The Revised Outlook On Agency Nurses

Traditionally, agency nurses have been seen as a necessary evil

, something to be called upon when there was absolutely no other solution. However, in the past few years, this view has been shifting in a more positive direction, painting short-term contract nurses as a youthful, culturally diverse population. And nurses everywhere are starting to recognize the benefits they can reap from being an agency nurse.

Many nursing departments and hospitals used to go out of their way to keep from hiring nurses. They were seen as incredibly expensive replacements, who didnt understand the culture of the places they were assigned. In some situations, there had been report of nurses being detrimental to patient safety. MidMichigan Health even created a new scheduling program in an effort to keep older nurses working and keep agency nurses out of the picture.

However, these days nurses are sporting a new reputation. The pool is generally more diverse, with more men and a higher number of Hispanics and Asians. A study showed that nearly 1/3 of all agency nurses were people of color compared to only 17% of permanent nurses. Almost half of all supplemental nurses have their bachelors degree in nursing, similar to the number of permanent nurses with theirs. Agency nurses are often travelers, and tend to have their nursing license in more than one state at a time. Hospitals are starting to look at these advances and wonder why they arent utilizing this field of nurses.

For nurses, nursing is starting to hold more appeal as a job option. Agency nurses have the ability to choose their own schedule. You can pick shifts around your other commitments, not work for long periods of time, or never take a night shift. The downside is that there is not always a guaranteed income, but you could be making more than you expected to. Agencies also generally pay better than a standard hospital and most provide great holiday pay and penalty rates. While this is fantastic for the agency nurse, it has been known to cause issues with the permanent staff at some hospitals.

In addition to higher hourly rates and personalized schedules, nurses are often able to work in many different departments. This is an invaluable learning tool improving your nursing skills in multiple areas while being paid. Thats hard to beat. Also, if travel is something you are interested in, most agencies pay your travel expenses and accommodations if you relocate or work in a rural area.

If you decide that agency nursing is something you are interested in, realize that with all the perks, it is still a very demanding job. You are expected to always be flexible and work wherever you are needed. Sometimes you will be asked to move to another department while in the middle of an assignment. You also need to be vocal and assert your needs. Often a permanent nurse will go through a unit orientation for up to 12 weeks, while an nurse will be briefed in an hour or less. Overall, you just need to ask yourself, do you have what it takes to be an agency nurse?

by: Kevin K. G.

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