We would like to say a big thank you to Julia Cleaver for her hard work at Holy Spirit Northside Hospital.

Julia has received some great feedback after her shift today.

Julia has only been with First Choice Care for a couple of months now and is already receiving great reviews and promoting First Choice Care in a positive light.

Congratulations Julia keep up the good work!

Regards

The First Choice Care team

We’re always trying to think of better ways to make our nurses lives that much easier and your dealings with us more convenient.

To that end, we’ve had our team working hard on developing the iShift App.

It’s a mobile application that allows you to very quickly and easily let us know your shift availability from anywhere, at any time.

Currently compatible on:

• iPhones and
• Android phones

Screenshots of the iShift

Download Now – Absolutely Free

iTunes: http://itunes.apple.com/au/app/ishift/id440473022

Was chatting with one of our nurses today and she made a great point.

You see, this nurse used to have her own business and she can see the similarities between working for yourself and nursing.

Sunny days here at First Choice Care!

In nursing, she reasoned, there’s usually work available, but some times (like winter) have a lot more work than normal.

Her philosophy was that it’s better to “make hay whilst the sun shines”, so you can take it easy in the quieter months.

Lots Of Shifts Now Available

Not a bad analogy – and one that leads me into saying this:

We have lots (and lots) of shifts available at present, so if you want some of that hay give our Call Centre team a call on 1300 307 241 to let us know of your availability!

As a clinical nurse working through an agency, the arrangement is often referred to as ‘casual’ work or ‘casual’ shifts. However, the relationship forged between the Nurse and the Agency isn’t ‘casual’ at all. This relationship is built on trust and respect, both expressed and implied.

As a Nursing Agency, the elements of trust revolve around a number of essential aspects:

Financial

• Your chosen agency should provide you with the most competitive rate of pay it can secure. The probability of you gaining work should not be hindered by excessive agency fees.
• The cost of processing a nursing payroll should be covered by the agency. This means no or minimal bank fees flowing on to you as nursing staff.
• The frequency of the payment should be customized to meet your financial lifestyle. Decide what pay schedule is more convenient – do you wish to be paid weekly or fortnightly?
• Your agency should inform you of your current rate of pay and other entitlements. You should have quick access to accurate information on this subject. There should also be effective procedures in place to assist you to deal with incorrect payments (or any queries you may have) in a timely manner.

First Choice Care is upfront with all details of your pay, securing you the most competitive rates. All payroll costs are taken care of by First Choice Care, and you get to choose your preferred pay schedule.

Superannuation

• Your entitlement is based upon an Australian Taxation Office calculation that states: ‘if the nurse earns a gross of over $450 per month then the Agency shall contribute 9% of the nurses gross wage into the nurse’s nominated fund.’
• While it is true that the process time it takes some funds to allocate contributions into member’s accounts is lengthy, remember that all super funds begin accruing interest from the time the payment is received from the agency.
• Responsible agencies pay super on a quarter by quarter basis, as scheduled by the ATO. There should be no catch here – Superannuation should be paid on time, every time.
• Superannuation information should be validated by your pay slip and the statement generated by the nominated Superannuation fund.
• Superannuation is not only a legal obligation; it is a matter of trust.

At First Choice Care we take our obligations to our nurses seriously. You can be sure you will receive your pay when allocated and your Superannuation will be administered on time on your behalf.

Working Conditions

• There is good proof that correct clinical placement is the proven method for achieving good working conditions. You should be placed in a working environment that matches your skills, strengths and personal goals. Your Nursing Agency should take the time to listen to your aspirations and take into consideration any concerns or anxieties you may have in a workplace setting.

Communication is something we value highly at First Choice Care. Our success depends upon listening to you, discovering your needs and doing our absolute best to ensure you are given the right clinical placement.

Provision for Ongoing Nursing Education

• Resources should be made available to allow the all-important accrual of Continuous Professional Education Points towards your re-registration.
• Continued up-skilling will provide you with correct clinical placement in a rapidly evolving clinical area with new technology.
• Keeping up clinically with the technology push isn’t just a nurse’s responsibility; it’s a joint responsibility with the Nursing Agency.

Ongoing education is the key to keeping up with the latest technologies and discoveries in your field. First Choice Care continues to implement online resources and training to assist you to develop new skills.

Safety

• A top priority for any corporation or agency – be it nursing or not – is making sure you are safe.
• Each year, at First Choice Care we conduct competencies to measure skilling in a number of basic areas to improve safety. These include:
  - Manual handling
  - Occupational Health and Safety
  - Basic Life-support
  - Infection Control
• Our more advanced practitioners are also tested in Advanced Life-support. Additional courses are available at First Choice Care to augment nursing staff clinical skills.
• The intended result of the training should be a confident nurse being allocated the clinical area of their chosen competency, with the full support of his or her agency.

First Choice Care offers health and safety training to build your confidence, add to your skill set, and most importantly keep yourself and those around you safe. We look upon safety training as not only a workplace skill, but a life skill that you carry with you everywhere you go.

Fitting into Your Nursing Life

• Ultimately your chosen Nursing Agency should want to be part of your working life without being intrusive. This is all part of supporting a healthy work/life balance.
• First Choice Care recently finished an application (app) which bridges across all platforms. This, on top of the current online education available, gives our nurses access to an informative and helpful intranet through a variety of platforms, eg. computer, phone, etc. Nurses can log into a personal account and make notes, collect pay slips, post availabilities, request help if needed, access resources, and browse the FAQ’s.

Basically, you get to choose how much interaction you want from First Choice Care. You can contact the agency through the various platforms or via phone to our dedicated call centre. First Choice is about Your Choice.

At First Choice Care our goal is to find you the most appropriate nursing positions, ensure your safety, educate you, protect you financially and legally, and most importantly, listen to you.

We’re thrilled to be have just been recognised with the industry leading certifications for quality assurance with  us being acredited to:

• ISO 9001:2008, Quality Assurance Standards.
• ISO 14001 , Environmental Standards.

Congratulations to the entire team for providing the professionalism and quality that is recognised by Australia’s leading accreditation certification body for getting things right!

You can find more information about the certifications here.

As one of the few Australian nursing agencies with this accreditation – we’re checking to see if we’re the only ones – we couldn’t be prouder ;o)

Congratulations and well done team!