Rules for Per Diems

[Emergent]

Do your facilities have minimum requirements for Per Diem employees? If so, are they enforced?

Several nurses quit my last job, but stayed Per Diem, including me. The department is short staffed and the new manager has taken to sending out heavy handed emails about lots of things. The latest was to us Per Diem's, telling us she needs us to pitch in more, that she was going easy but that official policy calls for us to work one holiday a year and one weekend a month.

Well, I only want to work a couple shifts a month there. I have another job so have a weekend obligation already. I did pick up one more shift, but I've decided not to let myself be pressured like that again. I talked to one of the other Per Diem's, he was similarly turned off by the manager's approach.

[Not_A_Hat_Person, RN]

My previous per diem job required 1 shift every 90 days. In theory, per diem staff could choose their own schedules. In practice, they used so many travelers that per diem employees were rarely able to find open shifts.

I'm per diem at my current job. They require 3-4 shifts per month, including 1 weekend day.

[Wrench Party]

Mine requires 2 shifts/month, one summer and one winter holiday. Their differentials are so good that I will gladly work

a weekend night.

Another per diem position I interviewed for tried to pay me below my full time base rate. I laughed.

[NurseDimples]

I would have to agree. Keeping a large psych unit well staffed is difficult to do without the help of PRN nurses. For to long I have seen prn nurses hold on to PRN jobs to keep their foot in the door or work one or two shifts every 3 months. That's draining on the staff and the payroll since overtime is used to cover those spots. Use it or loose it I say. Or at the very least pitch in when a manager is asking for help. She may be more prone to look the other way when she is staffed well.

[Been there,done that, ASN, RN]

"Heavy handed":laugh:I call those kind of emails nastygrams.

I'm sure the per diem policy is readily available, what does it say? My last hospital position was per diem. I had to work 2 days a month to stay employed there. I imagine it was costly to keep me on the books for anything less.

Certainly understand why you don't want to work an additional weekend, but if your manager really wants to keep you... maybe they would let you work ANY 2 days?