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If you are a nurse, who is looking for more flexibility and opportunities that you perhaps wouldn’t come across in a traditional nursing role, then agency nursing may be for you! Agency Nurses work on a temporary basis, within different settings, rather than working full-time in one fixed location.
There are many benefits to working as an agency nurse.
Competitive Pay
Agency Nurses can earn higher hourly rates than the likes of a permanent NHS nurse If you’re working for the NHS, the nurse pay rates are calculated in accordance with the NHS pay scale. The NHS pay scale is typically based on location, shift type, and specialty of the job role. Similarly, to NHS nurses, agency nurses also pay depending on the above factors, however NHS nurses’ guidelines for pay are much stricter, therefore resulting in their pay being more generous for agency nurses.
Flexibility
With agency work, you can customize when you want to work, therefore adapting to a flexible working life. As an agency nurse, you may decide to work once a week, three times a week, or every day, the choice is yours! You have the flexibility to choose your own working hours, which opens the freedom to work around other commitments. According to a survey conducted by the Royal College of Nursing, flexibility was the primary reason why 72% of agency nurses choose to work in this field.
Variety of Work
As an agency nurse, you’ll have the opportunity to work in a large variety of different healthcare settings, including the likes of hospitals and care homes. Depending on how far you may need to travel, you will have numerous opportunities for different types of work and environments. Not only this but if you wish, you can also combine NHS with private agency work. Working in new places, with new teams, can be extremely rewarding and an exciting way to work.
No Long-Term Commitment
Agency nursing allows nurses to work on a temporary basis, without any long-term commitment to the job role. Perhaps you already work in the NHS and want to test out other working environments, without being tied down. This way, if you are trying to find a position you’re suited to the most, perhaps agency work is for you.
Develop New Skills
You have the opportunity, as an agency nurse, to develop further skills and knowledge through working in different settings. This can therefore help you to become more versatile. For example, if you are primarily trained in children’s health, but are interested in working in mental health, working as an agency nurse, you could work in a psychiatric ward to gain further experience. Taking on board these opportunities will allow you to develop.
Less Stress!
Agency nursing can be less stressful than working as a permanent nurse in the NHS, due to the flexibility agency nurses have. Through this, research indicates that flexibly working prevents burnout and increases job satisfaction. Reportedly, 70% of employees are more likely to burn out when faced with unreasonable time constraints, however with agency work, time is in your hands. Additionally, agency nurses also have less administrative work than permanent nurses, so although the job role is still challenging, working through an agency can provide a further sense of autonomy.
If you’re interested in becoming an agency nurse, you can visit our vacancy page and search for our available jobs.
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