New School Nurse, do you work per diem somewhere else?

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Specializes in Medical-Surgical, Orthopedics, Telemetry.

Hello,

I have been subbing as a school nurse for 2years. A full time position has opened in the district that I want to work in and I interviewed for the position today. It is VERY likely I will be offered the position. I love subbing as a school nurse and am always happy when I pick up a shift even though the pay sucks. I currently work on an ortho floor and will truly miss the unit and my manager, but quite frankly, my back hurts and I am tired of bedside. I do want to give school nursing a real try. I enjoy subbing and I love the idea of getting a pension and summer/winter breaks. I am currently in a masters program (which I started this winter to put me higher in the pay bracket if I was ever hired as a school nurse) but am finding my hospital experience helpful and relevant to the classes I am currently taking. Which is why I am hesitant to quit the hospital for good. I thought when my time to accept a school nursing job came, I was going to be so excited and say good bye to the hospital for good but now I am finding myself undecided just because my experience has been so helpful for my masters. Do any of you have per diem jobs at a hospital in addition to your school nursing duties? How often do you work? Is it do-able to pick up a shift here and there with a full time school nursing job? Is keeping my hospital experience even as per-diem even worth it? Over the summer the census does drop at the hospital so I will probably be cancelled a lot during the summer.

Any help/advice/input is greatly appreciated.

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Specializes in Pediatrics Retired.

Welcome to the farm! I work pool at a local Pedi Urgent Care. I'm required to work two shifts per month. Don't sever your ties with your hospital until you see how the future prn experience works out. That's a one way route if you quit in that you'd not likely get "rehired" as prn. Good luck!

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I am currently in an online Masters program where we have discussions every week. I use my school health experience most of the time in these discussions.

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Specializes in kids.

Long term care facility

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Specializes in School Nursing, Home Health.

Once you get summers and holidays off it's hard to go back! :happy:

I work as a home health nurse during the summer and take 1-2 patients while I work in the schools. I'm home by 5 on the days I do both and they pay me per patient, so it's not too bad! I didn't want to loose all my skills as I am still a pretty new nurse.

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Specializes in school nursing, ortho, trauma.

i have worked pd doing many many things from home care to corrections to acute care to hospital administration. Right now I have a call in job not related to nursing at all. I do work summer school -that's easy money.

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Specializes in Medical-Surgical, Orthopedics, Telemetry.

I did summer school last summer on top of my regular hospital job. It was easy money. I enjoyed it.

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Specializes in School Nurse, past Med Surge.

I've got young(ish) kids in school so the biggest perk for me is that I'm off when they're off, for the most part. If I ever did want to pick up work, I think I'd do home care, where I would hopefully have some flexibility with that schedule. I don't think I'll ever go back to a hospital.

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I have a PRN position with a pedi home health agency. Been there for 5 years now, lucky enough to fill in for the same patient for the last 4. I usually do 2 shifts a month during the school year, sometimes will pick up extra hours if parents need coverage in the evenings but it is rare and will work 1-3 shifts during the week in the summer if I have time. The agency is great - they will take whatever I can give them.

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Specializes in School Nursing.

I work NICU per diem via a healthcare staffing agency. Usually 1 to 2 shifts a month. The agency pays more than I was making when I worked for the hospiutal and I am authorized to pick up at more than 1 hospital so if I get canceled at 1 I can usually be sent to another.

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What MSN program are you in if you don't mind me asking? I am a currently a full-time school nurse and starting an MSN Nurse Educator Program in Fall. I left the floor last year and have always wanted to teach, but now I am trying to see what to do as far as gaining more floor experience. School nursing helped me during my high-risk pregnancy and I just ended up loving my weekends, holidays, and summers off. But now that I am going into education, I wonder how much more floor experience I should get and if doing PER DIEM shifts will suffice. Bedside nursing and patient-nurse ratios are insane, I don't know if I want to do it full-time again or for a long time, well at least not in Med-Surg as I was in.

We seem to be on a similar boat, maybe we can feed off each other lol

TIA

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Specializes in IMC, school nursing.

I am unique in that I work FT and my school nursing is my side job. I am here 3-5 days a week and split the time with my wife. I work sub acute rehab night shifts, three 12 hour shifts. My summers are my slow times.

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