I recently landed my "dream job" at a local hospital. I stayed on PRN at my old job more as a favor to them then for any financial need on my part. They were giving me first choice of available hours and begging me to pick up as many hours as possible. My old boss was supposed to leave a PRN contract for me to sign in my mailbox but she kept forgetting to do it.
Well, I just got my first PRN paycheck and discovered I am earning almost $4.00 per hour less than I did when I worked full time. I have worked PRN a couple of places in the past and PRNs were earning a little more per hour than full time benefited nurses. I know I should have asked about wages before agreeing to stay on PRN but when the request came up I was starting the new job and pretty busy with getting through orientation and getting some old credentials up to date.
I have decided I will not be working PRN at the old place anymore. I have one more scheduled shift and that will be it for me.
I was a little curious though about PRN pay. Do other facilities pay a little more hourly for non-benefited PRNs or did I just get lucky with previous positions?
I think I lucked out at my hospital. We have different levels of PRN depending on the hours you commit. I currently am $40/hr and because I work full time hours, I am eligible for benefits (medical, dental, vision, 403b match). I only don't accrue PTO. During high need, super short staffing times on my unit, I make $50/hr. I switched to PRN over 2 years ago and had seen a significant increase in yearly pay.
My hospital pays nurses based on years experience for FT but has a set rate for PRN. After having PTO and other benefits removed I'm actually making less overall but the dollar amount is about $1 more per hour. For new nurses it would be a big raise (aporox $7ish more per hour). For me it was a schedule thing. I needed extreme flexibility due to home life scheduling conflicts so it's best for me. It all depends on what pros/cons work best on whether it's worth it.
Flex pool jobs seem to have a lot more pay but I haven't seen as many in my area as in the past. They were usually about the same as working agency IF you were willing to commit to enough hours each week. You still made your own schedule, but there was weekend and holiday commitments required.
Definitely don't want to work another PRN position that doesn't have a bump in pay. My last PRN gig I was a new grad and didn't realize that I was making the same amount as the nurses w/ benefits. Now I know so the next job can't pull that trick on me!
This can vary greatly depending on the facility. Some places will give higher pay for PRN staff since they risk being canceled quickly and they do not receive any form of benefits from the employer. I wouldn't say that higher pay is guaranteed, though simply because a position is PRN. It is always wise to have everything in writing and review it thoroughly before agreeing to anything.
reveriies, BSN
27 Posts
I think I lucked out at my hospital. We have different levels of PRN depending on the hours you commit. I currently am $40/hr and because I work full time hours, I am eligible for benefits (medical, dental, vision, 403b match). I only don't accrue PTO. During high need, super short staffing times on my unit, I make $50/hr. I switched to PRN over 2 years ago and had seen a significant increase in yearly pay.