PRN Job outside your specialty

Published

I am an ICU nurse and I have a little over a year of experience. My current job isn't offering any overtime anytime soon and I need to make extra money. In my area there aren't too many other hospitals so it can be hard to find jobs (much like everywhere else haha). I saw online a job posting at another hospital for PRN ED position and they require one year of experience in ED or ICU. Do you think it is ok to get a prn job still in critical care but outside of my current specialty? What specialties do you guys have prn jobs in? I would prefer a prn job in ICU but I don't know if or when one will come open. And I am interested in ED. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!! Thanks!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in ER.

PLenty of ER nurses I know PRN in ICUs and plenty of ICU nurses I know PRN in ER. Not everyone has had full time experience in the other area. I don't see any reason you shouldn't apply just be sure to realize that ER is not the ICU and you will likely be expected to learn new information under less than ideal circumstances when you PRN.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Cardiovascular, ER.

I work ER and am applying for non ER prn positions just to get a different experience. Nothing wrong with that at all. It's good to learn different specialties and broaden your knowledge base.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

This is not an issue of should you or can you, but more of when will you be able to do an orientation that will not interfere with your current schedule.

Best wishes!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Psychiatry, ICU, ER.

As an ICU nurse who went ER... keep in mind that if you don't have ER experience but apply for a PRN ER job, you will be expected to keep pace with all the other ER nurses. This could potentially be much more difficult than you bargained for.

I had a difficult time breaking out of the comprehensive ICU mindset and getting everything done as quickly as you need to. Even if you are used to sick as a dog hearts on vent, CRRT, ECMO, 8 million drips, bleeding out... which I was... it is a totally different and difficult scenario to have 3 brand new patients... a couple of chest pains, discharge a bogus abdominal pain only to know that you're gonna get slammed with YET ANOTHER patient as soon as you send her home, and before you can do those three things there's an EMS that needs to be triaged NOW... yelling docs, yelling patients, yelling charge nurse. Sometimes the ER is a lot to manage even if you've been doing it for a while, particularly if the ER is understaffed and you're basically SOL in regards to getting someone to help as backup.

Don't bite off more than you can chew. All I'm saying.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Psychiatry, ICU, ER.
This is not an issue of should you or can you, but more of when will you be able to do an orientation that will not interfere with your current schedule.

Best wishes!

None of the hospitals I worked at offered real orientations to PRN people, I mean, basically it was expected that if you are PRN, you already know how to do the work, you just need to get used to the particular hospital. It's not worth it for the hospital to do a full orientation for an RN who is new to the line of service and just PRN. I felt lucky to get 6 weeks of ER orientation only being part-time... and I needed it.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

It is an advantage to you to have 2 specialties that you

have experience in.Wishing you the best of luck in securing a PRN position.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in FNP.

Sure it's OK. I did PACU as a prn person for a while, although 90% of my background is critical care. It was easy peasy, and completely stressless. If it weren't also boring as he// I might have worked there permanently, lol, but I liked the action in critical care. NOW I'd do PACU, because boring sounds pretty good to me these days. ;)

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Join the Discussion