Requesting status change...good idea?!?! help!!

[Starfish1]

i am a new graduate nurse starting out...

the hospital has me as full time making around 20.00

i am going to request to change my status to prn (planning to work 3 days per week) for more $$ since i do not need benefits, sick time, vacation time etc basically full time without benefits....do you think this is a good idea?

do you think that my manager would even approve something like this? isn't it cheaper for them to have me as prn vs full time without benefits???

i'd like to know the pros and cons to this and if it's even a good idea...i think this will cost the hospital less to have me on staff seeing they only pay me while i am there...

please help!

[Meriwhen, ASN, BSN, MSN, RN]

IMO, I would stay at the full-time job.

You run the risk of not pulling enough PRN hours to make a full-time check. Or you may not get any PRN work for long stretches because PRN doesn't guarantee you any hours at all--you have to put in for a minimum of X shifts a pay period, but that doesn't mean they have to give you X shifts a pay period. Also, the shifts you're offered may not be the ones you want to work. And remember, as a new grad you're trying to rack up experience...and working 1-2x a week doesn't qualify as full-time experience in many employers's eyes.

And as others have said, you may not need the benefits now...but a lot of them, especially the paid time off and retirement, definitely will add up in the long run.

I have to admit that did it in reverse: I started as PRN first, since that's all I was offered at the facility. But I was lucky because at the time I was hired PRN, they were short-staffed and I was flexible enough that I had no problem making enough hours for fulll-time work. I had no benefits--I'm covered under my better half for many of them, and I've maintained my own retirement accounts for years.

When my facility pushed to increase their permanent staff a few months ago, I converted to full-time...and I was lucky again: there's now enough permanent nurses that PRN hours are being cut left and right--all that's really left for PRNs anymore are a few undesireable shifts (overnights and weekends). There also aren't any permanent spots left for PRNs to convert to even if they wanted to. My schedule is still flexible enough to suit my needs, and I have to say that the paid time off is nice :) Now that I'm not a new grad anymore, I don't have to stress about getting that magic first year's experience...but it's nice to know that I am getting guaranteed hours.

Will you be as lucky going in the opposite direction? I honestly don't know--it's a risk you have to be willing to take. Granted, it may be more money and some flexibility. But with all the nurses out there looking for work that they could hire full-time, you may not get all of the hours you want.

Best of luck whatever you decide.

[fungez]

I'm going to offer a different viewpoint.

I've been PRN for years and it almost makes working for a living bearable. I carry my own insurance (high dediductible HSA plan) and I pick and choose my hours. If I don't want to work, I don't work. Gone are the days on missing out on family events because if you're lucky enough to get the holiday off, by God you're gonna work the day before or the day after.

So I do PRN exclusively for the flexibility. If you think it's more lucrative than full-time you really might want to crunch those numbers. Vacation time really adds up fast and like others have pointed out, with PRN you could lose a lot of hours.

[lkwashington]

Fungez...you have been in the nursing field for 19 years or more. I understand where you are coming from about working prn due to family gatherings. I also work prn and pay for my own insurance also due to working the weekend program for over 2 1/2 years and earning a BSN at the same time. Now I want to do the things that I missed out on for the pass couple of years. I agree with you on that standpoint. But this is a new grad that needs the experience and keep her foot in the door. Since she dont have the experience working prn maybe not good idea for her just yet. I would at least work a year or two full time before changing status because you have your 2 yrs in experience and you no longer considered a new grad. This is just a thought.

[NeoNurseTX, RN]

Well I went from FT to PT thinking I could just pick up extra shifts. It was a 6 month weekend contract. Then our census dropped dramatically and stayed that way for a few months so no extra for me.

[krenee]

Don't go PRN if you need the money at all - if census is low you will be cancelled every day! I know a PRN employee whose paycheck had nothing but call pay on it - didn't work at all for two weeks.