The Pros and Cons of being an Agency Nurse
There are few factors you need to consider to decide whether being an agency nurse is for you, so to make it easier we’ve made a list of the benefits and downsides of agency nursing to help you decide:
The Benefits
A huge advantage of the nursing profession is the massive amount of opportunities it offers. You can work in numerous different environments or specialties, literally anywhere in the world. It also gives you many different options on the way you want to work: full time, part time as PRN, or through nursing agencies where you can work single shifts, short term contracts, long term contracts, even if you are already employed full time!
Better Pay Rates
Agencies nurses generally receive a much higher rate than permanent nurses. On average 36% better than those in permanent roles. You can earn more than double if you’re prepared to work the anti social shifts (eg weekend night shift). You also tend to get paid quicker, every week rather than at the end of the month. You can be an agency nurse in the private sector which pays even better than an NHS agency nurse. You can take additional shifts for extra cash even though you're employed somewhere else.
Less Stress
Its a fact working as a permanent nurse can be very stressful, made so much worse by the pandemic. Nurses have had to face staff shortages, increased workloads, increased paperwork and more pressure. Add to that all the politics with other staff, the time wasted with non-nursing duties and having to manage others just means that nurses can’t do what they signed up to do which is providing nursing care. Its no wonder that burnout is becoming more and more common.
With agency work you can focus more on being a good nurse as there tends to be less responsibility and much less pressure. Just turn up, do a good job and then go home. And if you don't like a particular workplace don't go back.
Flexibility and Choice
Agency nurses work when they want, where they want. So much more freedom than those in permanent roles as you don't have to stick to a 7 day rota that includes both night and day shifts.
It’s ideal for those who have other commitments such as studying, those that are caring for family members or just want more free time. Also great for those who are already employed and want extra income. Agencies have a variety of contracts with their clients from single shifts to short term contracts and as there are always vacancies that need filling all you have to do is tell the agency your availability and they’ll find you shifts accordingly.
The Patient Benefits
More often than not, you’ll actually get to spend your time focused on patient care. Supervising others, counting inventory, and other mundane tasks are less likely to be on your list of duties as an agency nurse therefore your time is focused on caring for the patients.
Constant Skill Devleopment and Invaluable Experience
The experience agency nurses gain is second to none. This is because they are exposed to a wide variety of systems, processes, and requirements; from the type of care you’re administering, to the type of computer system you use to document appointments. The more assignments you do the better your knowledge gets, allowing you to adapt to new environments quickly and hit the ground running on every assignment. Diversifying your skills as a nurse tends to provide greater job satisfaction and increased job security.
Variety
You can pick and choose assignments that will allow you to develop your skills in a wide variety of scenarios, healthcare environments, and specialisms. This can be particularly good if you are newly qualified and looking to find an area you might want to specialise in for the future.
Career Opportunities
Agency nursing offers just as many, if not more, opportunities to further your career than staying in a permanent role. You’ll experience a much greater diversity of co-workers and patients, as well as a wider range of specialities and departments. This exposure to lots of different areas of nursing could give you an advantage when moving up the career ladder. Many agency also provide your annual training courses for free.
Creating a Professional Network
The more assignments you work at different facilities, the greater your network of professional contacts in the industry. This can be useful if you choose to discontinue your partnership with an agency and choose to source locum assignments on your own.
Ongoing Career Support
Working with an agency, especially over a long period of time, means that you have access to specialist consultants who know you, your skills, the areas you want to grow and develop in and where you ultimately want your career to go. This means you have better focus and guidance in picking the assignments that are going to contribute to your career goals.
Travel Opportunities
A larger healthcare agency, such as re-vite can have access to assignments and positions both local to where you live and around the country. This means, if you are willing to, you can travel and experience a wide range of different environments.
The Downsides
Agency nursing isn’t for everyone, of course. When you choose this type of nursing lifestyle, you have to be on top of your work calendar to make sure you get enough shifts, and sometimes you may end up walking into a facility that has a low nurse-to-patient ratio.
No Guaranteed Payslip
If you don’t work, you don’t get paid. A simple fact of agency work is that you aren’t working for a salary, therefore you don’t get paid for any time off you take.
Unpredictability
If you work permanent shifts, you’ll know when you’re working up to a month in advance, but with temporary roles, you need to be prepared accept work as and when it comes in. You may only find out about a shift the day before it starts. If your situation would benefit from a structured work schedule, full-time employment might be a better option for you.
In our experience a good nurse will make such an impression on her assignment that the client will tends to request that nurse back to fill any future vacancies.
Sometimes You Are Viewed as an Outsider
As an agency nurse, you might not always feel welcome at your assignments. Other nurses on your shift will be unaware of your skillset and personality. Also doctors tend to gravitate toward their regular nurses and not a new face. Sometimes permanent staff have a view of agency nurses as being reluctant to work and pull their weight.
Again in our experience this is soon overcome by being prepared for the above, working with a smile and always being available to help the permanent staff members. This is why at re-vite we are very selective on the nurses we partner with and the reason our nurses are so well looked after.
Fewer Relationships With Patients
While rotating shifts and work places helps prevent the burnout that a lot nurses are accustomed to, it also makes it difficult to create relationships with your patients. Many nurses appreciate navigating the healing process along with their patient from beginning to end.
In our experience building relations with patients is still possible when multiple shifts are chosen at a particular facility, of course shift availability like this is not guaranteed. Again though by being a polite, helpful and hard working nurse only increases your chances of being requested back to the same facility.
We hope the above list has given you valuable information to help you decide whether agency nursing is for you.
