Is there a law on how many hours an employee must work in a specific time frame as a PRN employee?

I remember when I worked full time at a hospital, a PRN employee had told me they had to provide her with, or she had not to turn down any days, to equal, I think, a specific amount of hours in a 90-day period.

The reason I am asking is my current PRN job isn't giving me any hours. There has been a conflict between me and a previous supervisor that retired a week ago about not giving me hours, and now they've not given me any in 2 months. They keep saying there aren't any hours, but 2 of the RNs left, and they are hiring another, which would have less seniority than me, and I'd have to be offered them first.

No law that I know of, but most facilities have a minimum for which you must be available. My last per diem job had two levels -- one required 7+ shifts per 6 weeks, with 1+ weekend shifts per 6 weeks, and one primary and one minor holiday per year. The 2nd option was 3+ shifts per 6 weeks, and option 1 got a $4/hr differential.

However, if they don't have the shifts available, you don't work. They won't cancel their full-timers' hours to give them to per diem staff. The person diem employee wasn't penalized for not working either, so we communicated our availability to the scheduler.

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They keep saying there aren't any hours, but 2 of the RNs left, and they are hiring another, which would have less seniority than me, and I'd have to be offered them first.

This does sound strange, though.

This employer does not have those types of conditions. The only condition that I am aware of or have been informed of is that you can not refuse 3+ days in a 30-day period.

I know they aren't going to give me hours over a full or part-time employee.

But the problems come in when I have had issues with them in the past that they kept saying they called when they didn't or left a voicemail when they didn't. So I gave them 2 more numbers, including my dad's, who lives right next door, and they've never attempted to call those numbers either. I also had an incident last month when I received a self-term notice in the mail for refusing 3 days. I didn't. I had to contact h.r. And let them investigate. They had to give me my position back. 1 of those days, I told them to let me know for sure if they needed me, but I never heard back cause they weren't sure at the time if they did. The second my supervisor told me not to come in. Since then, I've been offered no hours. Not called even once.

I know they need someone bc one of the full times went to the supervisor's position since our supervisor retired and the other pen quit. That only leaves them with 1 full-time and me. Plus, they have 2. LPNs can do most of the job requirements, but they have schedules of their own. And they hired a new RN. I don't understand how they are hiring a new RN when they tell me there are no hours for me and I have to be offered hours before the LPNs bc of job requirements, but they are giving hours to the Lpn.

Here.I.Stand said:

This does sound strange though.

It doesn't sound strange to me as it makes more sense to hire a regular employee to fill a permanent spot if they can rather than a PRN person who can choose to work only when they want to. If the floor is going to be short enough without a full-time RN that they'd have to fill in all those hours with a PRN employee, it doesn't make sense not to hire the full-timer.

Maustin89 said:

This employer does not have those types of conditions. The only condition that I am aware of or have been informed of is that you can not refuse 3+ days in a 30-day period.

I know they aren't going to give me hours over a full or part-time employee.

But the problems come in when I have had issues with them in the past that they kept saying they called when they didn't or left a voicemail when they didn't. So I gave them 2 more numbers, including my dad's, who lives right next door, and they've never attempted to call those numbers either. I also had an incident last month when I received a self-term notice in the mail for refusing 3 days. I didn't. I had to contact h.r. And let them investigate. They had to give me my position back. 1 of those days, I told them to let me know for sure if they needed me, but I never heard back cause they weren't sure at the time if they did. The second my supervisor told me not to come in. Since then, I've been offered no hours. Not called even once.

I know they need someone bc one of the full times went to the supervisor's position since our supervisor retired and the other pen quit. That only leaves them with 1 full-time and me. Plus, they have 2. LPNs can do most of the job requirements, but they have schedules of their own. And they hired a new RN. I don't understand how they are hiring a new RN when they tell me there are no hours for me and I have to be offered hours before the LPNs bc of job requirements, but they are giving hours to the Lpn.

Maybe it's just because I'm not as close to the situation as you are, but the writing on the wall looks to me like they just are not going to have you in unless someone is holding a gun to their heads! They seem to be going to some lengths not to have you working there, so why push it? Go PRN somewhere else because this place doesn't want you, even if they aren't telling you that it looks clear to me.

How many hours were you getting before the "conflict"? You are PRN; they don't have to offer you any hours. What does your contract stipulate? I had to work two days a month or lose my position.

They didn't hire this one full-time. They hired her PRN too. And by policy would have to offer me a full-time position before hiring a new employee since I am already an employee.

I just took a full-time position somewhere else, mane the new supervisor, whom I am friends with, told me not to resign until it becomes a conflict.

My hours varied. But up until then, I was getting at least one day per month. Most of the time more. As far as I know, there aren't any required hours, but I can't refuse 3+ days in a 30-day period.

And this is a nursing home in which the shifts are only days and weekends for at least 8 hours.

Extra Pickles said:

It doesn't sound strange to me as it makes more sense to hire a regular employee to fill a permanent spot if they can rather than a PRN person who can choose to work only when they want to. If the floor is going to be short enough without a full-time RN that they'd have to fill in all those hours with a PRN employee, it doesn't make sense not to hire the full-timer.

Good point.

Maustin89 said:

My hours varied. But up until then, I was getting at least one day per month. Most of the time, more. As far as I know, there aren't any required hours but I can't refuse 3+ days in a 30-day period.

Hmm, this doesn't sound ideal. I mean, most of us can't drop everything to work if we weren't planning on it. I can see if you'd made yourself available, but if they call at random? Do they expect you to be sitting on the phone waiting for a shift? Most people work PRN either because they have a 2nd job or kids at home. The benefit to the employee is we retain control over our schedule; the benefit to them is they don't have to provide benefits. NOT that they have 24/7 on-call coverage.

Anyway, glad to hear you have an FT position lined up elsewhere.