Nursing Uncharted Ep 121 - Per Diem Nursing - The Flexibility You Didn't Know You Had

Ever wondered if there's a way to keep your nursing career alive without committing to another 13-week contract? What if you could design a schedule that actually fits your life? 

In this episode of Nursing Uncharted, host Ann goes rogue for a real, unscripted conversation with AMN senior recruiting managers Tia and Rosie. Together they reveal the ins and outs of per diem nursing, a path that offers nationwide flexibility, exclusive scheduling freedom, and a way to stay connected to patient care on your own terms. From myth-busting common misconceptions to sharing emotional stories about nurses who used per diem work to be present for family during life's hardest moments, this episode will transform how you think about your next career move. 

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Key Topics Discussed: 

• Defining Per Diem: What makes this work arrangement different from travel and staff nursing. 

• Maximum Flexibility: Choosing your own shifts, facilities, and schedule without a 13-week commitment. 

• Real Nurse Stories: How per diem nursing supported clinicians through family emergencies, burnout recovery, and career transitions. 

• Myth-Busting: Separating fact from fiction about contracts, unpredictable schedules, and who per diem work is really for. 

• What Facilities Look For: The experience and qualities that help clinicians succeed in per diem roles. 

Chapters: 

• 00:00 - Welcome and meeting Tia and Rosie 

• 04:37 - The most common question clinicians ask about per diem work 

• 05:44 - What makes per diem nursing different 

• 07:06 - Specialties and career stages where per diem thrives 

• 12:19 - The flexibility that sets per diem apart 

• 15:01 - A story of per diem nursing supporting family during illness 

• 19:00 - What facilities look for in per diem candidates 

• 23:47 - Getting started: your first conversation with a recruiter 

• 27:48 - Myth-busting per diem nursing 

• 30:41 - Final advice for nurses considering per diem work 

Resources Mentioned: 

• AMN Healthcare per diem nursing opportunities: https://www.amnhealthcare.com/careers/nursing/per-diem/?utm_source=Spotify&utm_medium=Social&utm_campaign=NU_ep_description&LO=Spotify.com 

• AMN Healthcare employee assistance program: https://www.amnhealthcare.com/about/employee-assistance-program/?utm_source=Spotify&utm_medium=Social&utm_campaign=NU_ep_description&LO=Spotify.com 

Guest Spotlight 

Meet our guests, Tia and Rosie, senior recruiting managers at AMN Healthcare with a combined 17-plus years of experience connecting clinicians to per diem opportunities nationwide. Tia, with five and a half years at AMN, brings a passion for building lasting relationships with clinicians and matching them to roles that support their goals. Rosie, with over 20 years at AMN, offers a wealth of knowledge on helping nurses transition into flexible work that balances career and family life. Together, their stories illustrate how per diem nursing can be a sustainable, rewarding path at any career stage. 

Ready to explore nationwide flexibility on your own terms? Subscribe to Nursing Uncharted and share this episode with a nurse who needs to hear it! 

Transcript 

00:00:06:03 - 00:00:12:08
Hey, guys. Welcome back to another episode of Nursing Uncharted. It's your host. And this episode.

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did this once before. We kind of went a little rogue. And we're doing this real and raw with the foundation of this podcast is. And I'm having this conversation with my next two guests for the first time.

00:00:23:12 - 00:00:39:21
 So everything that you guys here, I'm also hearing for the first time. So I like this concept. I love that it's with our own AMN recruiters. And we're going to talk about a part of the nursing community that I think needs a little bit more light shined on it.

00:00:39:23 - 00:00:49:20
 something that I've done in my travel nursing career past, but I think that it's something that deserves a little bit of a highlight and a reminder that it's out there.

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It's something that creates more flexibility, more freedom, and it's something that maybe if you're in a transition between positions, you're trying to figure out what to do. This is a really great opportunity. So I invited these next two guests to kind of go over what that is and what that looks like, and it's per diem nursing. So please welcome my next two guests, Miss Tia and Rosie.

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Tia, if you want to kind of start this off, introduce yourself. Tell us

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what, what your role is. And a little bit, maybe a fun fact. Okay.

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don't see you.

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am a senior recruiting manager

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with all local, pretty on side.

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I've been with the company for about five and a half years.

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to be honest, I love meeting new people. I love my nurses. I love being able to hear and live through their stories and their traveling, to be honest.

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talked to a lot of my nurses. That's like, I just got off a travel and I need a break.

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And I've been so different countries and I just honestly, I lived through them and I love it. I love that, I love that that's one thing that I love about nursing, too. It's so funny. I'm always like, I love the connections and the people that you meet. Especially in travel. You meet people that you would have never thought you'd meet before.

00:02:04:02 - 00:02:10:17
And I love that. That's one of my favorite things too. What about you, Rosie? Introduce yourself. Tell everyone what you do.

00:02:10:19 - 00:02:13:19
Okay, well, I'm also a senior recruiter. Manager,

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in local nursing. I've been in the company for about over 20 years.

