Agency Shift

How To Leverage Social Media To Get More Agency Shifts

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A few weeks ago, we were telling you about agency shifts and how to become an agency nurse. Agency nursing has helped a lot of healthcare professionals be in control of their time, their schedule and their finances.

Over the last few years, agency nursing has gained popularity. 54.53% of the nurses in the NMC register do not work in the NHS. There is a huge possibility that a huge chunk of the registered nurses outside the NHS is in Agency Nursing while the rest are employed in private facilities.

The availability of agency shifts at one’s fingertips has exacerbated the need for some to switch from working in an institution permanently to being an agency nurse.

We have received enquiries about agency nursing and the availability of agency shifts should one decide to take on agency nursing full-time. In case you are wondering how to find shifts on social media here are a few tips on how to leverage social media to find agency shifts.

  1. Open a LinkedIn account and list your qualifications and most importantly your location. Also indicate that you are open to work and be specific that you are interested in temporary or part-time placements only. Make sure you are active on LinkedIn and check your messages regularly. Find agencies in your area that are hiring and apply. Be sure to keep your updated CV handy so you can easily apply for any job.
  2. Search for jobs hashtags on Twitter and Instagram for example use the following hashtags #birminghamjob, #extrashiftsdudley #agencynursing #agencynurse.
  3. Join Nurses’ recruitment groups on LinkedIn and Facebook and regularly check if agencies are not posting part-time vacancies and shifts.

We can help you get started on your agency nursing journey. If you need more information about becoming an agency nurse, call us on 03300300031 or email us info@myshifts.work

Toxic Work Environment

Nurses, Is Your Work Environment Toxic?

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Toxic Work Environments, one of the topics less discussed on the web, no employer would ever want their workplace to be described as toxic right? Research has cited that over the years, a toxic work culture is one of the most cited reasons why people quit their jobs. A lot of us do not even realise that the environment is not ideal, because of various reasons, however a survey on the internet by Conductor discovered that web searches for “toxic work environment quiz “increased by over 500% this year.

What is a Toxic Work environment?

According to Forbes:

..toxic means “poisonous” and/or “causing unpleasant feelings; harmful or malicious. ClearForce CEO Tom Miller says it can be anything from bullying or harassment to a company that engages in unethical practices and is dishonest with its employees

Forbes

There are many reasons why many will stay in a not-so-ideal workplace. Some are not really aware that the traits exuded by their superiors or co-workers are toxic until they leave that environment and start working elsewhere. Not to mention the fact that some employers have adopted the “take it or leave it phenomenon” of letting employees know in one way or the other that if they think this environment is not ideal, they are free to leave.

In the African country of Zimbabwe, a woman shared her toxic work environment story and she said she stayed because she was afraid she would not get another job. Unemployment is rife in that country and a lot of people are qualified to do most jobs. For every vacancy, there are thousands if not tens of thousands of applicants. In Scotland, a lady endured in a toxic work environment for years because she needed to gain expereience in her field.

What Can Be Done About Toxic Work Environment?

A week ago, The Guardian published a story that said, the Royal College of Nursing was marred with allegations of:

..bullying, misogyny and a sex_ual culture where women are at risk of “alcohol and power-related exploitation

The Guardian

Given the fact that the Royal College of Nursing is one of the biggest Nurses Union in the world, this further alludes to the fact that, many envrionemnts are probably toxic to many people and the superiors are probaly not aware of it.

Now that we know, its possible to be in a toxic enveronment and not know it, or endure because of various reasons, what can we as nurses do?

  1. Take the toxic work envronment quiz on the web and see if you are working in an toxic environment
  2. Stand up against any toxic traits you do not like
  3. In some cases, switch to agency nursing, you will be working in different work stations and envrionments, you have a chance to cherry pick which place you can go to and which ones to avoid.

In case you need help transitioning to agency nursing, call us on 03300300031 or email info@myshifts.work and we will help you.

