A huge advantage of being a nurse is that your profession is always high on demand, which means that you have job security. Being a travel nurse, on the other hand, brings you more of an advantage since you get to make people better while traveling around the states. Oklahoma is one of the states where you would want to get assigned in and there are a lot of Oklahoma per diem nursing jobs that you could take into consideration. Is working per diem shift worth it? This is a guide to per diem nursing in this state.
What does it mean to be a per-diem nurse?
Becoming a per diem nurse brings you flexibility, giving you a chance to balance both your work life and your personal life. You would be able to decide where you get to work, when and how often you work, and even give you the opportunity to work more than one job or hospital, giving you a chance to earn extra money.
Benefits of per-diem nursing work
- Enjoy the Ideal Work-Life Balance
Being a full-time nurse may or may not be taxing to you, all the shifts and you couldn’t be able to work out your personal schedule, and you would like to slow the pace down a little bit. Or you want to finally start a family, take care of your loved one who has an illness, go back to school and advance your education, or maybe you would want to spend more time with your hobbies that have nothing to do with work. All of these scenarios could be taken care of once you decide to become a per diem nurse.
The flexibility of being a per diem nurse would give you the choice in how often you would want to work in order to create a balance of your work life and your personal life that has nothing to do with your job.
If one of your concerns is having the same benefits as someone who is working full-time, you are often eligible for the same things, like health insurance and 401(k) saving accounts. This would vary depending on which staffing company you decide to work with.
- Per Diem Nursing Offers Unmatched Flexibility
Let’s get into the meaning of per diem as a phrase, the phrase itself means “per day” in Latin so it means that you are temporarily filling up a spot in a hospital or healthcare facility. You could be filling up for a day, or several days because of the unexpected gap in the staffing.
The healthcare worker or clinician you are covering for may be out for several reasons, they could either be sick or on vacation and the facility would be relying on you to cover the gap. They would usually need it last minute, so the amount of money they would be paying you would be premium, especially during the holidays and times where there are natural calamities.
There are a ton of pros and cons when it comes to this job, it all depends on the individual. You could work if you want to, and say no if you don’t. You could also work one per diem shift a month or do it for several weeks, it’s all up to you.
- You Could Try a New Specialty or Facility Before you Commit
There are some people who value stability, and that could be one of the reasons why they are not advancing in their career, but being a per diem nurse, it would give you a great opportunity to explore all of your options beforehand. Maybe you want to change your specialty but you are afraid of losing your stability that you have created in Oklahoma, picking up a few per diem shifts and trying something new could be a way to go because you would not be risking the stability that you already have.
- Work for More than One Hospital in Oklahoma
Working per diem makes it possible for you to work in multiple facilities in Oklahoma. You could take this opportunity to work in different areas of your city, maybe even states, or to work indifferent kinds of clinics and areas of the hospital. This is a great path for people who would want to constantly mentally challenge themselves, giving them the mental simulation they need because of the constant change in the work environment.
- Expand your Nursing Skills and Knowledge
Per Diem shift work would give you the opportunity to learn ner technology, and work in a teaching hospital where you would be able to expand your skill set. It is an excellent opportunity to explore all of these options and help you discover which new technology or faculty that you think is right for you. If you want to change your career direction and give you a chance to choose on whether you would want to advance in your career.
- Earn Extra Money
As much as we don’t want to admit it, earning a few extra cash is something that all of us would want, whether you want to pay off your student loans, plan your dream vacation, buy your dream home, and make your next big purchase, per diem would give you a chance to earn a few extra money by picking up extra shifts.
You may or may not be worried that working too many shifts in your facility would lead to a burnout, making earning extra money a tad bit harder, but working per diem is the perfect way to help build up your bank account.