The purpose of an agency nurse is to support hospitals, medical facilities, rehab centers, inpatient psych units, long-term care, and more with staffing shortages. Agency nurses fill a unique and often misunderstood role. They serve shorter, contract-based jobs that require travel to different facilities. The length of time at a particular facility may vary.
Working for a Nursing Agency
As an agency nurse, you work for a nursing agency rather than directly for a healthcare facility. They will set you up with jobs that fit your preferences and level of expertise. Nursing agencies employ all different types of nurses.
Benefits of Becoming an Agency Nurse
The major benefits of agency nursing are scheduling and facility flexibility. As an agency nurse, you get to choose your hours and days. The key to developing the schedule you want is to be clear with your nursing agency from the beginning.
If you are not available to work on weekends, be sure they know that. As a traveling nurse, you have more schedule flexibility than most.
Another major perk is you get to choose where you work. If you are presented with opportunities that don’t suit your needs, don’t worry. Other opportunities will present themselves. You can test out different environments and see what works best for you.
While most nurses would be surprised, it is common for agency nurses to be paid better than most hospital nurses. Many contracts also have completion bonuses and other forms of bonuses to sweeten the deal.
Downsides to Agency Nursing
In order to be an agency nurse, you need to be good with constant (and sometimes jarring) change. Since you are constantly changing work environments, you are not familiar with the ins and outs of that particular facility. It is possible that you choose a highly chaotic position with poor leadership. This may cause a large amount of stress and difficulty for you.
While schedule flexibility can be a major benefit, it can also have a dark side. Facility nurses may decide to pick up unclaimed shifts, leaving you with very little work. This may leave you with an inconsistent workload.
Use CynaMed to Connect with Nursing Agencies Today
Are you seeking to become an agency nurse? CynaMed is here for you! We are an experienced healthcare staffing solution team that connects medical employers with employees, including nurses, with nursing agencies. Whether you are seeking part-time, full-time, short-term, or longer-term employment, CynaMed can help.
Ready to find the right nursing agent for you? Apply now and get in touch with nursing agencies today!