Technology In Nursing: Dos And Donts

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Must Have Technoloy In Healthcare

It’s high time we talk about technology in nursing, for the simple reason that, tech has taken over the world. The world has evolved immensely from the era when community nurses used bicycles to make home visits to this day of smart medical devices and remote patient monitoring.

In the early 30s, nurses never thought it would be possible to have pacemakers let alone think intelligent devices would become an integral part of their jobs, they took pride in their work as community health officers and ensured the community’s health needs were well taken care of.

In some African countries, a visit to the clinic would see you and other patients combined, singing a jingle about health, cleanliness and anti-littering among other topics before the clinic opened for that particular day.

Enter technology in nursing, and smart medical devices are now being used to monitor patients. Remote patient monitoring has even been exacerbated by the availability of the internet in most parts of the world. Patient management has also been made easy by different software that can take and process appointments. Not forgetting that sometimes nurses have to access some medical databases when they need help managing a patient exuding certain symptoms, helping them to efficiently carry out their duties.

Technology has become an epicentre of what we do as nurses as it had enabled us in more ways than one to carry out our nursing duties be it administrative or actual nursing duties efficiently and productively. However, technology comes with its own drawbacks and we cannot ignore them. Whenever you as a nurse decide to use technology in its infinite vastness in your field, remember the following:

Dos.

  1. Get as much information as you can on the piece of tech you are going to use be it software or a medical device. Remembering a small error can have fatal results.
  2. Remember to educate your patients about some of the benefits of using the technology you are trying to get them to adopt. (i.e if a patient is supposed to have a heart rate monitor or any other wearable medical device, take your time to explain it fully to the patient so they will understand its benefits and how to take care of it.)
  3. Remember that technology can have glitches that can interfere with or interrupt a patient’s results, thereby increasing the chances of them being misdiagnosed or having any other adverse effects. As a nurse do not leave remote monitoring (and other duties) entirely to technology. Set up a checkup routine to check on your patients physically or by calling them.

Donts.

  1. Don’t over-rely on technology sometimes conduct a psychical check.
  2. Don’t use systems or devices you do not fully understand to manage or treat patients.
  3. Don’t rule out the powerful technology in favour of human intelligence, technology in some cases can complete tasks we can’t.

If you want to be an agency nurse, call us on 03300300031 or send us an email with the subject “I want to be an agency nurse” and we will contact you.

How To Become An Agency Nurse In The UK

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Agency Nurse Pause +`5\6-\
Confident nurse having crossed arms and looking at camera.

How To Become An Agency Nurse In The UK? Some nurses found themselves in considerable difficulty in 2022 when they discovered there is so much month at the end of money and their paycheques were not going to change anytime soon. Given the ongoing economic downturn, a lot of nurses are considering shifting entirely to agency nursing because they need to rearrange one or two things in their lives to make ends meet.

The video below details some of the reasons why it will be beneficial for you to become an agency nurse:

According to Randstad, There are many pros than cons to being an agency nurse which include but are not limited to:

  1. Greater diversity of patients and co-workers
  2. There is less management in agency nursing
  3. You don’t have to deal with office politics.
  4. You will be doing actual nursing work (not spend some time embroiled in admin work)

Others have often wondered how they can become agency nurses and if it is advisable to flip to agency nursing full-time. The short answer to both these questions is, it’s easy and worthwhile.

To become an agency nurse you first have to meet the following criterion:

  1. Have Professional Nursing Qualifications
  2. Be eligible to work in the UK
  3. You have to be registered with the NMC
  4. You should have proof of vaccinations and immunisation.

If you have these then you can start looking for agency work from different agencies in your area. You can be paid in three different ways.

  1. The agencies can pay you after deducting National Insurance(NI) and income tax
  2. You can open a limited company and the agencies can pay the proceeds into the company account and you will pay NI and other taxes on your own. (This is usually considered the best option)
  3. The agencies may pay an umbrella company which then does admin work for you and make payments directly to you.

