any nurses do only perdiem?

sjoe · Feb 24, 2004

I recently accepted a position at a local hospital to do perdiem. Any nurses do perdiem at a couple of facilities, and how do you like it?

I worked per diem for over 4 years at a correctional facility (by my choice). I liked being in control of my shifts, hours, schedule, and receiving higher hourly pay, of course. I always make this choice when it is available.

Others who are focused on benefits, seniority, climbing the ladder, etc. would be wise to minimize their per diem at their facility of choice, and opt for full- or part-time when available. IMHO

IamRN · Feb 24, 2004

I did it for years and loved it! The flexibility is awesome, however if you need benefits this would not work out (I was on dh's insurance). One of the facilities I worked at allowed PRN employees to join the 401K program others did not extend that opportunity.

I also did it w/more than one facility at a time. Just keep up w/whom and what time you are scheduled and it should work out. The upside of working for more than one facility at a time is the change in scenery. It really helps!

SmilingBluEyes · Feb 24, 2004

I LOVE IT...would not want to do it any other way. Work when you/can and no more. The ONLY way to do it far as I am concerned. I just LOVE it.

tjn97 · Feb 24, 2004

I worked perdiem at a local hospital a couple years ago, and it worked well for me. I started when I was pregnant with my first child, and it gave me the flexibility of hours after he was born. I picked my hours, mostly 4 hour shifts, and the pay was really nice! Finally realizing it wasn't for me, I left and started working at a family practice office, which I absolutely love :) ! If you need flexibility and don't need the bene's, perdiem is the way to go!

suzanne4, RN · Feb 24, 2004

I actually did it for most of my career, and honestly, I think that it is the only way to go. You have complete control over your life and schedule. If the hospital likes you, you can actually get as much training as you want. Key word with per diem is flexibility. The more units that you can work, the more work that you are going to get.

Congrats for taking that first step.

RNKPCE · Feb 24, 2004

I was thinking of starting my own thread when I found this one. I have worked at one facility for 17 years. Since my children were young I have wanted to go per diem but for one reason or another haven't. My kids are pre teens to teens now and have busy schedules with sports on weekends etc. I have the opportunity to go per diem now and am scared. I am scared to give up my senority. I work only 2 8 hr shifts a week now and don't mind the amount of hours just want more control over when I work them. Has anyone out there gone per diem after being regular staff and regretted it?

I already use my husbands benifits but would lose vacation and extended sick time.

Any words of wisdom would be appreciated.

orrnlori, RN · Feb 24, 2004

I have thought about doing this but have stayed staff for several reasons.

I don't know if this is the case all over the country, but here, if you are a pool nurse, hospitals only count your years of experience as a .2. Meaning you get 2 years of credit for every 10 years you work. Where that becomes a problem is when you want to go from pool to staff. Suddenly they want to call all your years experience at 1/5. Therefore, you get paid what a nurse who has been working only 2 years gets vs the pay for a nurse with 10 years experience.

Also, it's been my experience that the pool RN's always get the crap jobs, the worst patients, the worst cases. The staff get the better assignments. Maybe that's not the case all over, just here, but I would bet it happens elsewhere as well.

RNKPCE · Feb 24, 2004

orrnlori

Where I work it varies from floor to floor how they handle per diems floating. In critical care the per diem always floats first. On my floor we decided that the per diem rotate with regular staff. Whose turn it is to float is based on who has the least number of hours floated in the past 90 days. We figure that our per diems help us out when we want a day off etc and that by floating this way it doesn't impact us floating a whole lot more than we would anyways. Also there never has been any practice of giving per diem the harder more time consuming assignments. We try to share the wealth of those patients around equally as much as possible.

If I went per diem I would retain my 17 yrs seniority amongst the per diems, I am almost at the top of the pay scale so if I wanted to return I believe I would be put back at a minimum of the step I am at now.

I have heard of what you have mentioned about .2 or stuff like that at other hospitals, or they use some formula for numbers of hours worked per year to calculated what step they would put you in if your returned to a statused position. Thanks for your input.

susi_q · Feb 25, 2004

I've been per diem for 2 years now (in addition to teaching clinicals). I love it - the flexibility is worth the occassional issues. I am fortunate though - my hospital allows per diems to use the 401K, and seniority is based on years only (they even include years as techs, etc for those who progress thru their education)

I'm currently just in the ER, was working critical care but wanted to do something new for a while. Planned on picking up shifts in CCU - but was told that I would need to do all the inservices, etc for both units (even though there is significant overlap) - so I'm sticking to just ER for now.

If you want to work for more than one facility - be aware that most per diem positions require a certain number of weekend and holiday hours (at least around here) - you might be required to fulfull those for each place you work - just check it out ahead of time (if they agree to "bend rules" - get it in writing from someone in authority)

rn-jane · Feb 25, 2004

Thanks everyone for the input. I plan on staying per diem at my hospital as well with the new h0spital. My facility doesnot have any requirements, such as holidays,weekends ect. The new facility requires one weekend per month, and one summer holiday and one winter holiday. The pay scale is much higher than what i am making full time.(about double my salary), no regualr benefits but i still get to keep my pension. Dh is carrying me now on his insurance. I am guaranteed at the new facility at least 30 hours a week, i need to fulfil 16/week or 64 per month. I like the idea of making my own schedule. Dh is traveling a lot on business with the new job and i need to be home with one preteen and one teenager alittle more often.

askater11 · Feb 25, 2004

I work per deim and love it!

I work between ICU and two telemtry units. I am the 1st to get pulled. But I'm very flexible. They don't make me switch units mid-shift. The old hospital I worked at did that--ugh how I hate unexpectedly getting pulled mid shift. At my present job--I've been there 1 year. I've been pulled mid-shift only once.

I love the flexibility. Some months I barely work--like in the summer. Winter months when I don't have much to do I pick up a lot.

I was going to do per deim at my current job and previous job. It didn't work out. With having 2 young kids I didn't want to work too much. But also between all the changing of policies between facilities, learning new telemtry systems, getting all yearly mandatory test done-- I decided working at one facility was enough for me.