New grad - full time + per diem?

WheatGerm · Jul 2, 2016

I just graduated and am not working yet, but to me it sounds like a lot. You're already answering your question in a way by saying that you'll miss your babies. Will it really be worth it to you to be a bit more financially secure but not with your children as much as you'd want to be?

Also, how does your husband feel about you being away for an additional 48 hours a month? Not that you should base your decision solely on him, but maybe it would be really stressful to not see you as much and be home with your 2 children for that long.

I would think that since OR nursing and floor nursing are a bit different, it may cause a lot of stress to be switching back and forth between the two as a new nurse who is still probably just gaining proficiency in the OR. Add in the fact that you probably want to do well in your BSN program I think it might be too much, but only you can decide!

emmy27 · Jul 3, 2016

Have you started your OR job yet? The new grad year is very stressful for most people- there is so much to learn, and role transition and confidence-building take time and emotional and mental effort. Adding a second job to that, plus a family and school, sounds like a recipe for burnout. You need time off to recover and let your new skills and knowledge sink in.

Also, consider that the PRN m/s job is unlikely to give you the lengthy orientation appropriate to new grads (with just a few shifts a month, it would take the better part of a year), which combined with your low work hours will make that job more stressful and even risky. It also doesn't speak well to the quality of the work environment or the management that they're considering new grads for PRN jobs, which are usually only offered to people with experience who can drop in and out of a given practice environment relatively smoothly. That they're even considering hiring a new grad for a PRN role suggests that they are desperate. There's usually a reason for hiring desperation.

The only way I would consider this is if the financial pressures you're facing are more truly more stressful than the prospect of burnout, missing your family, and your school and work performance potentially suffering. Otherwise, tighten your budget and focus on making your new grad year in the OR a success with positive performance reviews, which will be a long-term investment in your financial future.

Mscoleman78 · Jul 9, 2016

This is kind of off the subject, but what online school are you enrolled in?

SquishyRN, BSN, RN · Jul 9, 2016

Have you started your OR job yet? The new grad year is very stressful for most people- there is so much to learn, and role transition and confidence-building take time and emotional and mental effort. Adding a second job to that, plus a family and school, sounds like a recipe for burnout. You need time off to recover and let your new skills and knowledge sink in.
Also, consider that the PRN m/s job is unlikely to give you the lengthy orientation appropriate to new grads (with just a few shifts a month, it would take the better part of a year), which combined with your low work hours will make that job more stressful and even risky. It also doesn't speak well to the quality of the work environment or the management that they're considering new grads for PRN jobs, which are usually only offered to people with experience who can drop in and out of a given practice environment relatively smoothly. That they're even considering hiring a new grad for a PRN role suggests that they are desperate. There's usually a reason for hiring desperation.
The only way I would consider this is if the financial pressures you're facing are more truly more stressful than the prospect of burnout, missing your family, and your school and work performance potentially suffering. Otherwise, tighten your budget and focus on making your new grad year in the OR a success with positive performance reviews, which will be a long-term investment in your financial future.

Everything this poster just said. Agree especially so with the parts I bolded.

DoeRN · Jul 9, 2016

If you absolutely need the extra money to put food on the table and keep the electricity on then do it. But if you don't then IMO you shouldn't. The first year as a new nurse is very stressful. I did a ton of OT my first year and yes I paid off a lot of bills and bought a house I burned myself out in the process. Still burnt out to this day 9 years later. I've talked to other nurses in the same situation and many of them are burnt out from working so much and that extra mine is long gone. I'm also back in school and I try to work as little as possible just enough to pay the bills and save a small amount. Enjoy life, spend time with your kids and family. You can't get those years back.

Plus usually with PRN jobs you won't have much of an orientation before you're on your own. On top of that you will still be in OR orientation.