Any School Nurses out there who travel abroad every yr during the summer?

bella201 · Sep 14, 2013

Can anyone tell me if in a hospital setting , can one work 2 weeks, 3 weeks, or 4weeks on etc and then have 2, 3 or 4 weeks off? Is there such an arrangement?

Also what is the difference between PRN, Per Diem, and Agency? I know each requires a certain time of work commitment and then one can take time off but after that i'm a little confused? Do each allow one to choose when they work or does that depend on whether they are prn, per diem, or agency?

KelRN215, BSN, RN · Sep 14, 2013

Hi ChristineN, I'm not sure if I'm reading you right but is vacation time the same as PTO? Or are they different? So is PTO only used when one wants more time off aside from whats been already allotted to them in vacation time?
Like the example above, RN gets 2 weeks off in vacation time but lets say they want more time off so then the RN uses their PTO for more time off? Am I understanding right?

Not exactly. PTO is paid time off. It's a system whereby all paid time off (sick days, vacation time, holidays) is rolled into the same system. If you never call out sick, you end up with a TON of vacation time.

KelRN215, BSN, RN · Sep 14, 2013

Can anyone tell me if in a hospital setting , can one work 2 weeks, 3 weeks, or 4weeks on etc and then have 2, 3 or 4 weeks off? Is there such an arrangement?
Also what is the difference between PRN, Per Diem, and Agency? I know each requires a certain time of work commitment and then one can take time off but after that i'm a little confused? Do each allow one to choose when they work or does that depend on whether they are prn, per diem, or agency?

No, that type of arrangement doesn't exist in the hospital. At least not that I've seen.

PRN and Per Diem are the same thing. Agency means you work for an agency that sends you to various places to fill in the holes in their schedule. Nurses who work in these types of positions generally choose when they are available to work but they also have no guarantee of hours, no benefits and no pay if they are canceled.

ChristineN, BSN, RN · Sep 14, 2013

Not exactly. PTO is paid time off. It's a system whereby all paid time off (sick days, vacation time, holidays) is rolled into the same system. If you never call out sick, you end up with a TON of vacation time.

Actually at my hospital holiday time is a separate bank. I have taken several days off paid this year but haven't used any PTO cause I only used holiday time

KelRN215, BSN, RN · Sep 14, 2013

Actually at my hospital holiday time is a separate bank. I have taken several days off paid this year but haven't used any PTO cause I only used holiday time

That's nice. How many holiday days do you get? How much PTO? I get about 6 weeks of PTO annually but have to use some of it to cover holidays when my office is closed. I still end up with about 5 weeks of PTO to use at my discretion and I never call out sick.

bella201 · Sep 14, 2013

KelRN215, do you normally travel every year and do you normally do multiple international trips a year like the one time you did five international trips a year? How do you do it? U didn't use all your PTO for those five trips. Or the one where you went to Italy for 10 days using only 24 hrs of PTO. So I guess I still don't understand the PTO vacation time thing. Help please! :banghead:

KelRN215, BSN, RN · Sep 14, 2013

KelRN215, do you normally travel every year and do you normally do multiple international trips a year like the one time you did five international trips a year? How do you do it? U didn't use all your PTO for those five trips. Or the one where you went to Italy for 10 days using only 24 hrs of PTO. So I guess I still don't understand the PTO vacation time thing. Help please!

Normally yes. I changed jobs last year and it just didn't work out. I also bought a house 2 years ago and that's another hindrance to travel. I am going to Peru on Monday and will hopefully be traveling again in January and April-ish as well.

For that year I was speaking of- I went to Africa in the winter and used 2 weeks of PTO. I was off work for nearly 3 weeks. I believe I did something like work Mon, Wed, Thurs the week that I left and then not come back to work until Wednesday night when I got back. I went to Costa Rica for 5 days Thurs-Mon and used no PTO. I went to Panama for 6 days on a similar trip, I think probably Thurs-Wed or Wed-Tues and used no PTO. When I went to Italy, I think I worked a 12 hr shift on a Sunday and then took a 10pm flight. So I only had to use 24 hrs that week because I'd already worked 12. Then I came home on probably a Wednesday and worked Thurs, Fri, Sat night which was my full 36 hours for that week.

What don't you understand? PTO doesn't exist when you're a school nurse though.

Morganalefey · Sep 14, 2013

haha! I wish!! Nope. I work 2 days a week at my PRN hospital job, and spend the rest of the summer with my littles. They go to school in the same district I work in, so we have the same days off :)

ChristineN, BSN, RN · Sep 14, 2013

That's nice. How many holiday days do you get? How much PTO? I get about 6 weeks of PTO annually but have to use some of it to cover holidays when my office is closed. I still end up with about 5 weeks of PTO to use at my discretion and I never call out sick.

I get 8 holidays, and 21 days PTO. However since I only work 3 days a week, that could be several weeks worth of PTO. Whatever I don't use in PTO roles over year to year, but my holiday time is use it or lose it by the end of the year. My PTO bank is my sick and vacation bank, but I don't call out sick often, and haven't been sick yet this year

bella201 · Sep 14, 2013

ChristineN, how does working only 3 days a week add up to several weeks worth of PTO? So does that mean that working less shifts adds up to more PTO? I thought it was the other way around. If you work more shifts you get more PTO. Or does it have to do with the fact that your unused PTO gets rolled over year to year? I know that not all places allow PTO rollover so one either uses it or loses it. Is there a limit to the amount of PTO one gets? There must be. I know it's dependent upon sonority, experience, and amount of time worked there. Even then there is a limit to PTO.

Does this apply to other medical providers? Like Doctors, CRNA's?

ChristineN, BSN, RN · Sep 14, 2013

ChristineN, how does working only 3 days a week add up to several weeks worth of PTO? So does that mean that working less shifts adds up to more PTO? I thought it was the other way around. If you work more shifts you get more PTO. Or does it have to do with the fact that your unused PTO gets rolled over year to year? I know that not all places allow PTO rollover so one either uses it or loses it. Is there a limit to the amount of PTO one gets? There must be. I know it's dependent upon sonority, experience, and amount of time worked there. Even then there is a limit to PTO.
Does this apply to other medical providers? Like Doctors, CRNA's?

Because I don't need to use 5 days PTO to go on vacation. When each PTO day is 12 hrs and I work 3 12hr shifts a week, I only need to use 3 PTO days for a 1 week vacation. Most entry level RN's at hospitals I have worked at start out at 14 days PTO. Typically there is a cap, usually 250hrs or so, but the cap goes up with seniority.

I have no idea how other medical providers do vacation time

bella201 · Sep 14, 2013

KelRN215, I think I finally understand. So when you do your trips you take them on the days you are off during the week so that you don't have to use any PTO; and schedule your work week in such a way where you work a certain 3 days one week, say Mon, Tues, Wed, and the next week you work say Fri, Sat, Sun leaving you a good weeks worth of time off for travel; and you come back mid day on Thursday before you start your work week of Fri, Sat Sun. This allows you to travel without sacrificing your PTO and your work shifts you still get them in every week. But if you wanted more time off before you came back to work then you can use your PTO for that.

Am I finally getting it right?

BTW since you travel a lot multiple times in a year usually every year, have you considered travel nursing? Have you done travel nursing? If so, do you like travel nursing? Why or why not?

And were your case management/ home health jobs 5 days a week? Or 3 days a week? 12 hr shifts or 9-5 type of thing?