If you are a registered nurse (RN), a licensed practical nurse (LPN), or a certified nursing assistant (CNA) and haven't yet experienced the opportunities that come with per diem jobs or gigs, you are missing out on a whole world of benefits.
What Is a Short-Term RN Job?
A short-term job is a fixed-time opening or a "gig" in any healthcare center. To better understand this gig-nurse world, here is an explanation to know what we are talking about, starting with pro re nata (PRN) nurse: PRN in medical terms means "as necessary," so PRN nurses are hired on demand for a temporary job without being permanent employees. Therefore, healthcare institutions can hire clinicians when needed in fixed-time conditions.
This method is gaining more acceptance in the healthcare field because, on the one hand, it is an excellent way to face the nurse shortage, and, on the other, it gives meaningful benefits to nurses and healthcare centers to achieve their goals.
Another term that is important to know is per diem, which means "per day." An example of a short-term RN job is a per diem job, which is a position opening with the particularity that the job ends when the shift or the fixed-time contract finishes.
As a gig nurse, you have many benefits if you have good organization skills because you become a freelancer with the chance to balance your life better between your professional and family time. In addition, per diem jobs are a gateway to short-term contracts.
What Is a Short-Term Nursing Contract?
A short-term contract is a temporary job in which RNs, LPNs, and CNAs can be hired for a specific task in fixed-time conditions. This type of contract can result from an outstanding performance in a per diem job in a healthcare institution. This is why per diem jobs can become the gateway to a short-term contract in a hospital or other healthcare center where you may want to work.
Who Can Benefit from a Short-Term Contract?
There are many benefits for RNs, LPNs, and CNAs in this type of contract, and we are going to mention them in the following list:
- Flexibility: With this type of contract, you can decide when you want to work and for how long, so it's easier to choose when you want a break to recharge batteries.
- Travel: If you want to travel around the country or move to a different state, this is the key to finding a place meant for you.
- Burnout: With the possibility of choosing your work environment, the hours you want to work, and changing your responsibilities with new contracts, the chances of burnout are minimal.
- Payment: The hourly pay rates are usually higher than those of a staff nurse, so you can make a better income.
- Specialty: With this type of contract, you may work in different facilities; therefore, you can gain experience in other areas.
- Network: By working in many healthcare centers, you can build a reputation and broad network.
Short-term contracts have these benefits and more; if your life partner has a job where traveling is constant, as an RN, you can go with them and continue working while you are together, which is a win-win situation.
Likewise, if you decide to continue your studies and cannot commit to a permanent job, short-term contracts allow you to balance work and studies, helping you to pay your tuition and providing valuable experience. So these types of contracts have many benefits for RNs, LPNs, and CNAs in different moments of their careers, and all of these jobs come with great life and professional experience.
Per diem jobs will give your professional life a 360° turn; you may click with this style of life and find that your work is one of your passions.
How Long Is a Short-Term Contract?
The length of short-term contracts varies depending on the requirements of the healthcare facility, and it could be for four weeks or more. The time depends on the open position and how long the clinician is needed; with this format, the nurse hired for the short-term contract can continue working as temporary staff—as the necessity arises.
In the same way, if you liked the institution's work environment, the possibility of becoming a permanent staff member would be higher than for someone who has never worked there because you will already know the institution's values and how they like to work.
But How Can I Find Short-Term Travel RN Jobs?
There are two ways to find travel RN jobs: the first is through a third-party staffing agency, and the second, as mentioned before, through per diem jobs found in apps, such as Nursa, that have direct contact with employers and clinicians, making the process of choosing a job more efficient.
Getting to Know Nursa and What It Offers
After talking a lot about per diem jobs, short-term contracts, and all the benefits and advantages they can offer you, it feels right to introduce a tool that will help you in your quest to become a gig nurse and will continue right beside you in your professional career.
Like per diem jobs become the gateway for short-term contracts, Nursa will be the point of inflection for your career. With Nursa, you will find per diem jobs near you or, if you want, in another state.
Nursa doesn't provide short-term contracts but is the best app to find per diem jobs. Plus, the possibility of a short-term contract is always open when you pick up a per diem shift, so a whole life of professional opportunities is ahead of you.
And last but least, Nursa doesn't hire; it is a portal on which healthcare centers can post jobs, and nurses can find gigs. Download the app from the Apple Store or Play Store and complete the app's requirements. You will not regret it.
