What makes a good agency nurse?

Agency nursing is a lucrative career that offers a wide range of benefits. You have the freedom to choose when & where to work agency shifts that is quite impossible in a standard contract of employment.

Below we have discussed how to become a successful agency nurse;

• Adaptability: As an agency nurse, one of the key requirements is adaptability. You need to be able to adapt to different locations & different people. Those nurses, who can cope well with change & new challenges, can succeed in an agency nurse job.
• Professionalism: You must have a professional demeanour, be fully up to date on current practises and procedures, and be able to interact with patients at all levels of seniority on the ward.
• Appropriate relationships with your patients, colleagues & other members: By building suitable relationships with your patients, colleagues & other members, you can establish a good reputation as a flexible & adaptable agency nurse. With them, you must be confident, open, & friendly. These can help you make a positive impression in front of your employer.
• Problem solving & Decision-making skills: You may be asked to make a decision about a patient’s care on the spot. So you need to have strong problem solving & decision-making abilities.
• Find out what you can & can’t do at the start of your shift: Some healthcare organisations prohibit agency nurses from doing certain nursing responsibilities. Before you go to a ward for a shift, find out from the nurse-in-charge which tasks as an agency nurse you can and cannot do.

All the nursing agencies are not the same. So you’ll need to talk to an agency’s representatives to find out how they’ll help you acquire effective assessments and revalidation support, as well as quantity and quality clinical placements to meet your expectations, and how quickly you’ll be paid for your work.

At Severn Angels Healthcare, we understand the demands of agency nurses and we try our best to fulfil their expectations.