Working through a Temp Agency

Why not just go apply at the hospital if that is what you really want? Then maybe they will help with your nursing school later.

I worked as an RN in a temp agency. I think it's a good idea if you are an experienced nurse or you need to work here and there, or you aren't sure of what you want to dp, but if you want steady full time work, I would recommend finding a steady job. AS a new grad, there is still a lot to learn. I remember being told, and still believing, that you learn more in your first year of work than you did in all of your schooling. If you are moving around, it's harder to get that ground base of knowledge and comfort, as well as support from your coworkers. In my opinion, of course.

hey ya'll. i am almost done with my cna classs. friday june 9th is my last day!! yay for me! i am interseted in learning some things about working through a temp agency. i have a friend who is going to go through there when we are done. if you have any input on this please let me know! is it steady work?, good pay?, 40 hours?, etc..please please help me. i really want to get into a hospital. i am going to start school in the fall for lpn. i train in a ltc facility and i really dont care for it. my goal is to get in the hospital. thanks in advance!! :wink2:

generally, if you're looking to work locally, the pay is better, but the benefits suck. can be *very* stressful, because you don't have time to get to know the pts, the staff, the facility, the families, etc. and good luck getting only hospitals--they're pickier and hire less cnas than ltc.

most won't even look at you until you have at least 1 or 2 years experience in your field--sorry to pop your bubble.

kelly

Thanks everyone for the comments back. So, it would be in my best interest to work at a LTC facility to gain my experience and then go to a hospital?

since you're just starting out it would be better to work in a regular hospital than starting out with agency. the reason is you will get to know the routine better. agency is good and does pay better, but if you miss up just once they will let you go with no warning.

My daughter worked in LTC for about 3 years, the one she trained in. She moved once to a different unit during that time. She learned a lot and now has a wonderful job with hospice. Gaining experience helped her a lot, now she only works one weekend every 3 months, has better pay, gets mileage reimbursement, better benefits and a good reference from both jobs should she want to change jobs again.

Agency work usually pays more but experience is usually wanted/needed before they'll hire you on. Another drawback: at times agencies will book you for 40 hrs but will often cancel your shift(s) with only a few hours' notice if the nursing home calls the agency and says it doesn't need you. My experience has been that you just can't depend on getting 40 hrs with agencies. This may be different depending on your location.