What is agency nursing and why it could be the perfect career move

An agency nurse has the same role as any other nursing professional. There is only one main difference. Rather than working full-time in one fixed location, you’re employed by an agency and work temporarily within different settings.

Are you looking for more information about what an agency nurse is, the benefits, and how to get started? We’ve outlined everything you need to know, including:

• What is agency nursing?
• How to become an agency nurse
• The benefits of agency nursing
• Becoming an agency nurse with Pulse

What is agency nursing?

As an agency nurse, your responsibilities are similar to those of permanently employed nurses. They’re carried out within the same settings, under various contracts of your choosing.

Agency nursing means you are, in essence, someone with the skills and experience to support any team within your specialism. This can even be at short notice. You’ll often be called on to provide care and support when others are absent. This can be due to sickness or staff shortfalls, or to alleviate pressure on services at busier times.

You can either work solely as an agency nurse or take up agency shifts in addition to a full-time role. You can also be registered with multiple agencies, for work opportunities from more than one provider.

How to become an agency nurse

If you want to become an agency nurse, you need to register with an agency and meet their requirements. This will typically involve having a certain level of experience. You also need to meet compliance requirements such as having an NMC pin, proof of qualifications, employment references, and more.

Below, we have gone into more detail on how to become an agency. Here’s what is typically involved when you choose to move into agency nursing.

Register with an agency

Registering with a nursing agency is essential when you are looking to start this type of contract work.

At Pulse, our entire registration process is conveniently carried out online. This includes your online interview, employment checks, and documentation upload. Every nurse we work with is assigned a dedicated point of contact to guide them through the process.

You can save your progress at any time during registration, so you don’t need to complete everything all at once. Find out more here.

Meet agency nurse requirements

The requirements you need for agency nursing work can differ from agency to agency. At Pulse, we usually look for:

• Six to 12 months of experience in the setting you are applying to work in
• Relevant clinical experience in the area you are applying for within the last 12 to 18 months (dependent on experience)
• The ability to meet our Framework Compliance requirements

When it comes to our Framework Compliance requirements, these include:

• Your NMC pin
• Proof of qualifications
• CV or work history back to your full-time education with all gaps over one month evidenced
• Up-to-date employment references, including a minimum of two professional references covering a period of three years and any gaps of more than one month explained
• A DBS and occupational health check
• Right to work/trust ID check
• Proof of professional indemnity insurance
• Core skills training – CSTF alignment

At Pulse, we have the Framework Compliance to help get you up and running with all the formalities. You can find the full list of requirements here.

When registering with us, we’ll guide you through the entire compliance process. We’ll help you to get started so that you’re ready for agency work as soon as possible.

Speak with your recruitment specialist

Throughout the process of registering with a nursing agency, it’s important to spend time discussing your work preferences and career aspirations with your consultant.

At Pulse, you’ll have a dedicated recruitment specialist throughout the entirety of your journey with us. They’ll work with you to understand the type of work you’d like to undertake and what you’d prefer to avoid.

You’ll then be contacted with only the most relevant opportunities that fit your experience and future career goals. We also encourage you to let us know what we can do for you throughout your time with Pulse. That way, we can support you as much as possible while you focus on helping others.