Per Diem Nurse Jobs
Apply online today to access per diem nursing jobs across the United States. Per diem nursing is a great way to earn additional pay by picking up extra shifts or to enjoy the freedom of a flexible schedule.
Benefits of Per Diem Nursing
- Supplement existing income
- Flexible days and hours
- No long-term commitments
- Earn higher than average pay
About Per Diem Nursing Jobs
Per diem nursing is a good match for nurses looking for scheduling flexibility or to supplement their existing incomes. In order to work per diem, a nurse becomes the employee of a per diem staffing agency or "registry". The staffing company is generally contracted with multiple healthcare facilities in a given marketplace. When a facility lacks the staff to provide sufficient coverage for a given shift, they call upon the agencies contracted with them to provide supplemental staff. The agencies each maintain a pool of nurses who give their availability to pick up shifts each week. As needs come in from facilities, agency staffing coordinators call through their pool to find available nurses qualified to meet the facilities' needs.
As agency employees, per diem nurses are paid by the staffing agency, usually on a weekly or biweekly basis, and some agencies even offer daily pay. Although there are many nurses who make per diem nursing their primary source of income, most work per diem shifts to supplement their existing incomes. Per diem nurses are paid hourly and usually make very good rates, sometimes earning more than $500 per shift.
Many nurses are attracted to working on a per diem basis because of the flexibility the scheduling affords. Per diem nurses have the flexibility to choose, at least to some extent, where they will work. Nurses who work per diem do not have to go back to a unit or facility that is not a good match and can choose to make themselves available only to certain units and facilities. Per Diem nurses also enjoy the flexibility to make themselves available or not. Since facilities sometimes know of staffing needs weeks in advance, nurses are able to "sign up" for shifts based on the days they are open to working. Other times, needs come with very little notice. It is not uncommon for a per diem nurse to receive a request to go in right away for a shift. Of course, the decision is always up to the nurse as there is no obligation to work until a shift is confirmed.
Per diem shifts are usually confirmed 2 hours prior to the start time. Prior to that time, the facility and the nurse each reserve the right to cancel. After that time, neither agency nor facility can cancel without penalty.