Multiple jobs

Published

Why do nurses tend to have more than one job?

Specializes in NICU, ICU, PICU, Academia.

My PICU job is physically, emotionally and intellectually demanding. My home care job is ridiculously easy and mind-numbingly boring most of the time. I work nights and get a lot of planning, writing and the like during the ample downtime.

I also find the ICU environment to be a bit of a revolving door, you never get to see how any of the kids did long-term. Home care you follow the same kid through thick and thin. It's very gratifying to bond with a family and watch little ones grow up and out of the need for nursing care.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in retired LTC.
we think the grass is greener elsewhere. Rarely is.
Yeah... esp when you find out it's Astroturf!

Bummer!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Oncology, Ortho/trauma,.

My full time Job pays the bills and I love my co-workers

My PRN agency gets my foot in the door to other hospitals if the full time job ever down sizes (plus it pays really good and it is super easy)

My Part time Job is in a completely different field and pays for fun money. (clean houses and landscaping)

My other job is as a pianist for a ballet studio- this one is for me. pays me 5 dollars an hour but I love it the most.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Med/Surg & Hospice & Dialysis.

I have a foot in each door. I enjoy the differences of the positions. I work weekends at my primary job, and having no commitments during the week was making my depression worse and I wasn't getting out of bed. So, picking up prn shifts during the week makes me be productive.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Public Health.

I technically have three jobs and I am in my preceptorship in NS with THREE DAYS LEFT!

I work full time at my hospital as a foot in the door to women's health. I also have two per diem jobs, one being home care for the elderly and the other for chronically/terminally ill children. I love working with kids, peripartum moms and babies the most. I just did four days in post partum and it barely felt like I was working at all. I love it so much.

Personally, I think the variety, change in scenery, networking and money is what drives most nurses to work more than one job.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Nurse Leader specializing in Labor & Delivery.
Working 3 days a week simply leaves ample time for another job.

This, mainly

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Med-Surg, NICU.

I work two jobs. One of my jobs royally screwed me over on the upcoming schedule. THANK GOD I have a second job. Even though the second job pays less, I rather have some income than none at all.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Please people we are human. We are not perfect. So do it another area of nursing. The new digital world makes it hard to find more work. Esp. as we get older. Don't let them catch you slipping.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Because the pay is crap.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I have one that has benefits and I have one because I love it (very easy job too).

Having a second job is not only back up, but it also brings in a little extra money.

I think also prevents being burnt out being at one job all the time.

I like being able to switch between the two: being in a total different environment, gaining different experience, working with different people and seeing different patients/clients.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I work PRN/relief at both jobs, so it takes two pools of schedules to comfortably assure me of the hours I need to meet my financial obligations. One of my jobs is really feast-or-famine as far as the schedule is concerned because there is only a pool of four full-time nurses. So if none of them need or want time off, I get hardly any hours. My second job staffs around 18 full-time nurses so there are more shifts to go around, but there are also quite a few relief nurses so come schedule time we all cannibalize available shifts.

I do like the change in scenery and am hoping to also pick up a position helping to teach some classes with a friend/cohort of mine. Honestly I love working and if I didn't have so many kids at home I'd probably work 80 hours a week. As it is only I average about 20.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I work 2 PRN jobs. My one clinic job is a stress reliever for my other PRN job which is a float nurse at a local hospital. I usually get the worst assignments and the first admission so the clinic job is a breath of fresh air. If I wasn't in school I would have another PRN job somewhere.

Sent from my iPhone using allnurses.com

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Join the Discussion