Quit fulltime job for per diem prison job?

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  1. What would you do?

    • 1
      Keep current stable full time job
    • 2
      Take a chance with new per diem job

3 members have participated

Hi Everyone,

I have been offered a per diem (intermittent) position with the California Department of Corrections. In order for me to accept this position it would require for me to change my current positon at another company to per diem as well so that I can allow time for the orientation at the prison.

Has anyone had any experience working with the California Department of Corrections as an LVN?

Do Intermittent employees usually get their full 40 hours?

They told me that I will likely be able to obtain a fulltime positon as soon as available, is this true?

I just want to make sure I am doing the right thing for my family. I like the job I have but it is just a dead end with no raises, or growth.

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Specializes in Hospice, corrections, psychiatry, rehab, LTC.

I can't speak for California, but our per diems have strict limits on the number of hours that they can work, and it is nowhere near a full time load. I would not go into a job like that expecting a bunch of hours. It might be OK to augment your current job, and it may turn into a full time offer later. I started per diem with my agency, and 16 years later I am still there. I was per diem for about eight months.

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Specializes in Case Manager/Administrator.

Before you do anything I would ask to shadow a nurse in the prison for a day...just take a PTO day off and go out to the prison. As a Prison Health Manager and registered Nurse I cannot tell you how many times I have got nurses out to the prison and then bam...I get a message or call from the potential nurse telling me they thought about it but do not think they can do the job it just is common. Do yourself and the correctional setting a favor and try before you change careers.

There is something about the doors closing, the smells, the crowd of offenders in sick call that has many people say nope not for me.

If you do change good luck to you and your new career.

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Specializes in Hospice, corrections, psychiatry, rehab, LTC.
There is something about the doors closing, the smells, the crowd of offenders in sick call that has many people say nope not for me.

A DON who I once worked under told a story about a woman who came to his facility for an interview for a nursing job. They walked onto the yard, and as soon as the gate closed behind her, she said "I can't do this." She was totally spooked by the idea of being locked in - which I am sure that she didn't realize until it happened.

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