Not all nurses are contracted to a specific hospital or health service. In fact, all over the world there are nursing agencies that hire themselves out to healthcare providers on an as and when basis. Sometimes for instance, hospitals have especially busy times where they cannot cover all of the work with their own staff, and they need external help. If you’re wanting to pursue a career in healthcare, but have an entrepreneurial streak, then setting up your very own agency could be just what you’re looking for. Here are some of the major steps you need to take in order to reach your goal:
The first thing to do is of course become qualified. This is probably the longest step of them all, as you learn all you need to know to become a registered nurse. You could self-study using online resources such as Free 6 full practice exams for NCLEX prepared by Career Employer test prep experts or by taking intensive courses midway through your final semester in nursing schools.
Step 1
Next up is doing plenty of research. The main thing you need to understand to begin with is what the rules and regulations are regarding nursing agencies in your location. This can vary drastically from country to country, so spend some time making sure you know what you’re doing.
Step 2
Just as with any other start up, you’ll need to get yourself a business plan together. This will detail everything you can possibly think of, and should give a really good account of why you think the business will be successful. Most plans follow similar templates, and there’s a good set of guides to help you here.
Step 3
The plan is important because it is critical in this next step – sourcing your funding. This could come from anywhere from a major bank, to your own savings, to a group of private investors. Fortunately, agencies like yours don’t generally tend to require large quantities of starting capital. This funding can be spent on various areas and equipment, like PACS for radiology.
Step 4
It’s now time to implement your plan, which means getting the ball rolling with all of the necessary registrations that you found out about in step 1. You’ll also need to purchase things like insurance, and start advertising RN vacancies to find the right staff to work for you.
Step 5
Finally, in order to be successful, you’ll need to market your business and agency staff to all of the local healthcare providers in order to start getting offers of work. Building relationships is really very important, and will help you achieve reliable work with which to sustain and ultimately grow your business.