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This is even before

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it became a a man. I started as a foreign,

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nurse recruiter.

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Yes. So,

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basically,

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I helped the clinicians find flexible per diem opportunities that fit their schedules and career goals.

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We partner with health care facilities to help meet the staffing needs, while ensuring that clinicians have access to a rewarding and convenient work opportunities.

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love what I do because at the same time, we're helping people balance their work life and family life and help patients.

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So yeah. Yes, that's what I that's what I loved about per diem. And it's so funny I

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been with am I started my travel journey actually seven years ago, which is crazy because we, we think it was 2019. And I'm like, how is 2019 seven years ago? I don't the math the math for me. But you

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know, it's reality.

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And I remember just being in the travel world during Covid and Nikki was so different than all the other,

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specialties during Covid. So I was like

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kind of hurting for a job at one point. And my recruiter,

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gave this as an opportunity. And then I talked with one of you guys

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your team and, you

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educated me on what this was.

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And I had no idea what it was and the amount of flexibility that it gives you. And I'm really excited that we are having this episode, because I think it's something that even I encounter now is that, well, why don't you look at the per diem aspect under Am and,

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explore that. And they're like, what? Like that's an option.

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So I think it's I think it's good to to shed some light on it.

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So I guess what is how how do the nurses get to you. Like, how is that is it something that maybe they're

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the like

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the travel. They just came off of a 13 week assignment, maybe extended for a couple of months, and then their recruiter kind of refers them over to you or what is like

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guess the most common way you get connected with nurses,

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they get referred to us travel recruiters,

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other nurses,

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we source them out.

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Yeah.

00:04:20:18 - 00:04:26:15
that's true. I've sent I've sent a couple of your way to. So maybe maybe that word of mouth is what gets you there. What is

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most common question or

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or like what is the first question you would get maybe to like, you could think of like, what is what is the most common thing you hear in that initial conversation?

00:04:37:11 - 00:04:57:08
Oh. The first conversation. Well, the first question I'm always ask is, am I required to do 13 weeks? That is always a most common question. Do I have to sign a contract in order to pick up shifts? And I think we shocked them a lot when we say, no, you're, it's an ongoing opportunity for you. It's an ongoing,

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ongoing revenue for you.

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A lot of clinicians are nervous,

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they come to us,

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they're getting transferred from travel to per diem, a lot of them are nervous because they feel like they're about to go back into a contract. But I love being able to explain that, no, you don't have that requirement. Per diem is ongoing and you're able to It's shocks them.

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You're able to make your own schedule. It's not you're not required to stick to that. And that's crazy because even you saying that I'm like, wait, I forgot about that because it has been a minute since I've done,

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per diem contract, even call it a contract, but a per diem assignment, maybe.

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it is it gives you that even more flexibility.

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But oftentimes I worked that even maybe sometimes more hours than I had on a travel contract. But it was up to me to make that decision, which was pretty cool.

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So if someone came to you and they're like,

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what is this?

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what is per diem nursing? And how is this different than any other per diem

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job out there?

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I would say that per diem is having flexibility.

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That is basically the the biggest,

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difference that you can make your own schedule. You can take your vacation whenever you want to.

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It works around what's convenient for you and your family. And let's say you have a regular job.

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You can also do per diem extra work to bring in extra income you want to save for that vacation, or you want to save to buy a house, whatever your goal is.

00:06:21:17 - 00:06:24:00
Yeah. This gives you that opportunity. Yeah.

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I mean, that's a really it's a really good point. It's almost like

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another, like,

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supplemental income. And I'm here in California.

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I actually forgot to ask you guys where you you were at currently. But in California it is not common to have one job as a nurse like you usually are juggling multiple multiple jobs. And even if you had a staff job, you could still do a per diem,

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another facility and, you

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able to supplement or save up for that vacation or save up for,

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your retirement because you're wanting to get out or whatever it may be.

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does. It does offer like a

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lot of a lot of flexibility. Do you do you see certain specialties, like more so than others in in the per diem realm?

00:07:06:13 - 00:07:22:02
I don't think so. I, I think we it's, it's a wide span even for, for nursing. I've, I've seen message I've seen tele I've seen E.R., ICU, even O.R. has become heavy and PACU has become heavy as well.

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To be honest, it's a wide variety that we're seeing. Yeah, that we do a lot of

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PACU.

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had I've talked to a lot of PACU nurses. That seems to be a a dream job for the nursing career. It's a it's a a nicer schedule, a more realistic normal schedule outside of the nursing

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nursing 12 hour shifts.

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But that's a good that's a good one to point out to you that you

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even in that specialty that you may think not be available, that that is a that is an opportunity which is, which is nice.

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is there a certain population or area in the someone's nursing career where you're noticing this shift into per diem, like is there like a,

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you know, you're noticing someone's now 20 years into their career or is it pretty broad?

