Why I Traded The Hospital For A Nurse Agency

Someone once told me to close my eyes and say something that was the truth. Then close my eyes and tell a lie. With the lie, you will feel it somewhere in your body. If you try it, and continue to try it you will know the “lie”, or when something just isn’t right. This is your gut, your inner Jiminy Cricket. It is something that over time nurses develop and are able to make split second decisions just based on a feeling. Trusting my gut helped me move away from the bedside, when everything and everyone told me that I was making a terrible decision. I decided to throw away the security of the hospital and take a chance on a nurse agency. It was the best decision I ever made, and I never looked back.

I worked the night shift in CCU and I loved it. I loved being on the code team, I loved the feeling of saving a life, and knowing that I made a difference in the lives of my patients. Oh the adrenaline! Those were the good old days. Yet, there are things about the hospitals that over time I couldn’t or wouldn’t want to deal with anymore:

The Night Shift!

The night shift! Those dreaded words all nurses know. For me, the only time I loved the night shift was around Christmas when stores were open until 1am – or all night (thank you Macy’s for that 24 hour trial). On my days off I still used to be awake at 3am – 4am watching bad TV unable to fall asleep.

Working on Holidays

Working on Holidays – As a nurse, we know that the job is 24 /7 365 days a week. I have to admit, knowing that I am going to cut the Thanksgiving Turkey, wait for Santa and kiss my husband at midnight is just fantastic – ALL IN ONE SEASON! Those memories are reason enough that I haven’t looked back.

MRSA & VRE – those gowns are hot, enough said.

C-Diff or a “Code Brown” – that my nurse friends is something that will haunt you in your dreams.

Working short staffed, nurse politics, and managers that eat their young and not so young -they rounded out my gut decision to move onto brighter Horizons (pun intended).

I now can say I love my job and I love working for an agency that truly cares about their nurses. We never work short staffed, because with school nursing – usually you are the only nurse in the building. This cuts down on politics, and nurses eating their young! Horizon Healthcare Staffing has nursing supervisors that are vested in making you succeed and are there to answer any question you have.

I remember speaking to one nurse about 10 times a day just so we can double check carb calculations. It was purely support. I love knowing that I am not going to be mandated and when my shift ends I still see daylight. I love knowing that when it snows I won’t have to pack a bag, and I can watch the snow fall with my children. I love the fact that MRSA and VRE are few and far between. I LOVE the fact that C-Diff is even farther. I also love the fact that a stomach ache is not a triple A and instead of hearing about a Swan Ganz, I hear duck duck goose in the halls.

I love my job and the freedom and flexibility that I have. I trusted my gut and have a job being a productive nurse – who still gets to make a difference in my patient’s lives, and yes I’ve even saved a life or two in the school setting. Now I get to have the best of both worlds, with a work life balance for my family. I sometimes miss the hospital and the feeling of the stress and adrenaline. When that happens, I close my eyes, trust my gut – go outside in the sunshine and remember to trust my Jiminy Cricket – Watching Pinocchio on Christmas morning helps also.