If you ever want to become an agency nurse, we can help you get started. In case you have any questions, about becoming an agency nurse, reach out to us by calling us at 03300300031 or sending us an email at info@myshifts.work. Check out our other blogs on staffing and placement here.

WATCH: 3 Things Your Probably Didn’t Know About Nurse Prescribers

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Nurse attends to patient

Although they came late to the regulation party, Nurse Prescribers eventually made it to the regulation tab. What are Nurse prescribers, in case you are wondering, according to a reliable nursing journal, the British Journal of Nursing, these are :

…nurses who have successfully completed a Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) Practitioner Nurse Prescribing course and are registered with the NMC either as a Community practitioner nurse prescribers (CPNP) or as Nurse Independent prescribers (NIP). These nurses are either qualified to prescribe from the Nurse Prescribers Formulary for Community Practitioners (CPNP) or they can assess, diagnose, and prescribe independently any licensed medicine and products listed in the British National Formulary (BNF) (Joint Formulary Committee, 2021), unlicensed medicines and all controlled drugs in schedules two to five, provided this is within the area of their competence (NIP)

British Journal Of Nursing

Apart from the 3 things listed in the video below, here are some things you probably didn’t know about prescriber nurses:

  1. CPNPs take the Community Practitioner Nurse Prescribing course (V100 or V150) to be registered with the NMC while NIPs take the Independent Nurse Prescribing course (V200 or V300)
  2. Registered Nurses can take the nurse supplementary prescribers (NSPs). If they complete the course they can prescribe patients that have been assessed and diagnosed by a doctor whose clinical management plan has been drawn.
  3. Prescribers are required by UK Law to serve in their own professional fields or within their boundaries only.
  4. Prescribers are also required to have excellent knowledge and understanding of pharmacology in regards to the drugs prescribed, including pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics

If you are a Nurse based in the West Midlands, looking for extra shifts in your local area, please contact us at 03300300031 or send us an email at info@myshifts.work Check out our other blogs on different issues regarding employment.

WATCH: 3 Patient Safety Tips All Nurses Should Know

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Last week the world commemorated patient safety day and nurses and other health workers on many social media platforms spent the day talking about patient safety. Some in Africa remembered how health workers like nurses manhandled them, and how some of their loved ones died due to medical errors. Some even thought of how there were no repercussions after some health workers or nurses negligently handled them or their loved ones when they were patients.

Why is patient safety important you may want to know, The World Health Organisation, on the issue of patient safety, has always said:

Patient Safety… aims to prevent and reduce risks, errors and harm that occur to patients during the provision of health care. Patient safety is fundamental to delivering quality essential health services. Indeed, there is a clear consensus that quality health services across the world should be effective, safe and people-centred. In addition, to realize the benefits of quality health care, health services must be timely, equitable, integrated and efficient.

World Health Organisation

According to BMJ Journals, an estimated 230 million medical errors occur each year, costing the NHS a staggering £98 462 582 and causing an estimated 1708 deaths. While some cases are pure cases of negligence, others are pure mistakes. While we can not expect all nurses to be perfect people who never err while executing their duties, because their jobs involve sacred human life, we all err as humans. We can only share tips on how to minimize errors and hope for the best.

One can easily conclude that patient safety is important because:

  1. It reduces the number and risk of medical errors
  2. It saves lives in some cases
  3. It is an integral part of the quality health care we offer to the public in general
  4. It gives the patients and the public confidence in our services as nurses and health workers and medical institutions.
  5. It saves us money and time as it simultaneously reduces medical errors.