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It's pretty broad. But I would say,

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noticed that a lot in nurses,

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travel nurses, you

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sometimes because they do need to take that break.

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I would say it, it, it really it in any at any point in their career.

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don't know about UT, I if you notice a certain,

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that you believe

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it.

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I've seen it broad as well. I've had it to where nurses have only been like. And I say this, I literally just got the phone with a nurse.

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He's only been a nurse for a year, and he's interested in per diem and kind of learning the ropes. And I've also had to wear my nurses are ready to retire, but they want to kind of keep their foot in the healthcare door.

00:08:44:19 - 00:08:54:05
Yeah. So per diem works a lot better for them. So to be honest, it's it's abroad. It's not beginning or at their end of their career or they're

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in between, you know,

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new mothers that need more,

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more flexibility. It's at any point I'm in New York also. So,

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the same, I would say, as California nurses all have,

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have the full time and they also do pretty,

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mean, it's it's sad to think about. It's like, you know,

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we're out there, we're out there saving lives. And we have to we have to have multiple, multiple jobs to survive on our own.

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But something you brought up to you that,

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I didn't even think of, but

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Almost someone a year into nursing and wanting to explore other opportunities like that may be a way for someone to get, like to test the waters or like, dip their toe in a different pool,

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say, okay, well, I'm in, I'm in ICU, but what if I wanted to maybe go to a surgical ICU or neuro ICU, or maybe

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even specialize a little bit? They could maybe have that opportunity to give that give that a try. Do you ever see that working like is that something that this could fit someone looking to do that.

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So what I would say is so each facility is different and I'll be honest on in regards to your specialty,

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I have to say a high percentage is a lot of the facilities that we do work with and that we place our clinicians in, they do want the nurses to have experience in that specialty.

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It's not necessarily on a teaching way. Right.

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some hospitals have higher acuity. And of course some patients are a little bit more sicker. So they want to make sure that,

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we love our new grads, but but they don't want anyone to kind of like freak out a little bit or anything. So being used to that acuity,

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is a lot more easier to maintain,

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than,

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trying to hospitals are different.

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Being hired on a hospital, you can you can provide that teaching with registry and agency. It's a little bit different to where they do want that clinician to be able to have a little bit of that experience already, to be able to help provide that care. And that makes sense. I'm actually glad I brought that up, because I feel like people may may have looked at it that way is, you

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this is and it's the same for travel even is that you should have some, not some.

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You should have a solid foundation prior to entering into the travel realm, because you don't have those 3 to 6 months of orientation or,

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they expect you to kind of come in there, fill that gap, fill that need, that they have to hit the ground running and take care of the patients. So I'm glad that I asked that question because it it is it is important to understand and be confident.

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know, no one's going to be 100% confident, but at least have that experience and,

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confidence under their belt. So they can they can help. Because at the end of the day, this is still,

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in my I know it's not considered travel, but in my brain, my travel nurse brain is that you still are there to help a facility that is in need of that, that either loss of maternity leave or vacations or whatever it may be to be able to fill in and not have to worry about orientation and all those things it still falls under in my eyes, at least under the same kind of umbrella of that.

00:11:53:13 - 00:11:55:04
We've touched on this a little bit

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so far, but I think one of the biggest things I really wanted to highlight was the flexibility that this that this creates. And in general travel, that's something the conversations I have with all of the travel nurses I've had on this podcast, all the recruiters, is that travel appeals to so many people because you have that flexibility, you have somewhat of a control over where you're going to be, what months you're going to work, what days you're going to work.

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Not that not down to like

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the nitty gritty, but you have somewhat of control over your schedule. But I feel like this takes it another level. So I kind of want to just highlight some of the the key,

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like the biggest draws of that flexibility

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maybe share like a story or like what

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how do you to maybe take this one?

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Like

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how do you have that conversation with someone.

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Yeah. So the good thing about per diem and I love explaining it, but my first question always asked my nurses is, have you ever worked per diem before? Some say I've tried it, some say no.

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Especially my nurses I get from my travel recruiters. So flexibility when you think about flexibility, yes.

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For travel you can choose like

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your months, you're going to travel, you're going to take some months off. The good thing about per diem is you choose what days you want to work, as long as the facility has a need for those days. I would like to add that in there.

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But I have nurses and I tell nurses, you can work if you choose.

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You want to work one day a week. If you choose. You want to work, make it full time. You want to do three days. Have it to where some nurses is like Tia the holidays is coming up, so I need to pick up four days that week. You have that flexibility to do that. You don't have to like

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request time off if you're like,

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oh, I'm going out of the country with my family.

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I have nurses that travel a lot, and because they only see their family once a year, they like,

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I need like

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a month or two off. The good thing about per diem, I don't you don't have to request time off. You can take that time off. I put a note on your profile if I need to let the account manager know we do that and then you don't have to stress about God.

