What Is A PRN Nurse? Dive Into Per Diem Nursing Jobs

The term PRN (pro re nata) is a doctor’s term meaning “as needed” in medicine. It indicates that a drug was not scheduled. Nevertheless, it is used when needed.

PRN jobs are available for healthcare professionals to pick up. The same applies to healthcare PRN staff, or per diem staff, meaning that the healthcare staff was not scheduled. In other terms, it was not planned in their contract that they would work, but since there is a need for healthcare staff, per diem or PRN healthcare staff is hired, temporarily, to fill a need. A PRN or per diem nurse obtains more shifts this way, for example, in terms of pay, given that PRN usually pays higher, although per diem jobs won’t offer social benefits or a long-term contract per se.

Advantages of Working as a PRN Nurse

There are several advantages to working PRN, and it also has its responsibilities. Therefore, nurses need to see whether the benefits outweigh the disadvantages for their own lives. For example, some advantages are:

• The pay is higher. PRN nurses have the potential to earn more than full-time nurses. It is estimated that an RN working as a PRN can earn up to $78,444 per year when working full-time. This depends on the jobs they can land and will vary from job to job.
• Nurses can choose the jobs they want. As they decide how to advance their nursing careers, PRN nurses can choose which specialties to work in, which jobs suit them, the locations and specialties they want, etc.
• PRN nurses can choose the shifts they want to, so they decide their schedule. When nurses choose their schedules, they can decide which holidays they want to spend with their families and friends, choose whether they want day or night shifts, and organize their week the way they want.
• They learn more and are always on their toes, varying from one specialty to another. In one hospital, they may work with pediatrics, in another with geriatrics, and in their next assignment, they may work with emergency patients, so they are always up to date and aware of the terms of nursing.
• PRNs can work from 0 to forty hours per week, depending on them, and this can be both an advantage and a disadvantage. Often, having a couple of weeks off is liberating and a great advantage, but being unable to find work for a few weeks can be maddening. The good thing is that it is not usually part of the PRN job not to be able to find jobs, and nurses are generally always active when they choose to work as PRN nurses.

Some responsibilities and disadvantages to consider are:

• PRN nurses do not have social benefits; they need to seek their benefits and pay for their insurance.
• As PRN healthcare workers, they must always be on the lookout for work; this means they will need to be responsible and always organize their week. If they do not look for work by the time they finish what they are currently doing, they will be out of work for a few days.

How to Become a PRN Nurse?

To become a PRN nurse, it is necessary to have the certification that accredits nurses to be RNs (registered nurses). Some RNs choose to have more certifications, specialties, or master’s degrees. However, specializations are not necessary to work as a PRN nurse; it’s just that when they have these specializations, they can find work more efficiently or jobs with higher pay rates in some instances for highly sought-after specialties such as cardiovascular intensive care unit (CVICU), pediatrics, emergency department, etc. Generally, to be PRN nurses, they need to have experience in the nursing field, and although it is not a requirement, the more experience they have, the easier it is for them to find the best jobs.

How to Find PRN Jobs Near me?

For local travel nursing and PRN, Nursa’s PRN nursing app connects nurses with available jobs close to each nurse. Nurses can search the area they want to find the jobs closest to them, and they can even use the app to search for jobs and try PRN nursing for the first time and try if it’s something that suits them. Some nurses choose to work as local travel nurses instead of PRNs and have a travel nurse job for a few weeks, and they also want to be able to stay in their state.

Many nurses prefer to work as PRN clinicians, while others prefer the stability of full-time contract work. The importance of their work is emphasized by being able to serve where they are needed, and PRN is precisely that: it seeks to have nurses where they are required to best fulfill their role in their profession. It is worthwhile for all nurses to try PRN shifts; this way, they can test if the advantages of this type of work are advantageous for them as well. Search per diem jobs here.