Should I quit my per diem job?

[FireStarterRN, BSN, RN]

Hi everyone. I've just finished two of the three months of a nursing contract at a hospital 1 hour from home. I previously worked at a hospital 1/2 hour from my home. I went per diem in Janurary because I was getting shafted badly in scheduling in favor of people with more senority.

My home hospital is unionized with a closed shop. The union contract is extremely slanted in favor of seniority. Also, the hospital is located in a small town where preference is given to people who are from that town.

My original plan was to stay per diem at this hospital. I like the people there, I've worked there for 8 years. However, things are going very well with this agency contract. I'm well liked on the busy telemetry floor where I'm working. There will be plenty of per diem shifts available after my contract is up. Also, I've been looking into some agency work in a very large city that is an hour in the opposite direction, where the pay rate will most likely be higher, plus I would gain valuable experiences there. The amount of money I make from agency work makes driving twice as far well worth it.

So, I'm considering letting go of my per diem job soon because, 1) After one year of not working there I could also pick up agency shifts there and 2) I could drop my membership in the union which is an unneccessary expense at this point.

I am feeling much more the master of my own destiny now that I've distanced myself from my hospital where the politics is strangely smothering. Yet, I hesitate to totally cut the cord, probably partly out of sentimentality and trepidation. Incidentally, we live in a rural area with limited job options.

What do you all think?

[estherojin]

you mentioned that you might be able to work at this hospital through your agency? just to be on the safe side, i'd investigate the HR policy regarding agency use. many of the hospitals place clauses in the employee contract that state the employee will not be able to work at the hospital through an agency for a given amount of time. at the few hospitals i've worked, if you were an employee, you couldn't come back to work through an agency until 2 years after your last day.

[FireStarterRN, BSN, RN]

I've heard it's a year, I'll check into that.

[FireStarterRN, BSN, RN]

I called the agency, it's one year.