Interview for a full time job but want per diem

[stram87]

So I'm a new grad who works full time in an ICU at a major hospital that is well known in my area. I've been there like 7 months. I don't think I would want to stay in critical care for a long time and I find myself hating my job half the time and enjoying it the other half. But its a job that many new grads would kill for. During one of the times when I really hated my job I applied for some jobs at a inpatient psych hospital. It is a private hospital not a state run place. I applied for full time and per diem jobs there. I got an email asking me to set up an interview for a full time job there. My fear is that working in psych would be worse than my current job. I do have an interest in psych and want to become a mental health nurse practitioner but I'm less interest in psych nursing at this level. A couple questions. Is psych nursing less stressful than critical care or is it just a different kind of stress? Also should I set up and interview and tell them during the interview I'd really prefer a per diem job? Should I just not bother? It seems to me per diem would be better for them too because they wouldn't have to pay benefits.

[fancyhen]

Speaking as a psych nurse "at that level", you will gain a lot of valuable experience. Why do you want to be a mental health nurse practitioner if you aren't interested in working with the mentally ill? Best way to learn is in the trenches, especially psych. You may learn the basics out of books but every patient is different and rarely function 'by the book'.

Different kind of stress and my personal feeling is that psych/mental health nurses don't always receive the respect they deserve from other "real" nurses. I've worked lots of different types of nursing in my career but love psych the most. You'll use every critical thinking, priority setting, interpersonal and communication skill you have....and will develop more than you thought you ever could.

But....you lose a lot of the hands-on nursing skills that you currently use. Since you may not actually like psych once you get into it, might be better to ask for per diem and keep current job for the time being. Most facilities are happy to have per diem staff on board,

Good luck but make sure to respect those who work "at that level". Psych nursing is not glamorous but it's a fascinating and challenging type of nursing.

[stram87]

I didn't mean any disrespect with "at that level." I was going to say "I'm not sure If I would be interested in psych nursing" But that makes even less sense since MHNP is psych nursing. As a MHNP I want to conduct counselling and therapy. I am interested in working with the mentally ill but I've heard a lot of bad stuff about psych nursing (I mean like working as a psych RN). I work with a mentally ill man currently as a volunteer just for fun and have always had an interest in psych. How should I bring it up to the recuiter about wanting per diem as opposed to full time?

[cb_rn]

You might find that they dont want to invest the time and money to train someone with no psych experience if you are only going to work PRN. How to bring it up to the recruiter -- clearly and early on. In fact, i'd call and clarify and not waste time going for an interview if you know you don't want to do full time and find out they aren't willing to accept a part time applicant. On the other hand, you may call and ask and find that they are also looking for part time people. Best bet, call and clarify.

And psych can be full of adrenaline rushes and other times its eerily quiet. It really depends on the patients that the facility takes and whether its more of an institutionalized type situation (for lack of a better term) or if they are acutely ill. I worked at a state hospital that had both long term patients that were mostly stable and maintained on meds but were unable to be maintained successfully in the community for whatever reason and acute admissions in the midst of psychotic breaks or at the top of a bipolar manic phase. I absolutely loved it for years as an orderly and a nursing student but did not stay on as a nurse because, in that facility's standards, the nurses unfortunately were more focused on med pass and written care plans than the patient interaction I was used to having as an orderly.