How to ask to go from full time to part time/contingent...

[RN1981]

Hello. I am a new RN (passed boards in September 07) and I have been working in an inner city hospital on a telemmetry floor since October 07. Although I generally like my patients and the team of nurses I generally work with, the nurse:pt ratio (7-8 seriously acute pt.'s most of the time), lack of organization, poor leadership etc., I basically want to resign from my position.

HOWEVER, I may want to start working for a hospital that is in the same system of hospitals. So I was thinking it would be easier to ask to go contingent (just doing a few days a month) so I will be able to transfer more easily if at all possible.

How do you go about asking an employer this? Do I write a letter? And besides my interim manager (my tyrannical nursing manager was let go because...let's just say she was practicing outside the scope of her license) who do I give the letter to? Human Rescources? And what should I say to them exactly in the letter because they are already short staffed due to nurses transferring to other floors and leaving entirely. I don't mind working a weekend a month for a couple of months more.

Anybode ever done this and how did you go about asking? I mean do you just say "Dear ________, due to various circumstances in my life right now I am unable to work full-time. I would like to go to contingent status and work one weekend a month if possible."?

Thanks in advance for any advice you may have.

[TazziRN, RN]

"I have been offered an opportunity to expand my horizons but I do not want to give up this position entirely. I have learned a lot and want to continue to give my time here (basically, schmooze it up). I would like to change my position from full time to contingent status so that I can do both."

[RN1989]

Do not be surprised if this does not go over well. When people start wanting to have one foot in the door and one foot out, they generally start being complainers and refusing to come to mandatory meetings, education, and even work. Not that this is you, but a lot of people have spoiled things for the few people who do right.

As a manager, I prefer that the employees leave completely. It is too difficult to get them to come to work on their appointed weekends, they want to demand a particular weekend and a particular shift that already has staffing and then leave another shift short because "I have plans that weekend". And then they frequently call in sick on their one weekend a month. It is not worth the hassle.

There may also not be a place in the staffing for this kind of thing. Generally a unit has a budget for FTEs and then part time and PRN. If keeping you on the schedule a shift or two a month prevents the unit from being able to have a position open for a full or half time employee - then it is not in the unit's best interest to keep you on for so little time.

You should always give any letter to the manager - interim or otherwise. It shows that you respect the chain of command and can prevent you from being marked as "not eligible for rehire". You must also be careful about reasons for leaving or wanting to leave. Until you have many years of experience and references, telling an employer any reason of why you want to change or leave could backfire on you for future jobs.

IMO, if you want to leave then you should leave and quit trying to hold onto this job merely because it is familiar. If you get another job while still trying to hold onto this one, and then the new job's schedule conflicts with the schedule of the job you are hanging on to - that manager will be ready to cut your strings and mark you an not eligible for rehire. Most facilities require that you let them know that you have another job. They also require you to guarantee that the jobs will not interfere with each other. If they do - you could lose both jobs and a reference for the next job. Managers truly do not like people that can't make up their mind to stay or go. The quality of work usually suffers as well as staff morale after the person talks about how much better their other job is.

[november17, ASN, RN]

Do not be surprised if this does not go over well. When people start wanting to have one foot in the door and one foot out, they generally start being complainers and refusing to come to mandatory meetings, education, and even work. Not that this is you, but a lot of people have spoiled things for the few people who do right.

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It's funny because we recently had someone do what RN1981 just did. Anyways, I was thinking of how the nurse I was thinking of somehow gets every weekend off and sometimes just flatout won't show up for work (she even crosses herself off the weekends that she's scheduled). She has also had her name on the "TB test" list for the past 5 months but for whatever reason gets away with not getting it done. I cracked a smile when I read your post. Also, she does indeed talk about how wonderful it is at the other job (some Dr's office).