The Best Christmas Presents are Compliments, New Nurses, New Clients & New Contracts!

This past week has been a week of compliments, new nurses, new clients and new contracts which we at the AMS Office view as very special Christmas presents.

Three RN's this past week applied with the intention of switching agencies.  We have recently had a large number of RN's decide to move their careers to AMS.  It is a huge compliment to AMS when a  nurse trusts AMS with their assignments and payroll.  It is a responsibility we take very seriously.

Many of the nurses who have switched to AMS from other agencies have done so on the urging of our current nurses and our clients.  Which is an amazing compliment for AMS.

This morning, we arranged a contract for another nurse who is also one of the many who have recently switched agencies. Another wonderful way to start the New Year.

This afternoon, Laura, one of our RN's called to thank us for sending her a Christmas card.  She said it was so nice to be remembered.  She stated "That in all of her nursing career she had never had an employer send her a Christmas card".  She said when co-workers ask her what AMS stands for she says "AMS is the best!"  We are thrilled that she remembers our website and what we strive to be..."the best"!

This evening we scheduled our first nurse at a new hospital client in Palatka. And even better, that nurse is a one of the nurses who recently switched agencies. A great way to start the New Year.

AMS is finishing up 2010 by setting new records in hours scheduled, nurses hired, contracts arranged and compliments received.  All of us at the AMS Office feel we are very blessed to have each other and the opportunity to work with our amazing nurses and wonderful clients.   

Successes, Opportunities, Trials & Tribulations (Dec. 20th, 2010)

Successes: The past few weeks have been amazing for AMS! It has been a great boost to our office morale that so many RN's have recently switched to AMS from other agencies. We always strive to be honest and professional with our nurses. To pay our nurses well, accurately and quickly. It nice to know that is appreciated and valued.

Opportunities: Every hospital is calling AMS for more nurses every day. The opportunities for a RN with hospital experience is varied and abundant. As for opportunities for AMS...every application is an opportunity for AMS to impress a nurse with our speed and honesty. Every application is a chance for AMS to work with a health care professional so that we can make a positive impact in their lives and busier day in our office.

Trials & Tribulations: My pet peeve this week...agencies who don't pay their nurses. Like I mentioned above, AMS has been blessed to have some amazing nurses decide to change agencies. Nurses leave an agency because they are not happy. Their pay is either too low, not correctly paid, paid late or they feel they have been mistreated. Very rarely will a nurse leave an agency without giving that company the opportunity to fix the issue. When an agency refuses to fix or even acknowledge that which the nurse sees as a concern...then the nurse leaves. What ticks me off is when an agency delays the pay or refuses to pay a nurse who has chosen to switch agencies as a petty, unprofessional way to get even. It hurts the reputation of all agencies and makes everyone in the business of staffing have to work harder to build trust with the nurses. AMS commits everyday to be an agency known for its values of honesty, professionalism and respect.

All of us here at AMS wish all of you a very Merry Christmas and wonderful New Year full of success and opportunities. 

A Selfbooked Shift...the Perfect Present for Your AMS Staffing Coordinator

I love the AMS nurses who selfbook. Selfbooking is when the nurse takes the initiative and schedules his or her own shifts directly with the facility. Over my 20 plus years in the staffing industry I have noticed the trend that selfbooked shifts tend not to be canceled. Why? My theory...the agency nurse has the opportunity to see the facility schedule and volunteer to work the shifts that the facility needs the most coverage on. Therefore greatly increasing the nurse's odds of not being canceled. Some agencies don't encourage selfbooking but I think that could just be a control issue or maybe egos run amuck. At AMS we encourage our nurses to be in control of their schedule, their career and ultimately their earning potential. These are highly skilled, talented health care professionals and I think they can be trusted to schedule their own shifts if they choose. And I love them for doing it!

"Send me any where, just don't send me home!"

"Send me any where, just don't send me home!" is the mantra of one of our most successful per diem RN's.  Consistently for over 10 years he has been our highest earning RN every year.  Why?  Because he is flexible and adjusts to what the hospital needs. He works all units, he works days, he works nights, he works weekends, he works holidays and he goes in for 12 hr, 8 hr and 4 hr shifts.  He is "the path of least resistance".  He is the first nurse my staffing coordinators call because he says "YES" more than anyone else and he is the last nurse the hospital cancels because he goes where ever they need him without complaint.  He isn't perfect....he cancels occasionally and we have to chase him down for every document we need for his personnel file but those things are easily forgiven because of the loyalty he has shown AMS over the past 15 years, the number of nurses he has recruited for AMS and just the amazing amount of hours he has scheduled and worked through AMS.  At his request, I'm not going to mention his name but those of us on the "inside" know him well, consider him family and greatly appreciate all that he has done for AMS over the years.  

Successes, Opportunities, Trials & Tribulations

Hi!

As time permits and my stress level allows I plan to write about the Successes, Opportunities, Trials & Tribulations of managing a reputable nursing agency.  The goal is to give my readers some insight into the daily lives of myself and the AMS office staff.

I had a great SUCCESS today!  One of our clients mastered another step in a challenging new staffing software program that creates our invoices for us.  They released over 20 invoices to be paid.  YEAH!  Of course this doesn't actually tell me when to expect a check but at least I know the intention is there.  I have no room to complain, I'm the worse at this new program in our office.  So we are all learning and getting better.

OPPORTUNITIES were everywhere today.  Every client called looking for staff.  If I had another 50 nurses...they would all be working.  The phones were just crazy.  Our Janet, my Sr. Staffing Coordinator, has been out seriously ill for the past few days and I have missed her very much.  I'm proud to say that I have been able to keep up with most of my job duties and get a lot of the staffing done too.  Georgia and Lance have saved my sanity over the past few days.

TRIALS & TRIBULATIONS:   My pet peeve today is drug screens.  Why does it take so long to get results back?  Why won't other agencies give the nurse a copy of her drug screen?  Luckily I'm working with a terrific nurse who marched right over to the clinic and did what she needed to do and now we wait and wait and wait. 

UPDATE 12/3/10:  The drug test results came back a day early but the person I need to send them to is on vacation.  Some days nothing seems to line up right. This was one of those days.  

So this is my first post to this hopefully wonderful and insightful blog.  Stay tuned for more Successes, Opportunities, Trials & Tribulations!  And don't forget to refer your co-workers, friends and family to AMS!  Did I mention I need 50 more nurses?