I have been PRN for about 10 years. That is, I just work 40 hours per week. First in ICU then Hospice. My question to you is: Do you have an incredible amount of ungratefulness, backstabbing executed with precision, jealousy, and cruelty?
Instead of viewing us as an extra set of helping hands they just see me as getting to work 40 hours without as much stress as they have. Why can't they be thankful for all we do? They are so incredibly jealous. Constantly trying to increase your workload, being unhappy and impossible to please just plain old jealous and do you feel like they constantly want to even the playing field?
What does it take to get them to realize that I get no benefits, no paid time off, no job security, nothing.
How on earth can I cope? I am ready to throw in the towel.
I do wish it were that way for me. Unfortunately they work me a lot of hours and I rarely ever take a weekend off. I have worked 22 days in a row. I feel like I go way way way above and beyond for them.
That could be the problem - overwork makes anyone a little tense, and more sensitive to "the small stuff" that might otherwise roll off your back unnoticed.
Hint: PRN does not = go into work each and every time there is a shortage. Are full-time staff given any opportunity to pick up OT if there is a need? If not, that might be a large source of resentment.
As a permanent staff member, I've never felt resentment or bitterness towards PRNs...except the occasional moment of frustration on my part when I wanted to just be able to call out for a day or ten and not have worry about PTO or scheduling or having to explain anything. But that frustration was never directed at the PRNs, because it wasn't their fault I chose to take the permanent position.
As a PRN, I've never experienced any resentment or bitterness from permanent staff. If anything, most permanent staff are overjoyed that I'm there because a. they're not going to be short-staffed, or b. they can take a day off because they know I can cover for them. Plus they see me working just as hard, if not harder, as they are...because I feel I have to prove myself through my performance so they'll keep calling me back to work in the future.
While I'm not a nurse (CNA, tyvm) I work PRN; and, I've never really experienced what you've described. What animosity I've experienced has been more due to my relative inexperience than anything.
Likewise on the post where you mentioned working 22 days straight - NOT a good idea! First, it may or may not even be legal for them to do that (varies by state); second, your effectiveness as a nurse IS going to be compromised, putting both yourself and your patients at risk. Far better to limit yourself to, say 5 12-hour days with 2 days off, or some suchlike.
Short version - give yourself a break. Believe me, you'll be doing yourself a world of good - I know this, because I used to do exactly what you're describing. Not in nursing, but beating yourself into a pulp professionally won't do you (or anyone else) any good. BTDTGTTS.
Specializes in Critical Care; Cardiac; Professional Development.
Weird. I have never treated PRNs badly but have had some who are pretty curt/frosty. Of course, they do get the icky assignments - split down two halls, a couple of high maintenance patients and are the first sent home if census drops. I go out of my way to try to melt their frostiness and try to help where I can and make them part of the team. Their presence is a relief. It never occurred to me, though, to be any more thankful for their choice to work as I am for anyone else's that I work with. We all choose to work and in the means that functions best for our personal lives.
Working 22 days straight shows a lack of ability to draw appropriate boundaries. Take some time off. You both need and deserve it.
Specializes in psych, addictions, hospice, education.
I believe PRN status means you work when the time you are available fits the time you're needed...not that you have to work whenever the employer wants you to work, and not that you have to be on call 24/7. Check into the Policy about this where you work!
When I was working as a per diem float at the hospital, I was treated like dirt by 90% of the staff. I always got the absolute worst, most unsafe assignments. Or else, I'd start with 4 patients, and they'd try to give me 3 admissions in a row. Luckily, I learned to speak up for myself. I always felt that since the staff knew that I was a float, and that I was not there every day, they could treat me poorly. It's a lot harder to pull that with someone you will have to face regularly!
Don't get me wrong, everyone in that facility was treated badly, IMO. The regular staff was severely overworked, and were just trying to dump it on me. Unfortunately, instead of dividing up the work, they would see me walking down the hall and assume they'd all be having a better day while I suffered. I had also occasionally heard the comments about how per diem nurses make "a lot more money per hour" than staff nurses. So, maybe they felt I should be *really* earning it?? LOL
I can laugh about it now, because I'm out of there. But at the time, it was bad. After my last shift there, I called my husband from the car, crying hysterically. I was like, "I can't go back. I can't do it anymore." Thankfully, I didn't have to.
