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Agency Nurse

5 Things To Note If You Are Considering Agency Nursing

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Over the last few months, we have extensively discussed agency nursing. We have shared tips on how to become one, and we have shared tips on what to expect and where to get agency jobs.

Some have reached out to us looking for more information about becoming agency nurses. Some have taken the leap of faith and they are already working for agencies full-time and reaping all the rewards we discussed earlier which include, a flexible schedule, a better rate and more nursing experience.

For some, taking that leap might be a stretch because of many reasons. However, for others, agency nursing is the only way to go as they yearn for a better schedule and more quid in their pockets. In case you have made up your mind and you want to become a full-time agency nurse, here are 5 things you should be aware of:

  1. Work on improving your clinical skills. – agency nurses are required to do a lot of skilled nursing tasks like blood culture collection, urinary catheterisation just to name a few. Agencies would prefer a competent worker, and if you are a competent nurse, your agency nursing journey will be long and enjoyable.
  2. When in doubt ask others – starting out as an agency nurse might be overwhelming. If you don’t know much about the tasks assigned to you, ask, if you are not sure about anything from clinical tasks to paying taxes, ask. The agency world is too small and one mistake might affect you tremendously.
  3. Be open to learning more about new procedures – because there will probably not be fixed tasks, its always good to understudy or learn about new procedures, this will help you on too many levels including helping you fit well with others and making you marketable to multiple agencies sometimes with better rates.
  4. Learn each and every shift’s dos and don’ts – this will minimize mistakes and maximize productivity at work.
  5. Ask more about prescriptions you are not sure about – if you are not sure about something on the prescription, query them. If you have any reservations bout the dosage or anything at all, do not take the prescription as gospel, ask questions.

In case you want to join our other agency nurses, contact us by sending an email with the subject agency nursing to info@myshifts.work and we will respond to your questions or call us on 03300300031

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.