Per Diem Question

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Hello nurses,

I will start taking my prereqs for nursing next month and I plan on getting into per diem nursing. A couple of questions I have is:

1) Do you get to schedule the days you work, or do you have to be on call?

2) Can you go straight from school to a per diem job, or do you have to have experience as a full/part time nurse first?

Thanks!

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Specializes in Med-Surg.

Our per diem nurses are self scheduling. We have no on-call, so I can't answer. Perhaps in L&D, Recovery, or ICU where they have on-call their per diem does call, I don't know. But the beauty of per diem might be no on-call.

In our hospital new grads may not go per diem until their finish orientation, which can be up to 12 weeks. Then new grads may go per diem.

Good luck to you in all you do.

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Thanks for your reply 3rShift. I forgot one more question

3) I have two local hospitals in my city, and another one is scheduled to be built next year. Can you work for more than one hospital if you do per diem?

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Specializes in Med-Surg.

It's a free country. You can have has many jobs as you care to.

I know lots of people who work full time at my hospital for benefits, etc. and work per diem at another hospital. In fact my manager does per diem at another hospital.

Usually though there's plenty of work to be had at one hospital that working somewhere else isn't necessary.

Having another hospital in the area, will definately benefit you as they compete for nurses, wages are bound to rise.

Good luck to you!

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I've worked Per Diem for 6 years.

#1 Place I worked on 1 certain unit. All staff full, part-time and per diem took turns getting pulled to different units during low census. I was supposed to be called off 1st. What their rule was, all nurses had to arrive at the hospital--if it was low census someone was sent home. Usually what would happen is I'd be offered to go home first. I would say no thanks. (I drive 35 minutes to get there--I'm not going anyway) Than 1-2 staffs would beg to go home. I'd be able to STAY!!!

Scheduling--the floor supervisor would put all fulltime/part time staff on the schedule. Once that was settled I'd have to look for the "holes" in their staffing numbers and offer some days I'll work.

#2 I work more or less like a pool nurse. I'm considered a telemtry, ICU, angioplasty nurse. (now I even work another unit in the ER) So I arrive to work and find out where I'm heading to. If at mid-shift census goes down--I'm pulled to a different unit. If someone is offered to go home--I'm usually working this one certain unit and they never offer me to go home. (it's usually the "regular" staff that goes home) But more or less once I'm in the hospital I never go home until my 12 hour shift is over. Though I'm the first one called off before heading into the hospital. If census is low, they call me off first. (or another contingent)

For the schedule I put down what days I want to. The only rules are--I have to work a total of 4-12 hours shifts. (one being a weekend per 4 week schedule)--also one holiday a year.

---

I tried working two hospital per diem. Between all the mandatories, trying to coordinate schedules and learning new equipment soon after I stuck with one hospital. But yep you can work per diem at different hospitals, there's no limit how many hospitals you work.

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Specializes in Med-Surg.

That's one downside to per diem. Here during low census days (which isn't much this time of year) you are called off first at home. When you don't work, you don't get paid. Staff doesn't have the option of begging off, which I'm always glad to do. :)

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You can sign up at as many hospitals as you like.

One of the things I liked about working per diem when I did was that you can specify when you're willing to work and when you're not (e.g., I usually have a church organist job on the side, so I wasn't willing to work Sunday mornings).

The times that I have worked per diem, it's been a combination of shifts scheduled in advance (worked out between me and the nurse manager) and the unit(s) calling me on short notice because someone had called in and they needed coverage. Be sure to check with the hospital about all of their policies on per diem staff -- some hospitals have a policy that, if they call you because they need coverage on short notice and you turn them down, after the (3rd, 5th, whatever the policy is) time you say no you get dropped from the per diem list.

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Two more questions :p

1)I know each hospital's policy is different, but can a person choose to work per diem only on weekends, or are you required to work some weekdays during a certain period?

2) What is the hourly wage of a per diem nurse at your hospital? And do you still get differentials for working weekends? Or is that only for full/part-time nurses?

Sorry about all these questions. I don't know any nurses yet, so you guys are really my only resource for now.

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Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.

I chose originally to work per diem ONLY on FRIDAY or SATURDAY nights.

and yes, I received all differentials (night and weekend) that FTE's got. That was why I did that. Making the most money working the least hours suited me well, not to mention, being home w/the kids all week to homeschool them!

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Specializes in Behavioral Health.

I work in L&D and it seems that a few nurses I work with that are new grads are having a hard time as per diem nurses. They had just gotten off of orientation and went per diem working sometimes working only once a week. They seem to be having difficulty because they are not here enough to establish cofidence in their newly acquired skills, etc. I'm sure some people do just fine with it.

Per diem nurses at our facility pick from "holes" after all the regular staff are scheduled...filling in for vacations, etc. They are paid 15% more, but they are also the first ones to be put on low census call. They are also required to work one summer and one winter holiday per year.

Good luck with school!

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Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.

That is why I am glad I worked fulltime 2 years after nursing school. I got a LOT of learning and practice in before going PD. I recommend this strongly to any new grad, if he or she wants to achieve mastery in his/her given speciality or area of nursing practice.

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Specializes in Med-Surg.
Per diem nurses at our facility pick from "holes" after all the regular staff are scheduled...filling in for vacations, etc.

Not here, per diem gets what they want and the manager fills us in the holes.

Not complaining, because if I didn't like it, I'd have choices as well. Just saying it's not like that everywhere. :)

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