Thinking about PRN

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Specializes in Alzheimers, Geriatrics, Wound Care.

This might be silly, but I have been wondering about going PRN at several different places to give me the ability to sort of choose my own schedule.I am just wondering if anyone has tried this and how it worked out.

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Specializes in ER/Trauma.

Well, here is my experience, having worked 2 prn jobs at once. It is nice to control your own schedule, but I personally am finding it would be better for me to have a part time job and a prn job. Part time gives you less comitted hours, but still allows you to accumulate pto time and benefits if you need. Prn work to me is like bonus money, can't be relied on. Too many times I have seen my hours get cut or cancelled, then I am scrambling to replace them.

If you don't have a specific requirement for number of hours you must have per week, then just being prn would be awesome. I love not being tied to a full time schedule but the constant juggling of my schedule got to be overwhelming to me.

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Specializes in Alzheimers, Geriatrics, Wound Care.

Thanks, you've been helpful. I don't need the benefits since i get them through my husband, but I do need around 20 hours a wk. I'll have to think abt it for awhile:)

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Specializes in med-surg, teaching, cardiac, priv. duty.

Your post attracted my attention! I worked PRN status for about 14 years! Always just at one place at a time. (At a hospital in NY state, and then in SC when we moved down here to the south.) I have totally burned out of hospital nursing and have done a private duty home care case for 2 years now (that's another story).

The ONLY, and I mean the ONLY, thing I miss about the hospital is the total flexibility I had being PRN. No one could force me to work or dictate to me when I had to work. I had total control! At both of the hospitals I worked at (in NY and SC), I never had any problem getting ample hours in. It was very, very RARE to get called off. I pretty much could have worked full-time hours if that was what I had wanted to do. But I only wanted part-time hours. But of course, this is just my personal experience. PRN and the flexibility and control it offered me was great.

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where i work, the prn people are obligated to so many days per month (just a couple) and they must take one day of call per month. also they may get cancelled out the day before.

i guess what i am saying, is that while you maintain flexibility, you may also not get what you need hour wise as prn, while having some of the same responsibilities as the full time employees.

just be careful and check the contract (job description) carefully.:)

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Specializes in HHC, QI, CM/UM, ICU, Consulting.

I was completely tired of hospital hours and politics, I went into CM working for Managed Medicaid Health plan. I worked PRN at hospital for a couple years and found I always got assigned the worst possible patients!

One of my previous medical directors, just started a new organization here in Indy, where they provide nursing advocates for a couple of different programs. This might provide an excellent opportunity for nurses to work from home with flexible schedule, it's currently in the works, but I feel it's a great opportunity for any nurse who is interested in working PRN or more. Email me if it's something you'd like me to find out more from her about.

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I have to agree with Arwen Evenstar. I worked part time at one place - enough to keep my benefits and worked PRN elsewhere and it was nice - the only thing that I did not like was having to do annual competencies at 2 places, that was TIME CONSUMING - there is a lot more control though, over when you work when you are PRN and it is kinda nice to just go somplace, do your joband leave, not have to deal with the politics and all!

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Have you considered Agency Work? There are local nursing agencies, versus the national kind. I do that, and I am able to tell them when I am available and when I am not. They pay a little better than PRN. PRN rates at hospitals are usually about 1.5 times the regular rate whereas the agencies are about double. My local agency also offers insurance that can be deducted from paychecks or you can pay them if there is a week you decide not to work.

I don't know exactly where you are in Indiana, but I do know that Nursefinders is in Indianapolis, Merillville, and South Bend for sure. There are many others out there though.

Hope this helps!

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