prn/overtime addiction/survey

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Specializes in Med-Surg, NICU.

Curious: Is anyone here a job/OT addict? How many PRN/PT jobs and overtime hours do you think is over the top?

And for those of you with more than one job, are they all in the same specialty?

How many hours do you work at your FT job and how many hours do you work at your PRN job(s)?

I used to work with a woman who has five kids. She works full time at one spot but then also has three PRN jobs. Every time she would quit a job, she would go contingent. Now, she has collected four jobs (all in the same specialty).

As for me, I have one FT job in one specialty and a PRN job. I will be out of town for a bit and have signed up for a nine straight days of work! :arghh: Thankfully, they are a mixture of twelves and eights.

Oops.

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Specializes in Acute Care, Rehab, Palliative.

Why would you call it am addiction? I call it having bills to pay and working as hard a so I can to keep my head above water.

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Specializes in Med-Surg, NICU.
Why would you call it am addiction? I call it having bills to pay and working as hard a so I can to keep my head above water.

Because some nurses are addicted to working and making an obscene amount of overtime even when they could live off one job, 36 hours per week.

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Specializes in ICU, LTACH, Internal Medicine.
Because some nurses are addicted to working and making an obscene amount of overtime even when they could live off one job, 36 hours per week.

How do you know?

There are less than obvious things in life which take a d*** whole lot of money. One math gifted kid can easily run in $10000/year, plus savings for MIT or something of that level. Figure skating on semi-professional level for a pre-teen girl can go twice as much. We had times when grocery shopping crossed $500/week, for specialty diet.

I do not even mention old medical bills, college debths, home improvement projects and lawyers' bills to clean old skeletons from cupboard. And this is before expensive hobbies like cruising, without which some people just refuse to live.

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Specializes in Med-Surg, NICU.

How do I know?

Because they've admitted to it...at least the ones I've worked with. Some become accustomed to a certain lifestyle and become dependent on the overtime. I knew a nurse who drove a $70k car and had to work crazy overtime to pay for the multiple high end toys.

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Specializes in LTC.

I don't need to work any of my 3 PRN jobs, I work then to have toys, trips, and retirement. So yeah, I'm addicted, but more to my lifestyle than my job.

ETA: I have a 40 hour a week job, plus I pick up PRN jobs at 2 facilities and a home care case.

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Specializes in Emergency Nursing, Pediatrics.
Because some nurses are addicted to working and making an obscene amount of overtime even when they could live off one job, 36 hours per week.

I certainly can't live off 36 hours a week.

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I work 32 hrs/week at my full time job and 24 at my prn. One tele and one ltach. I can't live off 32 hrs/wk.

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Specializes in ICU, LTACH, Internal Medicine.

Well, if someone is accustomed to certain style of life and has to work 80 hours/week to just keep things going, this is no one else's business. Good if these folks enjoy their jobs; if they do not, results are usually terrible for everyone involved.

Besides, people may or may not tell you the truth or complete truth. Someone may have expensive car and the newest phone, but also an addicted child in private treatment facility. Or something along this line.

There was a story somewhere deep in Dear Abby's files about a smart cookie RN who wanted to divorce her husband but did not want to be later blamed for that. She started to take all available calls, worked through day and night and was always (predictably so) too tired. After a few months, it happened. Her husband was caught red-handed, and the lady, who was so shamelessly cheated upon, got what she much desired while being showered with attention and help, as she was perceived as a victim by everyone. I wonder if she was really the only one so smart, or things like that happen way more often.

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Specializes in Hospice.

School loans, medical needs, children's needs - all kinds of factors go into driving nurses to hold multiple jobs.

Then there is the fact that, much as we like to think we're too smart to be influenced by advertising, the reality is that we are all well-conditioned and obedient consumers. For many people, debt really does tend to expand to use up the income available to pay it.

i once worked with a nurse who worked six twelves a week - two full-time jobs. She made well over $100k/year and was still drowning in debt.She had 5 kids in private school, four vehicles (for two adults), a boat, ATVs - you name it.

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Specializes in Urology.

I work a boatload of overtime but not by choice (PACU and Call). Its not uncommon to pull 50+ hour work weeks 3 weeks out of the 4 in a month. That being said, I dont need the overtime, its just part of the job. I would much rather spend that time with my kids and wife or working outside at the farm. I've come to realize that overtime is a luxury in some areas and a bane in others. Lifestyle does play a role on how much it takes and thats up to the individual to decide, those luxury items cost $$$. I chose to live a life somewhere in the middle and I'm happy here but I could totally do without the copious overtime. Sure its nice to do some here and there for the extra bucks, but I don't want to do it all the time (but I do because its part of the job). I've got a little bit left to finish my FNP and can put the OT to bed!

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Specializes in Cardiology, Cardiothoracic Surgical.

36 hrs/week at my fulltime job in cardiothoracic, PRN about 6 shifts/month at my other one in cardiology. I'm also PRN at my old clinic job, but they need coverage so sporadically now that I definitely don't count on it.

Why I work: job security (what if something happens at one vs. the other), interest (learn some new skills and don't have to see the same people all the time), $$ (I'll be able to pay off my debt faster, and it will let me comfortably afford some upcoming house projects)

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