Whether you’ve been with a nursing agency for years, or you know someone who may be interested in the work, there are many benefits when it comes to nursing agency work.
You may be asking: “what does it mean to be an agency nurse?” or even “what is the difference between agency work & regular shift work”. Normally, nurses are employed to work full-time at one location and are fixed to that setting. The difference with a nursing agency is that you are set to work on a casual (on-hire) basis at a range of facilities. This creates a plethora of opportunities to grow in your nursing career and comes with many added benefits!
In this article, we are going to explore 6 different benefits to working as an agency nurse to help inspire you:
● Flexibility of hours
● Networking & supportive staff
● Finding your specialty area
● Scheduling comes easy
● Above average pay rates
● Relaxing during holidays
● Your next steps
Flexibility of Hours
Scheduling is very flexible and you often have a lot of control over the amount of hours you work. With this, you can decide whether you work either day or night shifts. This is helpful for many of our student nurses who may have classes timetabled during the day and would rather late shifts or perhaps for parents who need to look after children during the day and would rather work later hours. Furthermore, you can decide where you work and the amount of work that you do. You won’t be overwhelmed with stockpiles of work, but rather be expected to complete a smaller setlist of tasks during your shift. Once you leave the workplace, there is no need to worry about bringing your work home.
Networking & Supportive Staff
Working for an agency gives you a greater chance to network with other people. You can work across a range of settings, gaining experience in an array of healthcare settings. You’ll be able to meet many healthcare professionals, which in the long term will be good for recommendations & future work. It also goes without saying that within agency work, there is a very supportive staff network that wants nothing but the best for you and often endeavours to see your success. Rest assured, you are safe and welcome with an agency.
Finding Your Speciality Area
Agency work provides you with the opportunity to work across a range of different facilities, exposing you to different forms of healthcare. You can easily be exposed to speciality areas due to the different facilities that you may visit. For example, some o our agency staff hold speciality skills and nursing experience within the areas of cardiac, ICU or theatres whereas others in aged care. The opportunities for work are endless! Once exposed to an array of facilities, you will be able to find your own preferences in work. Once established with your specialised area, you may be called on for work that others may not be able to do, giving you more opportunity for work.
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Scheduling Comes Easy
When scheduling and planning out your work week, personal matters and familial situations can be considered. Normally, with full-time work, you have a set number of hours, with little room to negotiate hours. Working at an agency eliminates this problem altogether. You can decide to work a single day in one week, then four extra days the following week. As well, agencies are empathetic to any family circumstances or private matters that may come up.
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Above Average Pay Rates
Nursing agencies may offer higher hourly rates than full-time single-facility positions. It is highly financially rewarding, especially when a nurses’ availability opens up or they may want to pick up extra work on top of other jobs. The reason for this is due to the changing nature of shifts. Put simply, a premium is paid to agency nurses for the challenging, unstable and not so glamorous aspects of agency nursing such as last minute shifts, the on-call nature of the work and the potential for shift cancellations (thankfully that doesn’t happen too often!)
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Relaxing During Holidays
Being an agency healthcare worker is no mean feat. The hours can be long, and th work can be tiring, so we respect the need for days off to unwind and relax. Since agency work can be lenient with your hours, you are also able to take time off for vacations, long weekends or overseas holidays. As long as you give your agency enough notice and your return date to work, then there is no further need to stress. Enjoy your time off because you deserve it!
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Your Next Steps
Nursing agencies have undeniable benefits that many single-facility positions do not have. If you have had doubts recently regarding your position, or you know someone who may be interested in the work, we hope this article has inspired you to consider your career with nursing agency work.
If you are currently looking for work, we encourage you to apply today by completing our online application form or by emailing your CV and cover letter to [email protected]. If we’ve piqued your interest but you’re still undecided, take a look at our FAQs or visit our pages on Facebook and Instagram. Disclaimer: The advice provided in this article is general in nature. For more information relating to your specific circumstances, please get in touch with us.
