What does "contingent" mean?

Nurses General Nursing

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Please forgive my ignorance, but I'm trying to find an entry-level position in a hospital before I start school. I see some positions listed as "contingent", and I have absolutely no idea what that means. I haven't applied to any of those positions for fear that they may not offer enough hours for me to be able to live on. I'm probably way off, so if someone could shed some light on what it really means I'd truly appreciate it!

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Contingent generally means PRN--meaning you are not guaranteed hours and there are no benefits available.

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I wasn't sure what it meant so I looked it up.

I gather that it is not yet confirmed.

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–adjective1.dependent for existence, occurrence, character, etc., on something not yet certain; conditional (often fol. by on or upon): Our plans are contingent on the weather.

2.liable to happen or not; uncertain; possible: They had to plan for contingent expenses.

3.happening by chance or without known cause; fortuitous; accidental: contingent occurrences.

4.Logic. (of a proposition) neither logically necessary nor logically impossible, so that its truth or falsity can be established only by sensory observation.

–noun5.a quota of troops furnished.

6.any one of the representative groups composing an assemblage: the New York contingent at a national convention.

7.the proportion that falls to one as a share to be contributed or furnished.

8.something contingent; contingency.

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Some hospitals use "contingent" as their term for "prn" or "per diem" positions -- meaning there's no set, guaranteed number of hours; they ask you to work when they need extra help. Not a good choice if you need dependable, stable income and standard benefits. On the other hand, it's better than nothing (which, in the current employment climate, is saying quite a bit) and it gets your "foot in the door" at that facility -- you would generally get preference when a full-time position becomes available.

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Contingent generally means PRN--meaning you are not guaranteed hours and there are no benefits available.

Ahh, exactly as I thought. I definitely need a steady paycheck, so I guess I'll continue to skip over those positions. Thank you for the response.

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Specializes in being a Credible Source.
Ahh, exactly as I thought. I definitely need a steady paycheck, so I guess I'll continue to skip over those positions. Thank you for the response.
I totally understand your reasoning -- and shared it myself... until I became a bit more desperate and came to realize that what I needed in the near term, even more than a regular paycheck, was experience.

I was fortunate to be hired FT but two other new grads were hired PRN and they're still getting experience... and quite a few hours.

I'd encourage you to apply for everything... a PRN gig might tide you over until you find a FT gig. Besides, you can always turn it down. You may at least get some valuable interviewing experience and begin making some contacts with people who may later have FT positions.

Also, FT postings are often perfunctory and the positions already slated to internal candidates... who're often PRN folks.

Now's not a great time to be overly selective in your applications.

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Ahh, exactly as I thought. I definitely need a steady paycheck, so I guess I'll continue to skip over those positions. Thank you for the response.

No problem. Good Luck!

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if the hospital does research/grants it can also mean "contingent upon funding".

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if the hospital does research/grants it can also mean "contingent upon funding".

The job postings I've seen for positions like that have usually said "contingent upon funding" or "contingent upon grant approval" rather than just describing the position as "contingent."

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Contingent means work that other nurses do not want, when they do not want it and where they do not want it.

It also means that the person taking the "contingent" job is treated like a disposable entity or worse just treated like dirt.

Contigent work is the worst assignment possible under the worst possible conditions and sometimes not even possible at all.

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Ahh, exactly as I thought. I definitely need a steady paycheck, so I guess I'll continue to skip over those positions. Thank you for the response.

I don't know if I would look past them. Two of my past full time jobs came from PRN positions first-this way they get to 'try you out' before hiring full time.

otessa

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Contingent means work that other nurses do not want, when they do not want it and where they do not want it.

It also means that the person taking the "contingent" job is treated like a disposable entity or worse just treated like dirt.

Contigent work is the worst assignment possible under the worst possible conditions and sometimes not even possible at all.

Contingent work is not the worse possible assignment. I've been doing it for almost 6 years and love it. I changed to PRN once we could financially take the hit if I got cancelled a lot and believe me I never get cancelled. My unit treats prn nurses no different than regular staff. It just depends on the hospital I guess. If you have no offers I would take it. I would want to know how they will handle my orientation though. And once orientation I would want a few guarenteed shifts so I can work without a preceptor but close to my orientation time. Will you be on one unit or floated throughout the hospital. I think the floating part could be difficult for a new nurse at first.

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