00:13:49:10 - 00:14:12:00
Well, do I get this time off? Do I have to be back on time? you have that flexibility. So having that flexibility for the nurses, they love it. And they have that understanding that I'm not committed to that 13 weeks. I can take time off if I need to, I can make these if I need to, if I need to pick up only two shifts that month or four shifts that month, you have that flexibility to do that.

00:14:12:02 - 00:14:17:13
Yeah. And I and I that I love that you you beautifully. You explained that beautifully. And

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we've talked about you have it in the beginning of your career at the end of your career. It's it's really that broad. And I didn't I didn't really think about that. I feel like it was like meant for like me, like, I guess I make things about me all the time,

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but it's like, okay, where I'm at in my career is I had like

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my, my ten years as a staff nurse and now I have my seven years in travel.

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And now I'm like, you know what? I put the hard work in. I want to do this, and I want to pick my own schedule, but it really works everywhere. And,

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something that came across my mind and maybe I'm getting get too deep to emotional, but also like if

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you have, I'm just thinking,

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unfortunately, I have some friends or like I've

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heard from coworkers that family members are maybe nearing the end of life and they want to spend that time more with their family.

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Because of that, they don't know how much time they're going to have left. Like,

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I feel like this would be.

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I know that kind of got a little deep. I'm sorry. But like, I'm just in my own brain thinking like,

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work. You can still continue to work, but you have that flexibility to still be with the people that you need to be with during either a difficult time or just you knowing that you have a limited time left.

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I don't know, have you? Has anyone ever shared a story like that, or am I just kind of thinking grimly in my own mind right now? No. Yeah. No. You're right. I mean, I've had a few years with that,

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issue. I've had a nurse that's been working for me at a facility for

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three years.

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She was in California, and she moved to New York because her dad was diagnosed with

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cancer.

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And she was able to be there for him during that period. But I've heard that a few times. Yeah, that’s one instance that comes to mind.

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Well, and that's so special too, you know, as nurses, we we do what we do because we, we care,

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we care about our patients. We care about those relationships. But you guys are being a part of that too.

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that's it's almost you you're supporting the nurse that does that job to be able to still do do something she loves, but make it work while still being able to be there for the people that she needs to be there for. I love I love that story. And thank you for for sharing that. I think I think that that opens up a whole different, a whole different area of what this can be.

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It could be,

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we talk about, oh, extra money, flexibility. But just when it comes down to the real life stuff that we go through, this could be a really nice fit to do. You have a story

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came to mind with that as well? Or I feel like you're going to see something that wasn't sure I knew.

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I do have a nurse that actually travels.

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She travels the whole coast of California, so she has her husband and her house in Northern California, but her son has a disability. And so Cal. So she does travel a lot. She's been with me, honestly, since I've been here. So she's been with me for

00:17:01:14 - 00:17:02:10
five and a half years.

00:17:02:10 - 00:17:07:04
And me and her talked all the time, and she travels back and forth and she's like,

00:17:07:06 - 00:17:20:06
I'm so glad I have pretty. I'm like, I don't have to stress about requesting time off. I don't have to stress about getting a new recruiter or finding another facility that will accept me. She has that flexibility to travel back and forth and not have no concerns.

00:17:20:06 - 00:17:20:17
And,

00:17:20:21 - 00:17:27:00
I talk about her because I love her. She's been with me for so long and I kind of,

00:17:27:03 - 00:17:39:18
feels like she's family. So it definitely has this part. Yeah. And I feel like and I've said this like, I've been blessed with my recruiters from Ammon and I, and and it's come to the point that, you know,

00:17:39:22 - 00:17:43:22
it has shifted because people have either taken higher positions or,

00:17:44:03 - 00:17:47:06
left to pursue like a different, a different career option.

00:17:47:07 - 00:18:06:03
But I've had three different recruiters and they're all amazing. And they all know I'm an open book. Anyone who listens to this podcast knows everything about my life, but it just I feel like they're my friends. I feel like they actually care about me, and I don't think I'm lucky. I think that that's what Am puts out there for, for the expectation of recruiters.

00:18:06:05 - 00:18:25:09
And I feel like this almost hits you guys on a deeper level, because it's someone that may be in that position that needs more flexibility, and you're the solution for that, for enabling the nurses to continue their career through either an extended period of time, period of time, or a short period of time,

00:18:25:11 - 00:18:29:00
to allow them to still work, but be there for the responsibilities that they need to.

00:18:29:06 - 00:18:33:06
And I love that. I love these stories

00:18:33:08 - 00:18:41:22
a little emotional. So yeah, I know I opened that can of worms. I'm sorry. I'm just I guess I'm at an emotional state today.

00:18:42:00 - 00:18:58:10
But what what qualities do you think is, is a good quality for someone looking maybe for a per diem role? Like there there's certain things that you look out for that facilities request or you see a trend in what, like the type of person. I know that's terrible to say, but,

00:18:58:11 - 00:19:00:03
is there something that you guys look out for?

00:19:00:03 - 00:19:06:18
Or maybe recruiters will reach out to you and be like, I think this person would be a good candidate. Have you ever encountered anything like that?

