New RN ? About 2nd RN position

[BSNtraumaqueenRN]

Hey! So I am in a new grad academy and I work 3 12 hour shifts and since I have 4 days off a week and student loans to pay back... I was wondering if it is a conflict of interest or an ethical situation if I want a second RN job? I got the feeling when talking to another nurse that it would be a conflict of interest...

My current position would be my priority and I would be wanting a PRN job to work maybe one extra shift a week while I'm off

[BSNtraumaqueenRN]

Oh and I do have a contract with a 2year commitment for my current job but it says nothing about obtaining a second job

[sissiesmama, ASN, RN]

Hi - not sure if it is different depending on where u live but my dh and I have both done it in the past. We live in Louisiana and the only way there would be a conflict here is if u worked for a staffing agency and then wanted to work for the same facility where u work as agency. You in most cases would have to wait a year before u could work there,

Hope that makes sense!

Anne, RNC

[llg, PhD, RN]

Some hospitals have rules against that sort of thing (or at least regulating some of the details). So you would have to check the specific policies of your employer.

As a general rule though, it's a bad idea to do what you are planning to do until you establish yourself as a competent nurse in your place of primary employment. Experienced nurses are sometimes able to do it without burning themselves out -- but I have seen many new grads crash and burn because they tried to "run before they could walk." Make sure you are fully competent and are viewed by your current employer as a good staff member before you complicate things by adding a second job with another employer.

[sissiesmama, ASN, RN]

Some hospitals have rules against that sort of thing (or at least regulating some of the details). So you would have to check the specific policies of your employe

As a general rule though, it's a bad idea to do what you are planning to do until you establish yourself as a competent nurse in your place of primary employment. Experienced nurses are sometimes able to do it without burning themselves out -- but I have seen many new grads crash and burn because they tried to "run before they could walk." Make sure you are fully competent and are viewed by your current employer as a good staff member before you complicate things by adding a second job with another employer.

Good point, llg! I didn't think to mention that. OP, it is imperative to establish your self in the nsg community and have a good base of nsg experience - you don't want to "burn out" early in your career by working too much.

The nsg community most areas is tight knit, and most managers/admin have friends working at other facilities - I didn't realize that until I had started working with another RN who worked at 3 different hospitals. She crashed and burned and just never was able to pull herself out until too late.

[Meriwhen, ASN, BSN, MSN, RN]

Lots of nurses work for two employers, including myself. It shouldn't be a conflict of interest, but check with your company's HR just to be sure.

However, keep in mind that each job is going to expect to be your priority; they're not going to care about what the other job wants from you in terms of commitment, scheduling, etc. Nor should you expect Job A (your main job) to work around the demands of Job B.

IMO, it would be safest for you to pick up a per-diem job as your second job, to give you more control over the schedule and how often you work.

[BSNtraumaqueenRN]

Thanks for the input! It is all helpful!