away! She complained to whoever she was speaking to on the phone and cursed all along!

I am an old LPN, I was horrified, but, I didn't say anything to her, I didn't want to start an arguement. I did call the " supe" on duty and reported my findings before I left, I was frankly very nervous about leaving my patients with such and incompetent nurse.:angryfire This may be one reason why other nurses are so rude to agency nurses! Frankly, I have yet to meet one who is anywhere worth the money they make!

I know that everyone who works for agencies are not like this, but maybe we get all the flunkies!

Let me just relay my experience with an Agency nurse this past week! This young woman walked onto my unit, a rehab unit in a long term facility, on her cell phone, talking to God knows who! Oh, late I might add! Once off the phone, she proceeded to complain about the fact that she was placed on a unit rather that being the evening " supe". Said that every other facility she goes to, she is put on as supervisor, because( just in case I didn't know it) " I'm an RN".

I was working a 12 hour shift that evening, so I was able to observe this unprofessional little twit!

Let me see! She was on her cell phone for the major part of my last 4 hours. She handed one residents wife his evening meds and said " sweetie, take these to your husband since you're on your way down to his room" She prepoured meds and left them on top of her med cart, locked the med cart and left the keys on top of the med cart, and walked away! She complained to whoever she was speaking to on the phone and cursed all along!

I am an old LPN, I was horrified, but, I didn't say anything to her, I didn't want to start an arguement. I did call the " supe" on duty and reported my findings before I left, I was frankly very nervous about leaving my patients with such and incompetent nurse.:angryfire This may be one reason why other nurses are so rude to agency nurses! Frankly, I have yet to meet one who is anywhere worth the money they make!

I know that everyone who works for agencies are not like this, but maybe we get all the flunkies!

I think I worked with that girl when I was staff! LOL I'm agency now, and REFUSE to perpetuate the reputation of "agency nurses being lazy", since I've seen that side of the fence first hand. I hit the floor running, do my job to the highest standard I was taught, don't take shortcuts, chart legibly and completely, and generally do my job as I was taught to, with respect and compassion for my pt's and co-workers. I attend any in-services I can at whatever facility I'm at, to extend my learning. I keep up with the usual nursing articles, buy the latest books that might teach me something new, and am always up to try a new procedure or learn a new way to do an old one. I'm proud to be a nurse, and agency or not, I do my job well. I appreciate the respect staff gives me after they get to know that I'm not lazy or stupid, and work hard to earn it. There are, unfortunately, a few bad apples out there, and just as in facility staff, they need to be weeded out. I've also worked with some staff nurses that couldn't be bothered to get off their a$$es to do their med-pass promptly, took hour lunches when they were entitled to only a half hour, and talked to their kids or s/o's thru most of their shifts, not to mention being generally unsafe, in my opinion. This shouldn't be tolerated, and in my opinion, the way you're treated when you're agency is a direct result of your integrity, professionalism, and pride in what you do. I'm a NURSE first, and an agency staff-relief nurse second! I'm glad you reported this twit to your sup, but rest assured, not all agency people are like this, and if you ever get the opportunity to work with me, I'll prove that. I truly hope this unsafe nurse isn't brought back to your facility, as she's not only a danger to your pt's, but give us proud agency nurses a bad name.

Forgive me for rambling, but I just did a double shift, and will probably have another one tomorrow, because of a staff nurse that has been chronically calling in sick for the shift following mine about ten minutes after her shift is supposed to start. LOL, it's been a long week!

When I first graduated in 1984, there were no nursing jobs and I ended uo going Agency and sustained myself for many years on agency work. I loved it, people were always nice and helpful to me; I made lots of friends and get lots of job offers. Now I have been a FT RN at several facilities (LTC) and when agency nurses come in, I am ALWAYS glad to see them.I think even if I had not been an agency nurse myself, I appreciate the help! I currently work at such a money pinching place that they refuse to utilize agency staff relief, have NOT ENOUGH staff of their own and it is becoming increasingy worse and worse. Were it not for that the agencies out there now are so often fly-by-night and crappy, I am wishing I could go back to it.

Specializes in med/surg.

With my experiences so far the staff at facilities have been very accepting (for the most part anyway). Though I do have to say from experiences with some agency nurses before I started to work as one there were some nurses that did some pretty scary things and asked some scary questions and for me only having been out of school for almost 2 years now hearing those questions and seeing those actions really made me question the type of nurse that works for an agency. I have made it my vow to never be one of those nurses!!!

I have just started agency nursing and just wondering why the staff is so mean to a agency nurse when if we werent there to help they would be short?? I have encountered rude people and just wondering what is up with that??

Today is my birthday and I got 'fired' from my contract assignment as a agency nurse. Why? Because of a jealous staff nurse. I just got the position last week. Moments ago, I got a call from my agency that the assignment had been cancelled. Supposedly, I told a staff nurse I like working Corrections because I can sale tobacco to the inmates. Blatant, blatant lie! In fact, this nurse was telling me all the 'dirt' of the facility. I honestly believe she and others were involved in it and wanted to see how I would fit in.

It was obvious I am a square peg because I chose not to engage them in the conversation when my opinion was solicited. I should have left the area when the conversation began but again I now believe I was being screened or filtered or some crap. Then to top it all of the nurse said I was talking about my pay which I never do. But she had to sign my timesheet and on a sheet of paper she saw I had computed my hourly rate and hours worked just as an fyi to me and she made snide remarks.

In any event, I am kinda depressed. I just returned from a travel nurse position to work for three months in my home state before traveling again. I have no other income.

So, I have to bust butt to find a per diem job while I get a new travel assignment or either look for something more permanent here. Staff nurses can be rude to agency nurses but being malicious is really harsh. My livelihood is at stake and my agency didn't even advocate for me not that it may have mattered but gee, that to me is character assassination. Well, thanks for listening.

I know I can get a job it is just that the process is timely here and not only that I shouldn't have to. Oh well, maybe this is a blessing in disquise. It makes me want to be a silent worker on assignments but I can't do that either. Well, happy birthday to me!:biggringi :(

I am sorry that happened to you. Things do happen for a reason and I bet something better is going to come of this.

:nurse: As a 23 year agency nurse I have heard and seen it all. Some of the regular staff are gracious and some of them are just nerds.

Over the years you aquire the sixth sense of knowing if the regular staff is being rude to you because you are an agency nurse or is this just their character?

I have found that just a kind word, or sometimes just being quiet and doing the job you were hired to do does the trick.

Most of the time we walk into situations where these people have been working understaffed for a long time and they are grateful to have a helping hand, especially one that doesn't gripe continously, respects their break time and pitch in and do your part.

There are good nurses and there are bad nurses. Agency or not, and most of the time if you really have a problem with a staff member, it's because your work is so good that you are showing their peers that they aren't such a good nurse after all.

But all in all, it all goes with the territory. Like I tell some of them that gripe about the salary that we make, "This is a decision that I made and you made yours. You have the same opportunity as I have to make the same money that I do. It's all about choices!"

Agency nursing has been good to me and I'm a good NURSE!

+ Add a Comment