AGENCY NURSING 25/04/16 Hi there another week has passed and hope you all had a great week Well to continue with my blog on Agency nursing. Usually when you arrive at your destination you will be picked up by a member of the staff and taken to the Hospital where you pick up your key to your Accomodation. In the outback you may have to travel a couple of hours to get to the Hospital so the driver will stop and let you by food from one of the supermarkets as it a lot cheaper. Always be cordial to them when being picked up as it makes it easier for them and creates a relaxed atmosphere and travel more comfortable. I know you will probable be feeling tired and just wanting to have a shower and a rest. On arrival at the Hospital once again be friendly and you will be greeted with positivity and friendliness. I have seen many Agency Nurses arriving and have been very stand offish this does not make for a good first impression. Most places will have saved you a meal to prevent you from having to cook on that long day. Accomodation is one of the biggest issues in Agency Nursing as some places still have the old Nurses Quarters from the 60s where your room is big enough to hold one small single bed and a table with a chest of drawers. The bathrooms were all together and had showers with such gaps in the doors that you could see into them. The bathrooms were so cold that you didn’t linger long in the showers. No heaters I hated these as it did remind me of old staunch nursing days. We had a communal kitchen that had an old oven in it and it didn’t always work and lounge that usually had the oldest of furniture ever. I know of many Nurses who didn’t even unpack their bags over the state of the places. They would ring the Agency and get taken out of the place and put up in a Motel or leave the Hospital entirely and anull the contract. It was easier to go if you had your own transport. Then we had Accomodation that was the exact opposite where we had double beds own ensuite and shared lounge and kitchen that were the best. We paid to live in these places which was not a problem as the comfort was amazing. On arrival you were told what duties you were working. You had a day of orientation where you got the rundown of the place and introduced to all the staff but you never remembered everything. It always takes a couple of days to get used to the environment and people. One of the biggest things I was told by permanent staff was that many Agency nurses would say “we didn’t do it like that where I came from” and that immediately upsets the staff. It is best just to do it their way as it is their Hospital procedure and we are only there for a few weeks or months. Being adaptable is a plus or if you can’t perhaps you are not cut out for Agency nursing. Some Hospitals make you wear their Uniforms. Now for your duties you will find that you may have to work around permanent staff, that is one of the reasons we are there to assist them. I know that many places I did a lot of night duties and have not really liked these but that is the way it goes. Another complaint often made by permanent staff is that some Agency nurses are quite lazy and I have to say that this is true. I witnessed it on more than one occasion and felt they didn’t want to work as a team member worked only to please themselves. I think a few were deaf also as they didn’t hear call bells or that their legs were not working at that time. Have a great week and I will catch you all next week Check out these bargains and many more at http://nursefactory.com