PRN back to Full Time?

[richardht99]

Hello, I’m trying to get some input on a decision I’m struggling with. My wife and I have decided to start trying for a baby. My question revolves around time/pay. I am currently in a PRN position that has me still scheduled 6 days/pay period but the pay is about $11/hr higher than full time pay. I get no benefits or time off etc. I am deciding if I should switch back to full time and take the pay cut but regain full benefits including 18hrs PTO/mo. This switch would also grant me 12wks of paternity leave to help out with the baby when it does come around. My wife’s job would req her to pay an extra $900/mo to add a child to her insurance, my job for full time would be $280 total for all 3 of us. (She is a teacher and surprise their benefits are even worse than the salary)

Basically, is it worth it to take a pay cut but regain benefits in light of a child coming about in the near future. I know I have plenty of time to decide I just want to see if there was anybody else who had a similar situation.

[Closed Account 12345]

If you currently work 36 hours a week x 4.3 weeks per month at $11 an hour PRN differential, you're making $1,702 more per month than what you'd make working full time.

It really comes down to which matters more to you and your wife - paid time off/leave or more monthly income. If you consider strictly finances, PRN seems to be the best option.

If you work full time, you'll lose the $1,702 + $280 a month in benefits ($1,982). Paid paternity leave would be nice, but you may want to check and see if it's only available to employees who have maintained full time status for a certain length of time.

If you stay PRN, you will still bring home $802 more per month than working full time, even after accounting for your wife's costly benefits expense.

You may have family childcare arrangements or work the weekend option where you won't need childcare, but that's another thing to consider since you both work FT hours. I live in a mid cost of living area, and good newborn care around here is $1,300+/mo (and often only available when billed as full time, regardless of how many hours the baby is actually in attendance).

Congratulations on your growing family!

[adventure_rn, MSN, NP]

Another thing to keep in mind is unit census and hiring in the future. Right now you may be getting full-time hours, but can you afford it if all of the sudden your census drops off (or your unit has a huge hiring spree) and you're getting cancelled all of the time? One of the benefits of being full-time is that your hours are more guaranteed than PRN folks, who are generally the first to be cancelled. I've worked with PRN nurses who were making crazy amount of OT one year, then getting cancelled for weeks at a time the next (following a huge hiring spree and a simultaneous drop in the census).

Just another thing to consider.