Working FT and PRN in different dept. at the same hospital?

[DesertSky, BSN]

I have a question. I work FT in the ICU, however there is a PRN PACU position that opened up at my current employer. The PRN job requires 4 shifts per month and pays double what my hourly rate is in the ICU since it is PRN. I am interested in picking up the PRN position in addition to my FT ICU job. Do you think my hospital would be ok with me working both?

Please let me know if you have had a similar situation arise and how it worked out.

Thanks in advance!

DesertSky

[klone, MSN, RN]

Probably not, because it would mean you'd go into overtime for one or the other.

[springchick1, ADN, RN]

We've had people do it. At my hospital, you clock in under a different department department code for each job so it isn't overtime. It just depends on the hospital.

[DesertSky, BSN]

Probably not, because it would mean you'd go into overtime for one or the other.

Ah yes, I didn't even think about that. So it sounds like if I want a PRN position with guaranteed shifts, I need to look at another hospital?

[DesertSky, BSN]

We've had people do it. At my hospital, you clock in under a different department department code for each job so it isn't overtime.

Really? Oh that would be great. Perhaps I could ask HR and see if that would be possible.

[OlivetheRN, ADN, BSN, RN]

I worked full time in PACU and still picked up PRN hours in the ED after I left my full time position there. However, I was only paid my baseline hourly rate, plus any differentials and overtime, because it was within the same hospital. The ED just ate the OT costs because they always needed the help and I was a fully trained ED RN. Same thing would happen if I were to work a PRN job at one of the other campuses in our system. Baseline pay plus differentials and OT, not the PRN hourly pay.

[kidsmom002]

I agree with PP that it most likely depends on your hospital's policy. The hospital I work for used to allow people to work an additional job. For many years I had two jobs at a time. Sometimes two PD and sometimes a PT with a PD. However, a few years ago they changed the policy and you can no longer have more than one job within their system.

[DesertSky, BSN]

OlivetheRN and kidsmom002:

Thanks for the replies. It sounds like my best bet is clarifying my employer's policy on the matter and going from there. Thanks for the heads up :)

[elkpark]

We've had people do it. At my hospital, you clock in under a different department department code for each job so it isn't overtime. It just depends on the hospital.

I wonder how your employer gets away with that legally. The employee is still the same person, working more than 40/week without getting paid overtime, regardless of what "department code" s/he is working under ...

[springchick1, ADN, RN]

I wonder how your employer gets away with that legally. The employee is still the same person, working more than 40/week without getting paid overtime, regardless of what "department code" s/he is working under ...

No idea. The people who did it didn't do it long because they didn't like working so much and decided it wasn't worth it. This was about 6 years ago so things may be different now.

[Farawyn]

I wonder how your employer gets away with that legally. The employee is still the same person, working more than 40/week without getting paid overtime, regardless of what "department code" s/he is working under ...

Yes. They called that "double dipping" in my hospital. They said they wouldn't allow it, but they did. I've done it. They also allowed incentives to come in for weekend nights, meaning, an extra $200-$400 per shift depending on how desperate they were.

Non union hospital.

[BittyBabyGrower, MSN, RN]

We can't pick up PRN and be FT where I work either. They will cross train you and you can get OT if they need help on other units.