00:19:06:20 - 00:19:09:09
Well, definitely experienced,

00:19:09:14 - 00:19:11:01
flexibility.

00:19:11:03 - 00:19:12:13
Dependable

00:19:12:15 - 00:19:14:16
and adaptable, I would say.

00:19:14:21 - 00:19:17:09
well, and it I mean, just flexibility and,

00:19:17:09 - 00:19:22:20
filling in when they need and and also like being, being a nurse who did did per diem.

00:19:23:02 - 00:19:39:02
There will be times where the facility may call me the morning of and it's like, hey, can you come in like we have no one else. You're like in our pool of people to to pull from. So can you come in so that that flexibility to and being there for the hospital as much as you can can also be beneficial.

00:19:39:03 - 00:19:53:17
What is your favorite thing to. What's your favorite thing about Padiham nursing. Like why this area? Like what speaks to you most? Gosh, let me let me put my beginner's hat on. I've been doing recruiting for almost 12 years. So yeah,

00:19:53:19 - 00:20:07:10
honestly, I honestly say I always wear it back to my clinicians meeting my clinicians. And it's not just about yes, I lived through them with travel and stuff, but I always love hearing the why they became a nurse in the first place.

00:20:07:15 - 00:20:10:14
what made you join that medical field? What made you want to,

00:20:10:14 - 00:20:14:23
become a nurse or a postpartum nurse or an ICU nurse?

00:20:15:02 - 00:20:35:02
I love hearing the stories, but I also love building that connections with my clinicians. I know we remote, and we tend to lose that adulting time in public. I always say that, but I tell people I talk to a clinician, I talk to people all the time, like I, I imagine so many different beautiful things that's happening in the world.

00:20:35:06 - 00:21:02:06
I've heard the bad, I've heard the good. So just being able to build that connection, that's that's my wife. That's what made me start. That's what makes me still want to do it, is just because I'm learning new things all the time. I mean, when I say you build that relationship with your nurse, I've had one of my ICU nurses walk me through what a my mom had a triple bypass three years ago, and my nurse literally walked me through it as an ICU nurse.

00:21:02:06 - 00:21:22:12
What to expect as her family member like my mom's daughter, what to expect and that like they they become like so much more than just a recruiter and a clinician. You become so much more. You build that relationship. So you learn a lot. You learn a lot from each other. And that's what I love about it. I love, I love that so much.

00:21:22:14 - 00:21:26:00
We are making this so emotional.

00:21:26:02 - 00:21:33:01
But I do love that. And I think just the stories that both of you told shows that this takes that relationship to another level,

00:21:33:03 - 00:21:46:04
appreciate that so much. And to thank you for sharing that. That was that was beautiful. And I and I, I, I would work honestly with either of you I think to your hunger is like I can like feel it

00:21:46:04 - 00:21:47:04
through this conversation.

00:21:47:04 - 00:21:49:09
And this is the first time I'm meeting both of you, but I'm just

00:21:49:15 - 00:21:53:11
you're just hungry and you have this passion and this, like,

00:21:53:12 - 00:21:59:12
strive and will to just get these nurses where they need to be and, like, make them happy and like, I can, like,

00:21:59:12 - 00:22:02:11
feel that from you and Rosie. Your experience is like

00:22:02:13 - 00:22:03:03
beyond

00:22:03:06 - 00:22:09:21
like the fact of the amount of experience you have under your belt is, is really, really impressive and you're a wealth of knowledge.

00:22:09:21 - 00:22:16:00
So I feel like YouTube probably communicate with one another and like bounce ideas or if there's a situation like I

00:22:16:02 - 00:22:19:05
I can feel that through through this conversation. So,

00:22:19:05 - 00:22:22:18
you know, I love the team dynamic. This is another reason I like Am because it's just

00:22:22:20 - 00:22:26:08
it brings people together. And I love that we can have these conversations.

00:22:26:10 - 00:22:27:21
Rosie, what keeps you here?

00:22:28:00 - 00:22:35:00
being here as long as you've you've been what what is like your what is your why, I guess. I mean, not to put you on the spot with that, but

00:22:35:00 - 00:22:36:15
I love the culture.

00:22:36:17 - 00:22:37:08
Every

00:22:37:14 - 00:22:42:00
team that I've been with, I love everyone that I've been teamed up with. I,

00:22:42:02 - 00:22:44:23
mean, we always say that even about my team.

00:22:44:23 - 00:22:54:04
Like, we love the culture within us, like we're like family. And I love that. And of course, I also love creating the connections with the different nurses. Like,

00:22:54:04 - 00:23:06:06
if I have nurses that I've worked with for the longest time, and I just love being able to help the nurses find the right positions for them, that works for them.

00:23:06:09 - 00:23:16:07
As well as providing qualified nurses to the facilities to care for the patients. So I just what keeps me here,

00:23:16:09 - 00:23:28:19
I love that, and I think the stories that both of you shared really just kind of highlight. Highlight what? That this isn't just, okay, let me find a nurse to put somewhere. There's that relationship that has to happen to find find the right fit.

