by The translation of Per diem is “by the day.”
In the nursing field, when someone is a per-diem nurse, he or she is an essentially on-call nurse.
What on-call includes is different for various facilities.
In some facilities, the on-call nurse is a nurse who is called when someone calls in sick.
Shifts for on-call nurses may vary from eight to twelve, and the facility also determines the duration of the shift.
The on-call nurse also gets scheduled for work when colleagues wen on vacation or are absent for other reasons.
Per-diem nurse in some facilities is hired only seasonally, to step in when there is a shortage in the stuffing.
It can happen during the cold season when more patients are n need of medical help.
Covering in the holiday season is considered seasonal in some facilities because it is time when many healthcare works take the days off.
One of the most important benefits of being an on-call nurse is choosing your own shifts.
Every on-call nurse can decline the work if he or she isn’t available at a time.
Often, on-call nurses accept to work on holidays because of the higher hourly rate.
However, nurses must be available for their personal needs, including children’s needs.
On-call nurses don’t have any rigid schedule.
Another benefit is the highest rate.
The reason behind the higher paycheck is that per diem nurses don’t have other benefits such as health insurance or set hours.
The primary drawback is the lack of work in some days.
On-call nurses can wait for weeks without shift.
The consequences are financial if the nurse doesn’t have an additional source of income.
Additionally, lack of other benefits such as insurance paid vacation, sick days, etc are also cons of accepting the job as an on-call nurse.
Again, these elements can cause financial strain.
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