I am an experienced Critical Care and ICU Agency Nurse in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. I have worked all over, but have settled in beautiful, multicultural Toronto.
My goal: I hope to make this blog and my Twitter blurbs reflect all that is important in healthcare as it pertains to primarily those living in Ontario, Canada. As well as updates in bringing awareness of hospital units that have the tendency of saddling Agency ICU Nurses with unreasonable work assignments. “Unreasonable” is defined as follows:
- Doubling the Agency Nurse with two vented patients.
- Doubling the Agency Nurse with two agitated patients who have no doctors orders for sedation, and/or pain control.
- Doubling the Agency Nurse with two infectious and isolated patients.
- Doubling the Agency Nurse with high demand patients (both need frequent suctioning, incontinent care, many meds, have family issues, and/or are scheduled for procedures/tests on the same day).
- Giving Agency Nurses “admissions” when the charge nurse will not write the orders, and print labels.
- Giving the Agency Nurse a “heavy” assignment, while other staff are able to socialize with each other or “relax”.
Some Staff Nurses & Managers will beg to differ. They say Agency Nurses are getting big $$$ so let them earn their money. Yes we do make very good money, and we earn approx $10.00 more an hour than a Staff Nurse. However, ANY Staff Nurse in any hospital can join an agency and make the same amount of money if they were willing to fill in as a temp at a hospital of their choosing. Why don’t more Staff Nurses do this? Possibly, because they are afraid of leaving their comfort zone. The Internet surfing, socializing, long lunch and sleep breaks, would not be available to them at a new hospital where they are just filling in.
The biggest factor of all - some may be afraid they will be mistreated the same way they tend to mistreat Agency Nurses.
Agency Nurses are there to HELP. Agency Nurses are the colleagues of staff Nurses. We don’t take anything away from staff Nurses. Without us, they would be doubled more often with unpleasant work assignments, and then the sick calls would increase.
Agency Nurses should uphold themselves to a higher standard. Giving good, conscientious care, attention to detail, practicing good hygiene, and treating patients the way you would want to be treated is paramount. Perform at a higher standard than a Staff Nurse and you will build a good reputation where the unit will want you back.
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I welcome your comments Agency Nurses and Staff Nurses. All comments will be moderated here, but have your say by joining me on Twitter.