00:23:28:21 - 00:23:46:23
But let's, let's get let's get back to what if I am ready to go. Never done this before. I have a nurse that's been traveling now for two years. Kind of wants that little bit of a break. What? Where do they start? What is the first what is the first thing that they do? Probably have that conversation with their recruiter and tell them how they feel.

00:23:47:01 - 00:23:48:13
And then they land on your lap.

00:23:48:15 - 00:23:52:20
what? I know we kind of talked about that first conversation, but Rosie, how do you handle,

00:23:52:23 - 00:24:00:22
the nurse that comes to you that's like, I think I want to do this, but like, what do I have to do? Like, what is that initial conversation feel like or sound like?

00:24:01:01 - 00:24:04:08
Well, at that point we're trying to figure out what their goal is,

00:24:04:09 - 00:24:10:12
you know, are you looking for extra income? Are you looking for more flexibility? Or, again, the work life balance?

00:24:10:14 - 00:24:13:09
And at that point, then we start looking for,

00:24:13:09 - 00:24:16:18
basically the facility that could be a good match for the nurse.

00:24:16:18 - 00:24:19:03
of course, depending on their experience.

00:24:19:05 - 00:24:22:01
what questions should they ask. Like, you know, if there's a,

00:24:22:01 - 00:24:32:01
a facility that they really want to go to, but that may not be available. Like if someone's like, I really want to go here. Well, they don't have anything here, but they have one maybe a position that their sister hospital

00:24:32:01 - 00:24:33:13
like what are what are those

00:24:33:13 - 00:24:37:02
questions that the first timers should maybe have with one of you?

00:24:37:03 - 00:24:38:10
Like what do you like

00:24:38:12 - 00:24:39:04
be asked?

00:24:39:07 - 00:24:43:17
first we want to get the pay rate out of the way so that we're both on the same page.

00:24:43:19 - 00:24:46:09
And of course, the scheduling expectations,

00:24:46:09 - 00:24:52:08
orientation requirements. Are you going to be available for a possibility of a whole week orientation,

00:24:52:12 - 00:24:58:18
and other additional facility expectations, the minimum commitment of shifts

00:24:58:20 - 00:25:06:23
and basically as much information as is needed upfront so that they can feel comfortable walking into the first shift.

00:25:07:01 - 00:25:11:19
Yeah. So you're basically like preparing them for that to like, hey, here's what to expect.

00:25:11:21 - 00:25:15:03
because that is another aspect of it. Two of the jobs are

00:25:15:03 - 00:25:17:23
like one out of the 2 or 3 trying to remember,

00:25:18:01 - 00:25:25:04
but like some of them require orientation. But then there was one that I was like looking at that's like, no, you just go in and hit the ground running.

00:25:25:09 - 00:25:35:09
that we expect you to know your you nurse. We know how to do stuff. You can ask people where it is. Good luck. You're on your own.

00:25:35:11 - 00:25:38:00
Which can be intimidating for some people. I mean,

00:25:38:02 - 00:25:44:22
you know, when I was first into the travel world and you went there and you had two days of orientation, I'm like, what? But you know,

00:25:45:01 - 00:25:55:04
but then the more you do it, the more you understand. But if you're new to this and it's like, no, you don't get an orientation, you're just going to go and it be a different charting system or whatever it may be.

00:25:55:07 - 00:25:57:23
That could be a little overwhelming.

00:25:58:01 - 00:25:59:12
Does that has that ever happened

00:25:59:13 - 00:26:01:08
So I

00:26:01:10 - 00:26:03:07
laugh because you say that you be like, what? And I

00:26:03:07 - 00:26:12:16
get nurses that say that to me all the time, and I'm like, depending on what facility they choose, I do like to go through that process and I'm like, hey, I just want to be open and honest.

00:26:12:18 - 00:26:16:05
we have a facility that they do require you to be ready to go, which is why.

00:26:16:05 - 00:26:20:15
And I explain that this is why they require you to have experience in the first place so that,

00:26:20:17 - 00:26:21:15
which is why we don't,

00:26:21:15 - 00:26:30:22
not always place new grads. It just because you won't be able to know that you are self-sufficient. We know that you could do the patient care. But of course there are other things to that understanding of facility.

00:26:30:23 - 00:26:33:06
Understand in the unit, understanding where everything is.

00:26:33:09 - 00:26:34:20
Now, I always say that, you know,

00:26:34:21 - 00:26:39:23
I do get a lot of feedback from my nurses because I want to be able to share their feedback to other nurses, like, well, you know,

00:26:39:23 - 00:26:46:22
you have a manager that's willing to help you have a charge nurse. Someone like you is really helpful to kind of take that fear away.

00:26:46:23 - 00:26:49:04
And they're not the only one or they're not the first one.

