The unit has open shifts even after staff members have signed up for overtime. The chief nurse officer (CNO) does not want to hire agency nurses to cover these shifts. The nurse manager does not understand why the CNO is offering staff an incentive versus hiring agency nurses. Which would be a reasonable conclusion?
A) It takes a significant amount of time to orient agency nurses.
B) The agency nurses are costly.
C) There is a significant amount of documentation required for agency nurses.
D) The physicians are not comfortable with agency nurses.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

1. Although it does take time and a significant amount of documentation to orient the agency this is not as big a problem as the cost.
2. Agency nurses are a considerable cost to an organization and their use may cause staff resentment since agency nurses may be making two or three times the salary of the in-house nurse. Usually it is more cost-effective to offer an incentive and overtime to the current nursing staff.
3. Although it does take time and a significant amount of documentation to orient the agency this is not as big a problem as the cost.
4. The physicians may not know that the nurse is from an agency. Their primary interest is that their client's needs are met.

The Unit Has Open Shifts Even After Staff Members Have