New School Nurse, do you work per diem somewhere else?

[Syane, MSN, RN]

Hello,

I have been subbing as a school nurse for 2years. A full time position has opened in the district that I want to work in and I interviewed for the position today. It is VERY likely I will be offered the position. I love subbing as a school nurse and am always happy when I pick up a shift even though the pay sucks. I currently work on an ortho floor and will truly miss the unit and my manager, but quite frankly, my back hurts and I am tired of bedside. I do want to give school nursing a real try. I enjoy subbing and I love the idea of getting a pension and summer/winter breaks. I am currently in a masters program (which I started this winter to put me higher in the pay bracket if I was ever hired as a school nurse) but am finding my hospital experience helpful and relevant to the classes I am currently taking. Which is why I am hesitant to quit the hospital for good. I thought when my time to accept a school nursing job came, I was going to be so excited and say good bye to the hospital for good but now I am finding myself undecided just because my experience has been so helpful for my masters. Do any of you have per diem jobs at a hospital in addition to your school nursing duties? How often do you work? Is it do-able to pick up a shift here and there with a full time school nursing job? Is keeping my hospital experience even as per-diem even worth it? Over the summer the census does drop at the hospital so I will probably be cancelled a lot during the summer.

Any help/advice/input is greatly appreciated.

[OldDude]

Welcome to the farm! I work pool at a local Pedi Urgent Care. I'm required to work two shifts per month. Don't sever your ties with your hospital until you see how the future prn experience works out. That's a one way route if you quit in that you'd not likely get "rehired" as prn. Good luck!

[RobotechTD]

I am currently in an online Masters program where we have discussions every week. I use my school health experience most of the time in these discussions.

[NutmeggeRN, BSN]

Long term care facility

[Avill, BSN, RN]

Once you get summers and holidays off it's hard to go back!

I work as a home health nurse during the summer and take 1-2 patients while I work in the schools. I'm home by 5 on the days I do both and they pay me per patient, so it's not too bad! I didn't want to loose all my skills as I am still a pretty new nurse.

[Flare, ASN, BSN]

i have worked pd doing many many things from home care to corrections to acute care to hospital administration. Right now I have a call in job not related to nursing at all. I do work summer school -that's easy money.

[Syane, MSN, RN]

I did summer school last summer on top of my regular hospital job. It was easy money. I enjoyed it.

[SaltineQueen]

I've got young(ish) kids in school so the biggest perk for me is that I'm off when they're off, for the most part. If I ever did want to pick up work, I think I'd do home care, where I would hopefully have some flexibility with that schedule. I don't think I'll ever go back to a hospital.

[AdobeRN]

I have a PRN position with a pedi home health agency. Been there for 5 years now, lucky enough to fill in for the same patient for the last 4. I usually do 2 shifts a month during the school year, sometimes will pick up extra hours if parents need coverage in the evenings but it is rare and will work 1-3 shifts during the week in the summer if I have time. The agency is great - they will take whatever I can give them.

[KKEGS, MSN, RN]

I work NICU per diem via a healthcare staffing agency. Usually 1 to 2 shifts a month. The agency pays more than I was making when I worked for the hospiutal and I am authorized to pick up at more than 1 hospital so if I get canceled at 1 I can usually be sent to another.

[edenone]

What MSN program are you in if you don't mind me asking? I am a currently a full-time school nurse and starting an MSN Nurse Educator Program in Fall. I left the floor last year and have always wanted to teach, but now I am trying to see what to do as far as gaining more floor experience. School nursing helped me during my high-risk pregnancy and I just ended up loving my weekends, holidays, and summers off. But now that I am going into education, I wonder how much more floor experience I should get and if doing PER DIEM shifts will suffice. Bedside nursing and patient-nurse ratios are insane, I don't know if I want to do it full-time again or for a long time, well at least not in Med-Surg as I was in.

We seem to be on a similar boat, maybe we can feed off each other lol

TIA

[MrNurse(x2), ADN]

I am unique in that I work FT and my school nursing is my side job. I am here 3-5 days a week and split the time with my wife. I work sub acute rehab night shifts, three 12 hour shifts. My summers are my slow times.