00:26:49:07 - 00:27:06:12
These questions have been asked before. Don't be intimidated. But yeah, it can it can be a little intimidating. And it gets hard sometimes. And they're like, wait, we don't get five days. And I'm like, unfortunately no. But the positive of it is you do have people that are willing to help.

00:27:06:14 - 00:27:14:23
They know that your agency. So they're willing to help because they need the help. So technically you're there to help them. So they're going to help you to be successful. Yeah.

00:27:15:03 - 00:27:16:06
love that. I like

00:27:16:09 - 00:27:17:14
that advice and and

00:27:17:14 - 00:27:22:12
preparing it that way. And that's the thing is that the full what being transparent

00:27:22:12 - 00:27:33:18
being transparent from the recruitment stand side and also the facility but also from the clinician too, like can you handle being thrown in there with one day or no days.

00:27:33:18 - 00:27:40:21
And it's just understanding that and it's okay. Like it's okay for someone with ten years of experience to not feel comfortable going and blind,

00:27:40:21 - 00:27:47:22
that is that is acceptable. And I think those conversations and being extremely transparent with one another is helpful in these situations.

00:27:48:04 - 00:27:52:11
that there are some myths that were out there that I want to kind of do a little myth busting.

00:27:52:11 - 00:27:57:10
I feel like we did this already because we've talked about so much. But as we close this up and, you know,

00:27:57:10 - 00:28:00:02
bring in our closing statements, as they say, but,

00:28:00:06 - 00:28:01:15
myth busting is,

00:28:01:19 - 00:28:04:15
per diem is only for nurses looking for extra income.

00:28:04:15 - 00:28:08:17
I think that we've discussed that's not the case. We've talked about other instances.

00:28:08:17 - 00:28:09:05
But

00:28:09:06 - 00:28:10:07
takes on that?

00:28:10:09 - 00:28:11:06
I would say,

00:28:11:10 - 00:28:21:14
per diem, the extra income is always the top of the line. But I would say that if you honestly are looking for flexibility, if you're honestly looking to be able to,

00:28:21:17 - 00:28:28:08
I'm not going to say spend more time, but be able to do what you normally don't get to do, like on a contract or with your permanent job.

00:28:28:12 - 00:28:34:22
Per diem can provide you that flexibility and for you to be able to take a breather. Because sometimes,

00:28:35:02 - 00:28:38:15
I mean, Covid is like we're not in a pandemic anymore. But

00:28:38:15 - 00:28:49:13
I'm saying nurses are burnt out from 20 the end of 2019, we get a 2020 to 2022. You burnt out, and some nurses don't want to be able to make that full commitment.

00:28:49:13 - 00:28:55:16
They just want to be able to breathe and relax and know that, hey, if I need income because,

00:28:55:20 - 00:29:03:12
holidays is coming up, I have that flexibility to do that. I don't have to commit for 13 weeks and have my vacations taken away from me.

00:29:03:12 - 00:29:05:13
So I, I understand that

00:29:05:13 - 00:29:10:18
per diem is always, oh, well, it's just supplemental income, but it does also provide you to breathe as well.

00:29:10:20 - 00:29:15:09
Yeah, yeah. And even what's funny is you saying that it made me think I was looking at jobs like

00:29:15:10 - 00:29:19:06
yesterday or the day before, and I saw a six week contract and I was

00:29:19:10 - 00:29:23:23
yes, like, you know, now, like you've been doing, you know, you've been doing this too long when you're

00:29:24:01 - 00:29:26:07
like 13 weeks, my gosh, three months,

00:29:26:13 - 00:29:28:11
you know, it starts to get it starts.

00:29:28:12 - 00:29:36:02
Even those 13 weeks get to be overwhelming. So those six weeks I'm like, yes, because you end up staying longer a lot of the times on these contracts. But,

00:29:36:02 - 00:29:42:18
you know, not having that commitment is like it gives you like a, like a who I don't have, like I can breathe a little

00:29:42:21 - 00:29:44:06
bit. So this just takes it,

00:29:44:06 - 00:29:46:12
even to a higher level.

00:29:46:16 - 00:29:49:03
The next myth that I've heard and I've,

00:29:49:08 - 00:29:53:16
I've actually heard this personally, is that you have an unpredictable schedule,

00:29:53:22 - 00:29:59:07
not necessarily you and some facilities you get to book yourself even a month in advance.

00:29:59:09 - 00:30:02:01
So it's not. Oh, wow. Yeah.

00:30:02:03 - 00:30:05:16
You book when you are available, you give your availability.

00:30:05:18 - 00:30:15:06
Yeah. And, you know, you may be able to have those last minute pickups if you need, but. Right. No, it's there if you want it. You know, you're not if they call you last minute, if you're absolutely

00:30:15:07 - 00:30:24:05
you can pick up that shift. So it's definitely flexibility. Yeah I'm surprised to hear you say a month in advance I would have never thought that.