I have experienced "ungratefulness" from the home floor staff. Several times, when I was floated, or when I worked "house pool", I ended up with the heaviest patient load from the regular, home staff. I have spoken up, but was ignored. Finally, I told the house supervisor not to call me for certain floors because of it. That finally got TPTB attention.
Specializes in psych, forensics, corrections, SANE..
I have worked prn off and on, mostly on, throughout my 25 years of being a nurse. I have seen prn nurses dumped on and given all the hard patients that no one else wants. And I have seen regular nurses be rude and cliquey to the prn nurses. But a big part of why I do prn is to stay out of all of that, stay out of the politics, etc. I work when I want and when I do work I work harder and run circles around the regular staff, it seems they appreciate "the stranger" coming into their turf better and ask for me again.
I am not a manager, I am only a staff nurse. That is my choice! I have no interest in being a manager. Anywhere. Anytime. With my 32 yrs of bedside experience- yes, I could be one.
The bottom line is-
NO ONE(and that means all you nurse managers and administators out there in cyber space) should be treating any nurse badly, poorly or any other way it is labeled. A nurse is PRN for various reasons- meaning( for those who are stupid to another's life situations)- family obligations( maybe there is no one to babysit younger children, no means to afford a out of pocket paid companion for an elderly relative and nursing home is not always the wisest, safest or best choice. Alot of family legal business and lawyer paper work go into throwing you elerly parent or grand parent into a nursing home for all the knowledge situation impaired,lack of transportation - I've known many nurses who have had to catch buses or use taxi's to get to work) no available full or partime positions( the facilites sit on until they hatch and peep these available positions in some cases, they only say they have posted a position to shut up the complaining staff nurses and there are no positions, the advertized positions are false advertizing to make the place look good to unemplyment/dept of labor aka deception to the state and federal government, or saving them for thier or a freind's little Suzy when she graduates; or; by choice( tired of the day to day politics in these nursing units because of managment lack of interest in what their nurses are facing or how short staffed they are). And most of the time, that grass is not greener on the PRN side of things. There are many down sides and frustrations to being PRN. Lack of stability in badly needed pay, no benefits(unless you by your own), being shut out of serving on nursing committees(which was also part of my PRN status) There is a very good reason for that frostyness- that nurse has probably been treated badly many times before. If you have a PRN with a cheerful attitude, you best do your best to keep them that way. They are there to lighten the patient load. Your manager probably got tired of all the short staffing complaining and called the PRN in- and that's a good thing. keep complaining, you want to see the PRN, that means less patients in 1 patient assignment and if you are nice and appreciative to the PRN they will want to come back to your floor/unit and not make a complaint against you to the office(who probably did't want to put out the money to bring that PRN in to begin with) The office will inturn turn a deaf ear to your complaining and throw in your face- well I brought you in a PRN and YOU didn't want them!! In other words- do not get on the PRN nurse's fece roster.
Then you have the slave master hogs( the nurse manager) who will not let a PRN nurse have another job out side of that facility., which is what I ran into. This B**** called a full time temporary position I had many times harassing me on some other employers dime about computer savyness. This same manager had a full time position available but chose to give it some one else- a new hire!!! after I had repeatedly expressed interest in the full time position. How did Ms Coach purse, brand new$20,000 car Nurse manager think a single mother was going to pay mortgage, electric, food, property taxes and a bankruptcy payment on ONE 12 hr shift every 1-2 months!! This woman was not stupid , she was just down right mean and hateful. There was no excuse for her abuse.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I love the PRN nurses that I get to work with! Without them, we would be short staffed at least three times a week. I am grateful for them and the knowledge they share with me (they are nurses who have been in the field for years). The days that my schedule overlaps with the PRN nurses is always a joy - these ladies are super intelligent and I love working with them.
As a per diem nurse I am the first to float. My home unit census has been low, so I have been floated a lot these past months.
My manager gave me a card yesterday. I opened it and the card was a thank you card signed by her and the assistant nurse managers listing all my recent floats and thanking me for all the good work. Enclosed were a couple of "hospital currency" dollars good for the Starbucks, gift shop of cafe.
This was totally unexpected and is one of the reasons why I plan to remain where I work PRN for hopefully a long time.
Altra, BSN, RN
6,255 Posts
That could be the problem - overwork makes anyone a little tense, and more sensitive to "the small stuff" that might otherwise roll off your back unnoticed.
Hint: PRN does not = go into work each and every time there is a shortage. Are full-time staff given any opportunity to pick up OT if there is a need? If not, that might be a large source of resentment.