what is PRN?

txspadequeenRN, BSN, RN · Sep 5, 2007

they call you as they need you and you go in when you want.

i'm looking through cna jobs, and instead of full time/part time, there is "prn." i know that prn means "as needed," but job-wise, does that mean you're basically on call and have to go in whenver they need you, or you can go in whenever you have time?

steenerz · Sep 5, 2007

Um...so it's both?

casi, ASN, RN · Sep 5, 2007

Whenever they need someone they call you and you have the ability to say yes or no. Most on-call positions have a minimum number of days per a month you need to work, but you are never expected to drop everything you are doing to run into work.

elkpark · Sep 5, 2007

Often, prn positions are a combination of being scheduled (with your consent) well in advance (same as the permanent full- or part-time staff) and also being called at the last minute and asked if you are available to work because the facility needs someone to fill in. You always have the option of saying no; however, as casi noted, facilities typically specify that you must work a certain minimum number of hours or shifts per month and, often, a specific number of holidays per year, to stay on the "prn list."

The last time I worked a prn position (while I was in grad school), I had regularly scheduled weekend hours that remained the same from week to week (unless I heard otherwise from my NM), and they would also call on other days to ask if I could come in because someone called in sick, etc., on short notice.

But situations vary greatly from facility to facility.

mrsraisinkain · Sep 5, 2007

Where I work we get a 6 week schedule about 1 week in advance of the start of the schedule. My supervisor has called all the PRN people to ask them to help fill in some of the shifts that she had not been able to schedule with the regular full-time or part-time staff. We will also call our PRN people in the event of a call-off to request them to fill in a shift last minute, but there is never any repercussions if they are not able to come in without warning. At my facility there is no minimum of hours a PRN employee has to work. We have one PRN lady that works pretty close to full time most of the time, and we have another that barely works a shift every 3 months. Being a PRN employee works out well if you need a very flexible shift (for example if you're a student) but usually a facility does not offer benefits to their PRN staff.