The following 3 tips outlined below will help nurses in different fields prioritise patient safety bearing in mind the mentioned reasons why patient safety is imperative

Read our other blog on employment tips. If you need extra shifts in the West Midlands as a nurse, call us on 03300300031 or email info@myshifts.work

We Are Hiring

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Over the past few months, we have indicated on social media that we are hiring. We have placed several advertorials in different formats hoping to catch a wider audience of people offering what we are looking for. Pivotal Solutions has said recruitment/hiring is not an event but an ongoing process, and we stand by such declarations. This, therefore, has inspired us to cast a wider net and tell anyone and everyone that consumes our content that we are continuously recruiting at our agency. We are looking for

  1. Registered Nurses
  2. Theatre Nurses
  3. Registered Mental Health Nurses
  4. In some instances Health Care Assistants

We are based in Dudley but our services stretch to the entire West Midlands and further afield. This gives many an opportunity to work in their local area, limiting their travel time to and from work. Why must you choose us in a pool of other agencies offering the same you may ask, and here is the answer:

  1. We offer competitive rates, our rates are great,
  2. We can fast-track your registration if there is a need for registration to be done for you to work at our agency.
  3. We will curate your schedule based on your off days and or free time, allowing you to have a bit of extra time on your hands
  4. We prioritise your health and will customise your shifts in such a way that you will get enough time to rest.
  5. We can place you temporarily or permanently and again give you extra shifts if we place you permanently.
  6. We offer a personalised service
  7. We make payments promptly and we guarantee you you will not experience any delays.

In case you have decided to work with us, please get in touch by sending your CV for consideration at info@myshifts.work or directly call us on 03300300031.

While at it check our blog which mainly gives hiring and employment tips.

Nurse attends to patient

Nursing 101, Important Nursing Tips Everyone Should Know

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Nursing 101 is the last thing you were expecting to read on this blog right? Well, to be fair it was also the last thing we were expecting to write about until this fine morning. As an agency responsible for placing nurses in great environments where they can improve their bottom line while offering a much-needed service, we have befriended and been exposed to many a nurse.

Many health workers have moved to the UK from different parts of the globe to work in UK Hospitals and medical centres. The way things are done in the UK when it comes to patient handling and general nursing etiquette in UK is different. In some African hospitals nursing are a menace, a bunch of unapproachable people who will not hesitate to read you the riot act should they decide you badly need it even when you are a patient. Some African mothers have chilling stories of how nurses shouted, scolded or manhandled them, especially during labour.

In some communities, this has been normalised because people see it as a necessary evil because they believe sometimes mothers in labour are not serious and sometimes if they are not pushed the birth might have a fatal end. While those societies turn a blind eye to such, the same is not the case in the UK. Should one desire to be a good nurse, and last in their career till retirement then they need this Nursing 101 unofficial guide:

  1. If possible find a senior nurse to mentor you unofficially or officially, and observe how they serve their patients, and how they interact with others.
  2. Acquaint yourself with UK Nursing laws, and always stay up to date on that front.
  3. Do not be a bore, yes you read that correctly, do not be a nuisance to fellow workers and even to patients. Do not constantly complain, do not talk about people behind their backs and try to be cordial with all people, patients and co-workers alike.
  4. Hope for the best but expect the worst, people come from different backgrounds and they have different personalities. They will have some traits that will probably not sit well with you. Be objective and always expect the worst even when you are hoping for the best. This will help you to not snap or react in a way that will sanction disciplinary action from your superiors.
  5. Try and maintain a healthy work-life balance and always prioritise your health. Given the availability of extra shifts and all, it’s easy to get carried away and work extra hard blurring the lines between work and personal life. By all means, find a way to separate the two.
  6. Do not forget Nursing etiquette rules.
  7. Be efficient, establish a routine and always make sure you prioritise important things on your list of important tasks for the day or week or month.

Well, these nursing 101 tips will help those that are coming to work in the UK as nurses and those that are already working in the UK. Check out our other employment tips on our blog.

If you are a nurse based in the West Midlands in need of extra shifts in your local area call us on 03300300031 or send us an email at info@myshifts.work we offer great rates.

