Irini20

(first a disclaimer- i know no one on an online forum can tell me definitively what an employer will think or how they will react. so really what I'm asking for is opinions based on your personal experience in nursing/healthcare.) Today I had a patient pass out as I was helping her transfer from EOB to WC. Fortunately I was already holding on to her in preparation for the transfer, and I was able to hold her up and keep her from falling. I yelled for help and we managed to get the pt back into bed unharmed. Unfortunately, my back is killing me. This pt was more than twice my weight and it took everything I had to keep holding on to her until help arrived. I messaged my supervisor after the shift and asked if they could cancel me first tomorrow. I'm PRN and they sometimes schedule more people than they end up needing, so I asked to be first on the list to be cancelled if possible d/t having back pain after assisting that pt. Did I make a mistake explaining why? My co-worker thinks I did, and that corporate is going to try to get rid of me because I inadvertently claimed in writing to have had a work-related injury. Should I not have mentioned that, and is there anything I can do to mitigate any potential negative consequences? I'm not trying to sue the company or claim workers comp or anything; I just want/need a day or two off of work to recover and rest.

i'm actually wondering when corporate is going to realize they could be saving a ton of money by hiring another staff RN instead of using me for 30-40 hours a week at PRN pay rates.

Thank you so much for the advice. You're right, I am essentially working full time hours- and to be honest, I don't know what the standard is for leaving a PRN job -especially one that's actually more like FT in terms of how consistently they schedule me. This is the first RN job I've had since I graduated 4 years ago, so I want to make sure I do everything the right way and leave on a good note in case I ever need references.

good idea; thanks :)

it is? I was thinking I would have to stay through the winter holidays in order to be professional and leave on good terms.

you accidentally left out the second part of that quote I'm trying to brainstorm ways to get rid of as many of my shifts as possible in a way that is professional and doesn't make the DON's job more difficult. Resigning right now doesn't fit either of those criteria. The only thing I can think of that might be acceptable is to try to ask other PRNs if they want extra shifts. If anyone here has any other ideas, they would be much appreciated.

I've worked PRN for this company for almost 4 years, and starting last year I also run an online business. This year my business has taken off and I've been trying to juggle both my PRN nursing job and staying on top of my business, and I am EXHAUSTED and cannot do this anymore. I considered quitting nursing after the new year (2017) but was afraid, so I kept signing up for more nursing shifts "just in case". Now I'm working ~50-60 hours a week on my business and ~30-40 hours/week on average at my PRN job (plus 2 hours/day to commute). Then I found out last week that my partner is being transferred to Germany in September. And I stupidly already scheduled myself in advance for shifts through Jan 2018, because the DON asks for help that far in advance (covering FMLA leaves, vacations, weekends/holidays, etc). Would it be unprofessional to just ask the DON if she would mind sending out a mass email to the PRN list and seeing if anyone wants to take some of my shifts? She usually emails the PRNs once a week anyway with dates that she needs covered, so it wouldn't really be any extra work for her especially if I list all the dates and all she has to do is copy/paste and hit "send", and I would still work the shifts that no one wanted to take. I've also been debating asking if I could cancel my shifts for next January. If I ask now 6 months in advance, the DON would have that much time to get someone else to cover my shifts in January, and I would still be working over the Christmas/NYE holidays when coverage is at a premium. I really wish I hadn't signed up for work so far in advance, but since I did I have to try to find a way to fix this in as professional a way as possible. Has anyone here been in a similar situation and what did you do? I don't want to return to nursing ever, but I also don't want to burn bridges because I suppose you never know, and I also just don't want to create a big mess for the DON, because I do quite like and respect her. OTOH I cannot continue working 90-100 hours/week for another 8 months and burning myself out.