Can a new grad work part time/per diem?

[glamgalRN]

I hope this question hasn't been asked before; I tried searching for it but couldn't find anything.

I'm in the process of looking for a job for after graduation (I graduate beginning of May.) I'm having the most difficult time finding a job!!! At first my main concern was working days, I didn't really care what unit I worked on as long as it wasn't nights. Then I figured if I had to work nights I would want to make sure it was on a unit that I really liked. Now I'm so desperate that I'll work nights, on a unit I don't like, in an unsafe area, I really don't care anymore. I don't care about the pay or the location, my only thing is I don't want to have to drive more than an hour from home (and I live in a mojor city where there are literally at least 15 hospitals within an hour drive.) So I'm thinking about just applying for part time and per diem jobs. This way at least I have my foot in the door for when a full time position opens. But do you know if hospitals hire new grads for per diem positions? My thoughts are probably not, because training is a lot more extensive w/new grads but I'm not sure.

Thank you and I'm looking forward for your responses.

[RNperdiem, RN]

Keep trying for a full-time job. Most employers do not hire new grads for per diem work. At least a year of full-time employment is the usual requirement for per diem.

Part-time jobs are not that plentiful. The jobs site on many hospitals I have seen only have a small handful of part time jobs advertised, and internal applicants often take those.

If you want to thrive and survive in nursing, you need to get your career off to a good start. Call a few nurse recruiters and ask about new grad opportunities. If you are that flexible, something will turn up.

[nurseinlimbo]

Where I live everyone almost always starts as per diem or 'casual'. There are only small part time positions to be had, usually temporary at first and then once you have some seniority you can move into a bigger rotation. There are very few FT jobs. I have worked 'casual' for most of my nursing career, have had one 6 month temporary rotation in a city hospital, a 0.2 FTE nights on one weekend every two weeks, and a 0.6 FTE that was mostly nights, all in LTC. I choose to work casual now because in the current nursing shortage it is the only way I have control over when and how much I work. Nurses in rotations are being forced to work OT, doubles etc. and that just doesn't work for me.