Unmotivated employee

Feeling Unmotivated At Work? These 3 Tips Will Help

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Are you feeling tired or unmotivated at your workplace? An Instagram post popped up on my smartphone. Yes, I opened the slide hoping to see a magic trick that would help my mental fatigue. The post went on to suggest that I probably was just a burnout and I wasn’t going through mild depression, as per the results of my self-diagnosis.

In as much as I did not get what I was hoping to get on that Instagram post, I discovered that I needed to be mentally strong and find my motivation on a daily basis. However, I also did not dismiss the thought that I might be unmotivated because of a serious burnout and I worked on my schedule and the truth is things drastically changed. In their 2016 paper titled Burnout Syndrome and Demotivation Among Health Care Personnel. Managing Stressful Situations: The Importance of Teamwork J. García-Campayo and his team reiterates that, work-related stress may actually have dire consequences and it’s no surprise that demotivation can be one of them.

Having a fulfilling career in this life where others struggle to find themselves is an absolute privilege. Over the years many have struggled to find fulfilment, contentment and even happiness, especially in their work. If you are one of the content, fulfilled, happy ones, you have a reason to celebrate.

However, if you are struggling to get through the mandatory work hours, if you are feeling grumpy, maybe it’s high time you sit down and take stock of your life. If you still want to be a nurse or that health professional that you are but feel unmotivated, these 3 tips might help you. 

  1. Try and find a working equilibrium between your work and your personal life. Sometimes you are not unmotivated, you are just struggling to find that work-life balance. 
  2. Try and manage your stress levels. Sometimes fixing this one thing, keeping your stress levels low might actually help you in more ways than one. 
  3. Try and create/maintain a healthy working environment. We are all aware of the things that make our working environment toxic. It’s high time you tackle that elephant in the room and find a way to ensure your workplace is not a dreary place you hate going to every day. Chat to colleagues, make friends, don’t talk back, be considerate, help out and try to be at peace with as many coworkers as you can. 

In case you want to pick extra shifts from us, contact us via email at info@myshifts.work or call 03300300031. Check out our other blogs on work-related content.

Candidate vector created by pch.vector - www.freepik.com '>Recruiting agent

Why Health Professionals Should Work With A Recruiting Agency

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Do professionals have to engage a recruiting agency when they are in the job market or looking for a candidate to fill a vacant post, the simple answer is YES. We have to admit many things have changed since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Among the things that changed I would like to believe the need for professionals to engage recruitment agencies also changed. Before the pandemic, before the recession that is hitting many parts of the world, the UK included, companies had ample budgets to hire personnel as they deemed fit. The pandemic then came a pressed a major reset on many things, among them expendable income. Some companies that could afford to pay 100 people per month are struggling to pay 80 today. In most cases, the job that was being done by that person that the company can no longer afford is supposed to be done regardless of the company’s financial position.

This means nowadays companies have to hire multi-skilled people who can in some cases wear multiple hats and do numerous tasks. Where will they find these people, the simple answer is from a recruiting agency they have to engage. Why a recruiting agency you may ask and the answer is because:

  1. Recruiting agencies can find candidates a little bit faster making the process faster and probably more efficient
  2. Agencies have specialist recruitment knowledge that they can use to make the process simple because they have a large pool of candidates that have been screened already.
  3. Agencies have a wider reach because they probably work with multiple companies and candidates.
  4. Because they have access to high-quality candidates which is exactly what companies will be looking for
  5. Because they have intimate knowledge of the market and are poised to better serve the candidate and the client better because of that.

Professionals should by all means always engage an agency when looking for a job for the simple reason that, an agency is there to serve your professional needs much more than a company’s in-house hiring team. By engaging a recruiting agency, it’s easy to get alerts of vacant posts either part-time or full-time and this can help you plan your schedules. Besides, it is our duty to serve you as recruitment agencies.

In case you are looking for part-time workers or part-time work in and around Birmingham, please contact us on 03300300031 or send us an email at info@myshifts.work and check out our other blog on recruitment