Just Got Hired But Want to Go Per Diem in Order to Travel RN

[EatCake2Day]

Question - Is it too early for me to go per diem after being hired full time? If not, any advice on how to bring this up to the manager? 

Background/explanation - I am an ICU nurse with 1 yr experience. I just got hired full time at my current job, I am off orientation next week. The thing is, this new job is in LA, and I'm having some travel RN fomo. I did a couple CA travel contracts in 2020 as tele, but had to quit and move back home in order to get ICU experience (SoCal wasn't training new ICU RNs at the time). 

So now I'm having major second thoughts about staying full time in this position. The travelers on my floor say 1 yr experience is enough. I was thinking about doing full time for the rest of October before thinking about transitioning to per diem at my current job in order to pick up some ICU travel contracts in SoCal. I didn't do that initially because I want to apply to grad school once I get my 2yr ICU experience in + I wanted to get some rapport with staff because in my 2.5 years as a nurse, I have yet to work somewhere for over a year (1 yr tele + 2 travel contracts +1 year at my last facility) 

[Guest219794]

I would go with:

Thank you for training me.  You did such a good job, I should be able to use this experience to get the job I actually want.  In the mean time, it would be super convenient for me to work at my convenience.  

[Olivelove20]

I suspect that your new manager will not take kindly to you being hired FT, still on orientation and wanting to drop to PRN simply because you want to travel around. 

With a year under your belt, agency was always an option. Maybe not ICU but there will still options so accepting a FT stationary position was not something you had to do. You chose to. 

If you really want to work agency then the only conversation you need to have with your current manager is an honest one, that you realize taking the FT ICU position was a mistake, resign and not waste anyone else's time/resources on you for a job you don't want. Requesting to go PRN sounds like you are trying to offer some sort of olive branch to ease out of the commitment you made.

I get it. Sometimes we agree to things and move forward knowing it's not a good fit. But, it sounds like even PRN you would not work where you are or at least not on a consistent basis so it's best for you and the employer if you cut ties.

I would keep in mind though if the facility you work at uses agency, you may not be welcomed back there in the future as an employee of an agency because of this. The agency will also most likely contact where you are working now and I don't think the reference would be a positive one. But that's the chance you need to decide you are willing to take.

 

[klone, MSN, RN]

As a manager, I would be pretty livid if a new employee who I hired for a full-time role and just got off orientation told me that she wanted to go per diem. And I would probably say "Well, sorry. I don't have any per diem positions available to you." 

Also, depending on what your facility's per diem policy is, you may not be able to work per diem and do a 13-week travel contract. A lot of places require a certain number of shifts or hours per month.

And you're dangerously deluded to what you don't know if you think it's safe for an ICU nurse with only a year under her belt to work as a traveler.

[FNPtobe2020, MSN]

1 hour ago, klone said:

As a manager, I would be pretty livid if a new employee who I hired for a full-time role and just got off orientation told me that she wanted to go per diem. And I would probably say "Well, sorry. I don't have any per diem positions available to you." 

Also, depending on what your facility's per diem policy is, you may not be able to work per diem and do a 13-week travel contract. A lot of places require a certain number of shifts or hours per month.

And you're dangerously deluded to what you don't know if you think it's safe for an ICU nurse with only a year under her belt to work as a traveler.

THIS!!

[RNperdiem, RN]

Per diem often comes with more requirements than a lot of nurses realize. Different places have different levels of enforcement, but usually it comes down to working at least one shift a pay period. We have to attend all mandatory meetings, complete all the yearly regulatory learning modules, and the manager needs to have a place in the unit budget for a per diem staff member. Holiday requirements are monitored too. 

I guess I could see a nurse making a drastic move like you are contemplating for a once-in-a-career dream job opportunity, but FOMO seems more risk than reward.

[Guest 1152923]

4 hours ago, klone said:

And you're dangerously deluded to what you don't know if you think it's safe for an ICU nurse with only a year under her belt to work as a traveler.

^^^This^^^  One year of ICU experience and you want to travel?  Really??  Former traveler here-not a good idea.  This is said not to impugn your competency as a nurse, but being as green as you are, you just don't know what you don't know, seriously!  This is one of the biggest problems I see in hospitals today.  Personally, I would have a major problem with my loved one being cared for by a travel nurse with barely one years' experience and you would or should too (hopefully)!

[Jedrnurse, BSN, RN]

You may also burn this particular employer bridge. Never a good idea unless it's absolutely necessary.

[JBMmom, MSN, NP]

No offense to your personally, PLEASE don't travel with one year of ICU experience. My hospital brilliantly accepts anyone who signs with a travel agency. We have many first time travelers and we have had many with one year of ICU experience, a few with one year of experience total. This is often a nightmare. As a traveler, you get two shifts of orientation in our unit and that's supposed to get you familiar enough with the unit to navigate. We are obviously always here to ask questions. However, given the current staffing crisis that is ongoing across the country, staff nurses CANNOT be expected to provide ongoing education and basic ICU level support to travelers. As the charge nurse, I'm tired of asking, for example, whether someone would like to titrate their pressors up with a MAP in the 40s, or conversely, can we start titrating down with MAPs in the 90s? Would they like to treat the rapid afib with a rate in the 160s that I've been watching go on for over an hour without intervention? Would they like help turning their proned patient because I haven't seen them turned in the last six hours? (all things that have happened in the past three weeks) I've had nurses that cannot handle an admission or a code and it's not just because of the computer system we work in. Unless you are 100% confident that you can step into ANY critical situation and act independently, you are taking on more than is reasonable and you're going to eventually find staff nurses that are not as welcoming as they would be because they're tired of barely competent coworkers that get paid a boat load more. (and please don't say then they can go and travel if they want more money, everyone has reasons for why they have their jobs)

[amoLucia]

2 easy questions - what does FOMO mean? RNperdiem used it but I don't know all the shorties.

And what is MAP??? JBMom used it. I've seen it elsewhere and I should look it up, but too worn out today (doc appt).

 

[klone, MSN, RN]

Fear Of Missing Out (we actually nicknamed our Great Dane "Fomo" because when he's outside he immediately wants to come in, and when he's inside he wants to go out)

Mean Arterial Pressure

[JBMmom, MSN, NP]

On 9/30/2021 at 7:19 PM, klone said:

we actually nicknamed our Great Dane "Fomo" because when he's outside he immediately wants to come in, and when he's inside he wants to go out

That's hilarious!

 

On 9/30/2021 at 7:05 PM, amoLucia said:

And what is MAP???

amoLucia- just to expand (because I'm a nerd), for the Mean Arterial Pressure, you take 2 times the diastolic pressure and add the systolic pressure and divide the whole sum by 3. A MAP of greater than 65 mm Hg is the target for critical organ perfusion. That's why sometimes we don't really get too excited about systolic pressures in the 90s, or even in the high 80s, because it's more influenced by the diastolic. When you're titrating pressors it's generally to the MAP, unless a doc specifically states to titrate to systolic pressures.