Per Diem?

[bunnylovinggrl]

I was thinking of applying to per diem jobs. Is there a such thing as per diem only on the weekend? I'm possibly about to start a full time job mon-Fri case in home health, but I wanted to do a per diem hospital job so I can keep my options open in case home health doesn't work out for me and to have hospital skills so I don't become un-hirable later down the line. I've never done per diem and not sure how it works. Do I pick my own shifts? Ideally I'd like to do one day a weekend (Saturday or Sunday) for whatever hour shifts I would be needed for. Is this a realistic expectation? Or should I not waste my time applying for per diem jobs?

[Sour Lemon]

Per diem on weekends only is possible. That's what I do, although there are other occasional commitments I must make. I have to work one major winter holiday, for example. Every employer has different requirements for per diem staff and different levels of enforcement when it comes to those requirements.

As per diem staff, you typically give your employer available days and they schedule you on the days they might need you. You're first to get canceled (except maybe for registry), and you're first to get floated.

Your expectations are not unreasonable if you're willing to make a few concessions. It just depends on what employers in your area are looking for.

[Davey Do]

Yeah- what Sour Lemon said. At Wrongway Regional Medical Center, for example, per diem nurses are expected to work two shifts a month.

WRMC would love to have a per diem weekend nurse. Even with the great

time-and-a-half weekend option salary, there were two call-offs on this Friday night.

Good luck to you, bunnylovinggrl!

[elkpark]

Per diem work is usually a combination of shifts that the organization schedules with you in advance and them calling you at the last minute to see if you're available when someone calls off. You can certainly say that you're only going to be available on weekends when you apply for the per diem position, and it's up to the facility to decide whether that works for them. There's sometimes a requirement that you must work X number of shifts a month in order to remain on the per diem list, and there's sometimes a requirement that, if you turn them down (are not available to work) X number of times in a row, or over some period of time, when they call and ask you to work, you get dropped from the list (i.e., fired). Sometimes there a requirement that you work some specified (small) number of holidays each year. But that sort of thing varies among employers. You would want to make sure you understand specifically what you're agreeing to before you take a per diem position, so things don't go wrong down the road.

[JanineKelbach, RN]

How about starting a job outside of nursing? I am a freelance writer who now runs a business from home, making more than I do in the hospital...

Just a thought.

[cleback]

I think it's definitely possible to only work the weekend at a hospital per diem.

However, you will still likely have to go through orientation, which is typically weekdays. Where do you work now? Can you switch to per diem there? That's the only way I can think of to avoid the orientation process.

Edit: come to think of it, though, prns usually still have a meeting and inservice requirement. Unless you want to use vacation time to attend those, I am not sure how feasible your plan is. If you only worked part time during the week, it wouldn't be as much an issue.

[RNperdiem, RN]

The real answer....It depends on the hospital.

I work per diem on weekends. All that is required in my unit is one 12 hour shift per two week period, although that is not strictly enforced. I go on the scheduling software with all the full-time staff and plug in the days I want to work. Ninety percent of the time I work Saturday or Sunday. Every once in a while I get cancelled or floated in census is low.

I have worked with nurses who work non-bedside jobs and work a weekend shift every other shift to keep their ICU skills and contacts up while earning extra money. Some nurses worked in research, another worked in a clinic and worked every other weekend when her ex-husband had the kids.

Some per diem hospital work is through a central float pool. In most places, nurses who want to work weekends are welcome.

[ADuncan,RN,BSN]

You really won't know that answer until you are interviewing with the nurse manager. He/she will know what the unit's needs are. My hospital did hire PD nurses for weekends only. Some nurses worked all Saturdays or all Sundays. Us full time nurses were always grateful for the PD nurses.

[chacha82, ADN, BSN]

As others said, depends on the facility. Some have requirements like "2 shifts every 5 weeks" or whatever. Some also come with holiday requirements so be aware of that. Congrats on getting into Case Management!