"Per diem" vs "prn"

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This has probably been asked umpteen times....but what is "per diem"? And what is the diff between that and prn? Prn means working 3-12hr shifts per wk, but getting pd for 40hrs, right? (at least that's what I was told by someone in my area) Do you not get benefits (health, dental, vision) w/prn?

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Specializes in Nephrology, Cardiology, ER, ICU.

Prn and per diem are the same in my little corner of the world. Prn means you work on an "as needed" basis - as few or as many as both you and the employer want. Many places have a minimum number of hours that you must work though in order to stay prn. The other option that you are talking about seems to be what some places call the "Baylor plan" which is working two 12 hour shifts (on the weekend) and getting paid for 40 hours (or in some places 36 hours). Good luck...few new grads get prn positions because you really need to work full-time for awhile to get experience.

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Good luck...few new grads get prn positions because you really need to work full-time for awhile to get experience.

OK so PRN just means working "as needed", so then probably not fulltime? Well, I wouldn't want that... I was hoping to be able to work 3 12hr shifts...I guess that's the Baylor plan you mentioned. Isn't that considered fulltime?

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Specializes in Nephrology, Cardiology, ER, ICU.

I'm sorry, sometimes its hard to be clear over the internet. What you describe as working 3 12 hour shifts is fulltime. The Baylor plan is usually a weekend only type of thing - you work the two 12 hour shifts on Sat/Sun and then get paid for either 36 hours or 40 hours. Does that make sense? (Sometimes my brain goes faster than my fingers!)

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Hello,

Where I work, prn and per-diem are used interchangeably and both refer to a status without benefits. We self-schedule just as the full-time and part-time people do, but technically would be the first to be called-off in the event of a low-census. The call-off issue is non-existent at this time as the census is never low and people are always writing "first call-off" on the assignment sheet anyway. I just switched from part-time status to per-diem (or prn) and my pay increased $5.79 per hour. The other advantage for me is that during the self-scheduling process, the days I mark as being available to work cannot be changed. For instance when the desired schedule is being completed several weeks prior to the schedule actually beginning, if I mark that I am available to work the 16th, 18th, 24th, 28th, and 30th they cannot change those dates to any other dates. Full-time and part-time can have their desired dates changed to meet the needs of the facility. For us, it really depends on the need for benefits. Our benefits are not great and are very expensive, so almost worthless in my opinion. Also, I'm getting ready to move so not being obligated 2 shifts a week is nice. As a per-diem, I could work as many hours as I would like. In addition, any shifts for which I am not scheduled, but am asked to work and agree to work, are paid at 1.5 times regular pay. If they are abosolutely desperate, they sometimes offer 1.5 times regular pay plus $5.00 per hour.

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I'm sorry, sometimes its hard to be clear over the internet. What you describe as working 3 12 hour shifts is fulltime. The Baylor plan is usually a weekend only type of thing - you work the two 12 hour shifts on Sat/Sun and then get paid for either 36 hours or 40 hours. Does that make sense? (Sometimes my brain goes faster than my fingers!)

Ohhhh ok, so who typically gets the Baylor shift? RNs? LPNs? (guess it'd all depend on where they were needed??) Is this usually something only done in hospitals? (obviously not in a daytime dr's office, but I was wondering if any other areas -nursing home?- do?) And is it somethign only experienced nurses usually get, or might someone get it fresh outta school (LPN)

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I've seen Baylor plans offered in nursing homes. One place where I worked, let a Baylor plan employee work 12 hour shifts on Saturday and Sunday and paid them for 36 hours. I've also seen (2) 16 hour shifts and paid for forty. Be careful though, I had a friend that worked a Baylor plan at a sleazy nursing home and when she went in for an extra shift, she somehow wasn't really paid because they didn't start paying her until she truly hit the 36 hour point. Basically, it was pointless to go to a meeting or work an extra shift because she was paid for 36 anyways unless she exceeded 36 hours of work. That might be an exception, this particular place had a horrible reputation.

You MIGHT be able to work Baylor as a new grad in a SNF. I saw some pretty inexperienced nurses get similar jobs.

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