ADPIE2008

The manager left a message on my machine Friday that they want to offer me the position. I called and left a message for him that I would call him back this morning. I'm making a list of any and all questions to ask him about this prn position. I have talked to many other nurses, my husband and my family members about what to do. Everything points to accepting the prn position but asking to stay on at my current FT job. I can't do both and be here for my children. So, I'm now thinking of accepting the prn position and also asking my manager at my current job if I can stay on there prn too. Also, I think it is going to be $10 or more per hour more than I make now. Gotta go call the manager back. :)

I know it sounds nuts to even think about quitting a FT job for a prn position. (We get our insurance with my husband's job.) I keep going over the pros and cons. Pros: 1. This is a really great hospital with a wonderful reputation. 2. It would get my foot in the door for a FT position in the future. 3. I would be able to make my own schedule and work around any of my kid's events (ballgames, concerts, etc.) 4. I would make more money per hour (approx. $6.00/hr more) 5. Nurse to pt ratio is based on acuity and they do not go over 6:1 Cons: 1. prn's get called off first, I'm so afraid I wouldn't get my hours. (Although, my friend who works this same job assures me that she always gets her hours with overtime available alot of the time.) 2. Further to commute, by about 20 minutes more than where I work now. 3. Leaving the security of a FT job where I already know what I'm doing

I am a full time RN at my current hospital. I love my job, but there are a few things that are causing me to look at other hospitals. The biggest problem I have with my current job is the high nurse to pt ratio, which is 8:1. (No matter what the pt acuity is, it is 8:1.) So, a friend told me about a position which was coming open in the same type of nursing in a different hospital. My friend is a nurse who started out in this same prn position and is now taking a FT position that just came open there. She says her hospital is much better with the nurse to pt ratio and it would be better pay. However, it is a prn position. She says she gets all the hours she wants and can work overtime if she would like to. According to everything she has told me it sounds like the perfect job for me. So, I put in for the job, got an interview with the manager last week and he liked me. Today, I had a peer interview and it also went really well. So, if he offers me the job, do I quit my FT job with benefits to go to a job that is prn with no benefits? I love this hospital. It is a teaching hospital with an excellent reputation. My current hospital is a for-profit hospital with a not-so-good reputation. Have any of you taken this type of leap where you leave a FT position for a prn position? If so, how did it work out for you? What should be my deciding factor?

I'm a little OCD when it comes to washing my hands, sanitizing my work station, etc. I almost fell out when a coworker asked me to help in a room and then she didn't "don" gloves to do pericare and change pads on a postpartum pt who was bleeding!

I'm an RN in Women's Health on a mostly postpartum floor where we do couplet care. We almost always have 8 pts. For example, 4 couplets or 3 couplets + 2 antepartums. Sometimes we get GYN pts too. I am usually so busy that I barely have time to do any teaching. I cover the basics with them, but that's usually it. If I were to try to spend more time with my pts, I would end up staying late to chart and get into big trouble for that! I love the postpartum pts (especially the babies) and I hate it that I don't get to slow down and spend more time with them. Before signing up to work anywhere, make sure you know what the nurse to pt ratio is and is the hospital for-profit or nonprofit. My hospital is for-profit.

The preceptors on our floor take a course to be preceptors. They are assigned one trainee and that trainee stays with only them until they are off orientation. The preceptors also make a little more an hour when they are training someone.

caliotter3, That's awful, I'm really sorry to hear that.

caliotter3, a decrease in pay, that would really stink! I'm not complaining about the $.17/hr pay raise. I just want to hear what others have done when going from new grad to more experienced nurse. (Not to say I am now a seasoned nurse, 'cause I've got a long way to go!) hiddencatRN, I think that is what I need to ask our HR department. I've seen the nurse I or nurse II on the job searches at another local hospital, but my hospital doesn't do that on their job listings.

As a new grad, just off orientation I was called off even when it wasn't my turn. I remember being upset about this and asking the charge nurse why I was being called off out of turn. She explained to me about the census being low and how they can not have too many newly oriented nurses working on the same shift due to patient safety. This made perfect sense to me and I never questioned it again. However, I do think it should've been explained to us before it happened!

merlee, the evals were done at the time of the $.17/hr raise and I think we all got the same percentage, across the board. Mine was less than 1% but my evals were great. Esme12, 2-4% would be better than what I got! :) xtxrn, I did have a probationary period of 3 months, but no mention of a raise at that time. BrandybunsRN, that sounds good. I think I will go visit HR soon and ask about this. I would hate to sit back and not ask, only to find out that I could've gotten a bump in pay!

Caliotter3, we're not union. I'm very thankful for my job and know that the economy is tough now. From what I can tell, there are different levels of nursing, new grad being the bottom and least paid. At $.17/hr per year, it'll take me 6 years to get a $1.00 more per hour.

Thanks, Crux1024. I'll find out what the policy is at my hospital. I feel like I am finally coming out of the "new grad" fog!

I was a new grad when I was hired and started out at the new grad pay rate of $22.75/hour as my base pay plus differentials. I work on a women's services floor of a hospital in the south. I absolutely LOVE my job and my coworkers. :heartbeat Not long ago, everyone got pay raises, mine was $.17/hr. I'm wondering if I should expect or ask for a pay raise now that I know what I'm doing. I don't expect to make the same as the nurses who have been there for years, but I do think I'm worth much more now than I was a year ago. Also, I plan to be in this position, at this hospital for a long time. I have no intention of jumping to another job or hospital. If you do think I should ask for a pay raise, how much should I ask for???

I was also hired as a new grad into the Mother/Baby unit. I had a great preceptor who taught me well and was very patient and encouraging. My orientation was 12 weeks. I have been working there for about 8 months and I still feel like an "idiot" sometimes. I have really good notes I typed up and printed out. I add to them as I learn new things. When I have a question, I check my notes first, if I can't find the answer then I go to the charge nurse and ask her. I LOVE my job and the team I work with. Congratulations and I hope all goes well with your new position!

Congratulations on getting the externship. Make sure you know your normal ranges for infant HR, Resp, Temp and mother's normal range for HGB & HCT and vital signs. Brush up on how to do assessments on mom and baby. You may be doing tests on the baby like hearing, PKU, blood sugars, or transcutaneous bili's. Good luck!