The best second job?

[calivianya, BSN, RN]

Hi all!

What type of second job do you think is best? I am in the process of filling out all of my paperwork for a local staffing agency, and I finally got a hit back on the PRN job I applied for a ways back and am currently scheduling a shadow interview. I know it's early to really consider the PRN job, but it is in my specialty and I have my specialty cert, so I'd say it's worth thinking about seriously.

Can any of you compare these experiences for me - pros and cons of working agency vs PRN on one unit? My assumptions are: agency is more flexible with your schedule, you are first to be called off with agency, and the orientation is going to be better at the PRN job. Is there anything else I should weigh?

Which is going to look better on my resume further down the road?

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

For me, a second job was always one that offered flexibility in scheduling and had a relaxed work environment with plenty of downtime. Below is a list of some cool second jobs I've had:

1. Medication nurse at a psychiatric hospital. I strictly passed routine and PRN medications. The intake nurse did all admission assessments, and the floor RNs did all ongoing Qshift assessments.

2. PRN gig at a nursing home that utilized medication aides. As the nurse, I charted, dealt with families, and administered all IV/IM/SQ medications. The medication aide administered all oral, optic, otic, and topical medications.

3. PRN case management nursing. Allows you to do discharge planning and figure out what each patient will need before they reach their discharge destination.

[llg, PhD, RN]

What are the scheduling expectations of the PRN job? Holiday expectations? etc. Some places have very few requirements -- and if that is the case, I would think the PRN job in your specialty would be worth it in the long run to maintain your expertise. However, if they have a lot of requirements that would conflict with your responsibilities at your primary job, then that might not be do-able.

Find out what the requirements are and assess whether or not you could meet them -- and whether any schedule inconveniences would be worth it to you to maintain your specialty expertise.