I wanted to ask a question and feel free to state your opinion.
I have been a CNA for only a couple of months ( about to be 6 actually) and i'm an PRN. They have been short staffed at where I work because of a lot of firing and quitting. I dint know about this until recently since I have been getting asked more than usual to come in when I didn't schedule. I'm PRN with no other job but I do go to school. Im taking two classes this summer and I'm trying to get into a program that requires a lot of test. I keep suing no at work even if I don't work for a couple of days. The nurses keep asking me if I have another job and why I don't schedule more days. I don't feel like explaining that I have school because it sounds like an excuse. I know I don't work half as much as many of the aids but i'm PRN.
Should I feel bad about it and just work more days even though it might affect my school work? My jobs requires PRN aids to work the 2 days a month kinda deal. Is it normal for an PRN aid to always say no and not work many hours??
You do not have to feel bad, you got the job knowing you had to only work a certain amount of shifts per month and agreed to that. It is not on you that everyone is quitting/getting fired. I did the same thing as a CNA. When I was in school I worked 1-2 times per week because to me getting my nursing degree was more important for my future. My work never pressured me to work extra hours. Only work extra days when you want to, you shouldn't be forced. Good luck!
I work PRN and go to school as well. At first, I used to pick up a lot of extra night shifts. I stopped picking up because my job sucks, tired of working short and they don't care about their employees. Thank goodness I don't need the extra money. They call me all the time about picking up extra shifts. I told them I only work 11-7. They always try to get me to work 7-3 and 3-11. They even be asking me to stay over after my shift. Now, my job has started texting me. It has got to the point where I just ignore their phone calls and texts. I have no problem saying "No." Only go to work and pick up when you choose. Don't feel bad. To hell with what your nurses and co-workers say or think.
Do NOT feel bad! If you wanted regular shifts you would be part/full time. That's the beauty of PRN, it's on your schedule, not theirs!
I actually tried to go back to an old job that I saw was hiring for PRN (I'm currently in an Accelerated BSN), and at the interview they told me they were getting rid of the "two shifts a month" minimum and wanted PRN staff that functioned basically as part time staff without the same pay, respect, or set schedule. They were not interested in hiring PRN staff that only wanted one shift or less a week. Had I known that I wouldn't have even applied and interviewed!
Don't let the other workers get to you and keep doing what you're doing! It sounds like you work way more than you are required to anyway, so just brush it off as best you can. :)
I suggest applying for a student nurse position after completing first semester of nursing school. They tend to be more flexible with scheduling and can serve as a pathway to future registered nursing jobs.
Don't feel bad in the slightest. And don't feel bad about using school as an excuse. I float to different clinics but I have a main supervisor that I give my schedule to. I'm not full time or part time, so I don't get benefits, but I do get to pick my schedule and adjust it when my classes change. Right now, I have a specific day off that I NEVER NEVER NEVER work, because (and the different offices always ask me to work) that is my day to study. That is my day to focus all my energy on my schoolwork. I let them know that my school is a priority, and if I feel like I need to take an extra day to study, I take it. I let them know a few days in advance so the office has coverage, and when I am there, I work my tail off. If the RN's have an issue with it, or if anyone other than HR has an issue with it, and if you agreed to PRN hours, then it's no-ones business why you work the hours you work.
Should I feel bad about it and just work more days even though it might affect my school work?
No. Your CNA job is temporary. Keep your eyes on the prize, which is your degree and will be permanent. :)
My jobs requires PRN aids to work the 2 days a month kinda deal. Is it normal for an PRN aide to always say no and not work many hours??
That's what PRN is for. If they're chronically short-staffed, i.e., this is not a temporary condition while they are actively hiring and orienting full-time staffers, they should open more regular PT or FT positions and hire more people willing to work them.
There have been legal cases won on this point: If staffing records show that a facility routinely, for months and years, relies on PRN and OT to maintain minimum basic safe staffing levels, that's direct proof that they do not have safe staffing to begin with and they must increase regular (i.e., benefited) positions.
If all they are willing to do is staff with PRN positions (they save money on that because they don't have to pay benefits), then the trade-off for them is that they cannot make you work more than those two shifts. They could, theoretically, increase the minimum hour of shifts per month for PRN staff, but I'm betting they won't.
Never, never let a staffing coordinator or anybody else guilt you into working more shifts than you are freely willing to take. Pushing you into this kind of enabling behavior just makes it possible for them to keep the budget down while decreasing quality of care due to less staff continuity, which decreases quality of care for the residents.
annie.rn
546 Posts
No. And no again. :-)