How does it look when you are PRN?

I am trying to think of all the prn nurses I know, and none of them work 40 hours a week or more.

For most of us, the point of prn was not having to work so many hours.

Most of the prn nurses I work with either have a full-time regular job and pick up prn hours to keep their nursing skills current while earning extra money, or they are raising children and working their schedule around family needs.

I would be curious to hear other responses.

My hospital sends us a text to solicit help sometimes 7 days a week, but no less than 4 days a week. I work with the float pool and the pay is awesome! Like you, I enjoy the flexibility to live my life in a fashion that I'm available to tackle the demands in it. I did have a full time job for the last year and a half, but I returned to my PRN position 5 months before personal family issues forced me to leave the full time gig.

We submit a schedule of availability every two months. That schedule is based on the tier selection that we chose at the time of employment. I sign up for the bare minimum required to honor the contract. Then, I either wait for them to send out the usual distress call day by day, or if I'm working a unit that I like more than others, I'll write in my name on a few of the many empty slots that they have...this prevents me from being floated to units that I have no experience in (for the most part). Or, I could call and say put me down for tonight and it will be done. When I show up, we'd still be short-staffed.

Judging by the many testimonials on this board, short-staffing is an epidemic and once hired, you shouldn't have any issues whatsoever with securing shifts.

Me! My official job title is "PRN- Full Time Scheduled" and I work 36+ hours per week guaranteed. Basically it's a way of saying full time non-benefited. It's nice because I get PRN pay, and am on my husband's insurance which is much better than what my hospital offers. :)

Thank you so much for your responses! I loved PRN so much. I wonder why other businesses are so scared of working us 40 hours per week? Why can't I sign a paper or something if I don't want their dumb benefits. I do not want their health insurance and I WANT to work when I can and when I want to go to my son's basketball game, then I don't have to regret the rest of my life, missing cheering for him, watching him dunk that ball.