ER Training via PRN route?

[Birdsofprey, BSN]

Hi All,

I am currently a travel nurse (Tele, M/S) and loving it. I want to transition into ER nursing but I do not want to become a staff nurse for a full year. I know this might be a long shot but has anyone ever had any luck changing nursing specialties by going PRN in that specialty for a year? A colleague suggested I could keep travelling and try to get in with an ER that hired PRN nurses who may not have an ER background, and doing that for a year. This doesn't sound very common but I figured I would ask. I seem to come across a lot of ER PRN positions that of course want nurses with an ER background.

[NedRN]

Your work history on this route will not look compelling for the year if you can find such a hospital. 2-4 M/S assignments and PRN ER? No matter how you buff it, you will have far less than a year of experience (2,000 hours) in the ER. And your transition to ER could be rough, a very different and fast changing by the minute environment. Have you shadowed for a day to get a good idea yet?

Generally, PRN jobs are not very compatible with travel. Mandatory shift requirements are usually per month. Some can have annual shift requirements or you can negotiate a change to something similar and that would then be OK to combine with travel. That is great if you are trying to maintain a tax home, come home occasionally and work a few shifts. This makes surviving a tax audit a slam dunk generally.

One hurdle is reasonable, but you have around 4:

1. Find a hospital that will allow PRN ER with no experience.
2. Shift requirements compatible with travel.
3. Transition your work history to work ER assignments after one year of PRN.
4. Change your work flow and organization to another specialty without sufficient training.

Also, it would be reasonable for the hospital to require 3 months full time before you start PRN shifts. I applied to a local hospital once for PRN (annual requirements) and went through the hiring process. At that point I had over 20 years experience in the OR but I had to do 3 months of full time first! I was willing but they went with another candidate anyway.

Good luck! Possible but you will need a lot of luck.

[Birdsofprey, BSN]

3 hours ago, NedRN said:

Your work history on this route will not look compelling for the year if you can find such a hospital. 2-4 M/S assignments and PRN ER? No matter how you buff it, you will have far less than a year of experience (2,000 hours) in the ER. And your transition to ER could be rough, a very different and fast changing by the minute environment. Have you shadowed for a day to get a good idea yet?

Generally, PRN jobs are not very compatible with travel. Mandatory shift requirements are usually per month. Some can have annual shift requirements or you can negotiate a change to something similar and that would then be OK to combine with travel. That is great if you are trying to maintain a tax home, come home occasionally and work a few shifts. This makes surviving a tax audit a slam dunk generally.

One hurdle is reasonable, but you have around 4:

1. Find a hospital that will allow PRN ER with no experience.
2. Shift requirements compatible with travel.
3. Transition your work history to work ER assignments after one year of PRN.
4. Change your work flow and organization to another specialty without sufficient training.

Also, it would be reasonable for the hospital to require 3 months full time before you start PRN shifts. I applied to a local hospital once for PRN (annual requirements) and went through the hiring process. At that point I had over 20 years experience in the OR but I had to do 3 months of full time first! I was willing but they went with another candidate anyway.

Good luck! Possible but you will need a lot of luck.

Hi NedRN,

Yeah.... I think my co-worker was nice to suggest trying for per diem, but as you mentioned that option sounds a little too good to be true and would not allow the time or flexibility to thoroughly gain a full year of ER experience- which is obviously what I want- an value- if I going to continue as a travel nurse in a new specialization. So my best bet is that I will have to give in to being a staff nurse again at some point. I will probably have to suck it up and move somewhere high paying to do that (like northern California.....) haha.

Thanks!

[NedRN]

Yup, I concur with that. Good plan. 

Unless you need a specific location in NorCal, the trick to maximize pay versus housing costs is not to live in San Francisco and the peninsula. Pay is close to SF nearby and housing costs much lower. Even Sacramento is better.