If you want a rewarding nursing career without some of the stresses of NHS nursing such as increasing workloads, lowering morale and poor pay, you can explore the option to work for an agency. There are many benefits of agency nursing; the top ones being higher pay rate and flexible hours of work.
According to Adzuna, “Year-on-year pay for Agency nurse jobs has gone up 7.9% year-on-year, compared to an annual change of -0.4% for all jobs.”
Agency nursing is becoming a preferred choice among nurses as hospitals are considering agency nurse job roles as a great resource to fill the staffing gaps.
Here are some of the key benefits of agency nursing:
As a nurse, you tend to get a higher hourly rate than for full-time permanent roles.
According to the most recent agency nurse salary trends by Adzuna - a global job aggregator website, the average Agency nurse salary is £46,263, compared to the average NHS nursing salary of £36,435.
Nurses are in high demand in the UK so if you want full-time hours you will not have any trouble achieving this. Equally, you will have the flexibility to choose a permanent role and work additional hours for an agency on your days off to increase your earning potential as a nurse.
In order to expand your skillset and widen your career progression routes, agency nursing offers a variety of settings and training. If you want a higher pay rate, then you need to be an experienced nurse. A good agency usually offers training so you can upgrade your skills and have a better chance of landing nursing jobs with a higher pay rate. So, choosing an agency helps you build your career as a nurse. Here are some of the most common skills needed to be a good nurse:
Setting your own hours is another major benefit of working with an agency. You can choose the shifts you want to work on. For instance, if you want to work your shifts around childcare or other personal commitments then agency nursing is worth considering as a part-time nurse. If you've retired from full-time nursing but still want to have an income, then agency work will suit your lifestyle.
As an agency nurse, you get the opportunity to work in a wide variety of situations and areas. For example, you may have always worked in a hospital setting and want to move across to another department such as Elderly Care. With a temporary nurse role, you can build your experience in this area and gain relationships with one or more organisations who may then consider you for a full-time permanent nurse role.