PRN Nursing Questions

RNperdiem, RN · Sep 4, 2020

Most places for PRN want at least one year experience in their particular specialty. Orientation is 2-3 shifts, so nobody is going to train you to work in a completely different type of nursing.

Taking a per diem second job is totally doable as long as you can handle the extra hours. If it is just extra money you need, you might consider just picking up overtime in your department; it is simpler.

A PRN job in a different hospital is going to mean fitting in their holiday/weekend requirements/ mandatory staff meetings etc. in addition to the requirements in your full-time job. When considering a PRN job, look at what the minimum required working hours are.

Where I work, the minimum is one 12 hour shift per 2 week pay period plus one Summer and one Winter holiday.

speedynurse, ADN, BSN, RN, EMT-P · Sep 4, 2020

I would definitely wait a year before taking on a PRN job. As a new grad, you need to get through an orientation period, then become comfortable on your own, comfortable with your team, etc.

A PRN job is doable with a fulltime but one thing to think of is the on-call time for both jobs. That can be a challenge as well as trying to balance both schedules. It is doable and possible though....but again, I would wait a year before applying for a PRN.

Sour Lemon · Sep 4, 2020

8 hours ago, Emiliaaa2266 said:

Hey guys, so I’m just curious I am always thinking 1 step ahead and love to learn about different jobs in nursing that not many professors or staff tell you about. I am starting a 2 year contract at a PCU/IMC unit. I was wondering if working full time after a year and picking up a PRN would be worth it or too much? Also I would like to know if for PRN jobs I have seen a lot that just require you to have RN experience for 1 year so I would like to know if I could apply to a PRN job within a year that maybe different from my current unit. If you guys have any similar experiences working full time with a PRN please let me know. Thanks!

My PRN job requires one major Winter holiday. So if I were working a full time job and a PRN job, I could end up working Christmas Day and Thanksgiving Day (along with some eves, of course). It also has a weekend requirement. I'm not sure about the specifics of that, because I only work on weekends. You could end up working lots of weekends with two separate jobs.

Scheduling can be a huge headache, from what I've seen. Schedules don't always come out in a timely manner, and they don't always come out the way you were expecting them to.

If I wanted to work more than full time, I'd probably look for opportunities to do that at a regular job instead of picking up a second one.

My PRN required two or more years of experience.