the difference between perdiem and casual employee?

RNperdiem, RN · Sep 18, 2009

You will certainly want to clarify exactly what the job includes before you accept.

The terms per diem and casual are often interchangeable.

These jobs usually do not give you guaranteed hours. You will be the first one called off if census is low. If you are secondary income, fine, but if you are the breadwinner, this can be a problem.

Where I work, the hourly pay rate is the set, and there are no health insurance, retirement or paid time off benefits.

I work per diem in one unit. I do make my own schedule and have freedom to take time off.

CathyLew · Sep 18, 2009

in our hospital per diem and casual are the same. the same thing that the poster above posted goes at my hospital. One good thing is, if you are looking for full time...you can take per diem at one facility, and if you get offered full at another, you can keep on per diem a few days at the original facility. at our hospital, if a full time job comes up, the per diems have preference (if good nurses) over outside applicants.

Keshet · Sep 19, 2009

You do have to be careful to define exactly what they mean. One hospital where I applied had both PRN and Per Diem positions. As it turned out, the PRN positions required a minimum of 6 shifts per month and paid a great differential although they didn't guarantee that they would GIVE you six shifts, they implied that you would get them. The Per Diem position, on the other hand, required only 2 shifts a month, but without the differential, and no guaranteed shifts. They did not explain that in that application process, only when you interviewed did they clue you in!

So do ask for a definition!

coffee4metech · Sep 19, 2009

I found out it is 9 shifts a month, I will only work about one shift where I currently work to make myself available and have a greater chance of signing on full time if a position becomes available at the hospital.