[MommyJoy]

I have heard that home health is the place to be for flexible scheduling. I really need advice on what type of nursing is flexible, and I don't mean flex scheduling at a hospital. Home health nurses please give me the scoop!

[TazziRN]

Working per diem in a hospital is pretty flexible: you tell them what days you're available. You have to give them the minimum required days per month, but you can work as little or as much as you want. No benefits, though. Per d's earn more per hour but you don't get benefits.

[MeghanRN]

Home Health is pretty flexible- I give the days I want to work, and the hours I want to work. I am a full time benefited nurse, so I need to pull at least 40 hours a week, which is fine by me. 4 10 hours, or 5 8 hours, or sometimes a 12 hour thrown in there. I normally end up with OT which i like

[TriageRN_34]

Around here and the high demand for home health, many of my collegues would disagree on the flexibility issue. Demand comes demand...and that will overthrow flexibility quickly.

I do agency for a local hospital exclusively...I can do PRN with them if they wish (but they have to buy my contract) which is another way to go flexible...but since I make more money with agency I stick with them!

I choose the days I will work, I choose the facility, I choose the type of nursing, I choose the shifts and subsequently my wages (if I am short one week I can pull a weekend swing and get more money from my differential than weekdays day shift to make up).

There are risks however...cancled shifts or not needing you and pulling you off 4 hours in (I am guarenteed 4 hours)...or being floated all over the place during your shift. But I find the flexibilty and money outweigh those in my situation . Also, learning on the fly is stressful at first...but you get use to it.

After 4 months of doing this, I chose to work at one hospital exclusively (lucky for me I can do this), and I have a name for myself there. They know me and I am 'one of the team'...in fact, many still don't know I am agency! I am top agency nurse there now...an only after 4 months! If there is an opening...I am called first !

I love this option and have been so much happier as a nurse!!!!!

[Spidey's mom]

I say this every time someone asks it on allnurses but a free standing surgery center is a good idea. You can work part-time, no weekends, no holidays and the pay is usually better than hospitals.

steph

[NurseyTonyaLPN]

I just switched from an agency that did mostly home health to one that does mostly staff relief. Both have been very flexible to me, especially the staff relief. They basically have any days/shifts I ask for. They may call and ask if I'm available to work shifts I don't want to, I just tell them I'm not interested. The money is very good and I like the variety. With me flexibility is a must because I'm pregnant and if I've been working too much, I can tell them, don't schedule me for a couple of days, I need to rest, and I don't schedule more than a few days in advance (a week at most) so that if I'm taken out of work I won't have a ton of cancelled shifts (for the sake of the agency/facilities). With home health I did have some flexibility, but sometimes I had to take what I could get to get enough hours, that has not been the case with the staff relief agency.

[SWRN84]

I have been working in home care for 19 years. It was a position that sort of "fell into place" and I wasn't sure if I would like it or not. Luckily, I loved it and have basically stayed with it all this time. While my kids were young (babies/toddlers), I worked as a case manager in home care. It was a full time position, day hours. We rotated through on call one night per week and one weekend every 5-6 weeks. It was a great schedule while having a family, even though when you are on call there's a possibility of going out at odd hours, but it didn't happen too often. I moved on and worked as a home care supervisor for about 10 years. I'm now working back at the agency I started with in the first place years ago. I work prn....set my days and schedule. It has it's perks and drawbacks. As a case manager you really get to know the patients on a whole different level. It's a very rewarding career and it's been great for me with a family. It really all depends on the agency you work for as far as flexibility and scheduling, on call, hours worked. The best part about it is, no matter which agency I have worked for, if something came up like a sick child, a doctor appt, etc....you can work that around your schedule most of the time. It's been a great fit for me. Good luck.