00:30:24:05 - 00:30:41:17
But obviously yeah some facilities allow you to. Do they have that in advance? I'm not going to say. Oh but some yeah I want to know where those are. That's kind of nice. As a as a regular travel contract you sometimes don't know two weeks out. So that's that's nice.

00:30:41:19 - 00:31:00:09
let's kind of wrap this up. Let's put like let's put a bow on it and like kind of walk away with some concrete things that if, if someone's going to listen to this they can walk away being like, okay, this might be this might be a good, good fit for me. But what is one thing that every nurse should know about per diem nursing to go?

00:31:00:13 - 00:31:06:05
Do you have I feel like you have something to say to this one thing about her.

00:31:06:07 - 00:31:21:00
It's it's going to kind of it's just going to kind of wrap up what we talked about, just, you know, in regards to you don't have to be I say one thing about per diem is you don't have to be afraid to know where your next shift is going to come from.

00:31:21:01 - 00:31:23:04
Let me let me say that on your next assignment.

00:31:23:08 - 00:31:41:02
The good thing about beam is you can actually have more than one facility underneath your belt at one time. So not only does it provide you flexibility on making your own shifts, but it also gives you flexibility to float to more than one hospital to build your resume as well.

00:31:41:04 - 00:32:03:08
So yeah, that's I knew you had something that was always good. That's like a secret. That's like one of those, like a little coin. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Love love that. What what is like one of the biggest misconceptions I think that we kind of touched on this a little bit, but like that, if someone's super hesitant, like, what is like the one thing that you hear that is like, no, no, no, that's not this at all.

00:32:03:10 - 00:32:06:17
And I, I mean, I feel like I know what it is, but

00:32:06:19 - 00:32:13:16
I feel like we kind of touched on it a little bit like the contract maybe like, is that is that something you hear a lot or not really.

00:32:13:18 - 00:32:16:11
it. That's something some nurses are concerned about.

00:32:16:13 - 00:32:23:17
You know, if it's a contract, we explained that, you know, they're not locked into anything, but we do expect them to keep whatever shifts they do.

00:32:23:18 - 00:32:24:05
Book.

00:32:24:09 - 00:32:46:13
Another misconception is that nurses think that per diem is that they're going to get cold last minute. That's how they're going to get booked. Yeah, that's I believe it's another one which again, you know, you might get called last minute, but it's not necessarily you know, you get to schedule yourself ahead of time. Yeah. You may get those calls.

00:32:46:13 - 00:33:10:17
That doesn't mean one you have to take them. Like you can take a phone call, but you don't have to take the shift. And to that's not the only way you will get your shifts. Yeah. Yeah. Well what would be one takeaway if if you're talking to your best friend and they're going through it and they're just like, I don't know if I want to do nursing anymore, what what would you how would you get your best friend to try per diem nursing.

00:33:10:23 - 00:33:15:21
Program gives you the freedom to create a career that works for you.

00:33:15:23 - 00:33:18:20
You know, you could still you can step away from

00:33:18:20 - 00:33:26:00
basically doing full time nursing and still do the profession that you love. Yeah. By picking up a deal,

00:33:26:02 - 00:33:26:18
I love that,

00:33:26:18 - 00:33:33:09
To. Do you have anything to add to that? I mean, I feel like Rosie hit it on the head there. No, I think she hit it. But also I will also

00:33:33:09 - 00:33:37:16
say, you know, just kind of think back. What made you get into nursing in the first place?

00:33:37:22 - 00:33:43:18
That's, whether you're doing travel or per diem. What made you want to do it in the first place?

00:33:43:22 - 00:33:48:23
And then just also think about, you know, all the lives you can touch and influence,

00:33:49:04 - 00:33:51:01
by you continuing.

00:33:51:02 - 00:34:06:22
Yeah. And it gives you I mean, like you said, the burnout, it gives you that opportunity to not walk away completely. It gives you a little bit of a break to fill your own cup back up, and then get back out there and get back to knowing that you do this because you love it.

00:34:06:22 - 00:34:12:01
And getting back to your foundation and getting back to back to your why, which is which is important.

00:34:12:06 - 00:34:23:15
I am really happy that we had this conversation. I'm glad that we shed light on this, because I do think it's something that not enough people know about. The people that do it. Know it, love it, and continue to do it.

00:34:23:16 - 00:34:42:00
And I think it's I think it's great to to highlight this talk with you guys. I mean, you both have amazing personalities. So I want to work with both of you. I'm sure the listeners are going to be hitting you up because you just have these, you know, personalities that draw you in. And and I think that I think we're going to get a lot of movement from this.

00:34:42:02 - 00:34:57:07
But thank you both for being here so much. I appreciate both of you, and I'm so happy to have met you again. This is our first conversation. So this is this was fun to do this. You know, like I said, going rogue and meeting you for the first time. This was a real and raw conversation. And I appreciate the stories.

00:34:57:07 - 00:35:01:00
I appreciate the vulnerability, and I hope to have you both back.