Jessica’s Story: RN Achieves Work-Life Balance with Nursa

At Nursa, we are sitting down with some of the nurses who use our app regularly to learn from them how we can better serve their needs.

Nurses like Jessica inspire us with their perseverance and ability to find harmony between work and life. Her story reminds us that balance isn’t just a goal—it’s a journey worth sharing.

Her ongoing nursing story

From the time Jessica first helped her friend get up from a painful fall on the playground, she knew she wanted to be a nurse and was determined to pursue her dream.

She made the most of a CNA course sponsored by her high school. Once she got her certification, she started gaining hands-on experience working as a CNA in long-term care even before graduating from high school.

The work confirmed her love for healthcare. She went straight into nursing school, first becoming an LPN, then relentlessly going on to earn her RN and later her BSN. She worked full-time in the field she loves all the way through nursing school.

Starting at a young age, and now with 15 years of experience as an RN, her commitment to nursing is as strong as ever.

Jessica’s husband is a devoted police officer, and when they had their dear children, she began feeling the pangs and stress of balancing motherhood with nursing. They shared the responsibility of caring for the children, but there were days when her husband phoned and said there had been a death or another critical situation he had to deal with. He could not leave work, and she was at her full-time job, where she also often helped families come to grips with death or formidable health issues.

Child care had become unmanageable for the two of them. She felt she had to find a way to meet her family's needs and follow her calling as a nurse.

Flexibility gives you freedom

She found the answer in the flexibility of PRN shifts.

Choosing shifts around her family’s needs has been a game-changer for her work-life balance.

Now Jessica says:

“I think sometimes people think that nursing is rigid and not flexible, but I actually think it is flexible and that you can really create your own schedule. As a mom and a wife, I’ve been able to really juggle a work schedule around everybody else’s schedule.”

Currently, she prefers to combine a part-time job with per diem shifts.

Hybrid work models are appealing

While she enjoys PRN work, she also values consistency and suggests a part-time + PRN hybrid model that she thinks works well for many hardworking parents.

“I do value consistency, but I also value freedom. So, I like having both.”

As it turns out, this hybrid model also benefits facilities.

Nursa’s 2023 survey of 203 hospital executives indicated that nurse staffing is an ongoing major challenge. In 2023, 86 percent of hospitals lost over 10 percent of their nursing staff. Turnover in long-term facilities is even higher. To address this challenge, healthcare organizations are increasingly adopting hybrid models that combine part- or full-time roles with per diem nursing.

The number of PRN nurses more than doubled from 2019 to 2023 and is still growing. These flexible arrangements allow nurses to maintain work-life balance while helping facilities adapt efficiently to fluctuating staffing needs.

Over half of the interviewed health system executives stated that having a bigger pool of nurses provided by per diem staffing allows them to give their internal staff more control over their schedules—something every nurse knows makes a huge difference in balancing work and life.

Both facilities and nurses are finding value in a hybrid work model combining traditional positions with per diem shifts.

How do you fit in with the regular staff as a PRN nurse?

Jessica feels that the internal staff nurses appreciate the support and have a grateful, helpful attitude toward her.

She lives in the rural Midwest, where the nursing shortage is felt acutely. Rural areas have fewer nurses per capita than urban areas. Besides having less access to healthcare, patients in less populous areas tend to be older and sicker, with higher rates of obesity, smoking, and high blood pressure.

Rural facilities struggle to provide high-quality care and stay open, especially with the 2024 CMS staffing standards for long-term care facilities.

Nursing homes and their staff need help, and clinicians like Jessica are often warmly welcomed.

Does PRN nursing address the nursing shortage?

PRN nurses are highly effective in addressing nursing shortages. They provide flexible, on-demand staffing that fills critical gaps in care. They help healthcare facilities maintain safe nurse-to-patient ratios during peak times, staff absences, or unexpected surges, which reduces burnout among full-time staff and improves patient safety.

Nursa offers you the opportunity to fill critical gaps in coverage.

What does Jessica love most about Nursa?

Jessica prefers Nursa over staffing agencies or other apps because it clearly shows shift details like pay, mileage, and hours upfront. In her own words:

“Some other apps are not as transparent; you have to bid money or bid on shifts almost, and it's kind of super competitive. I think Nursa is an easy platform.”

You will love Nursa, too. Find joy again in nursing with PRN jobs.

What about taxes? Isn’t the 1099 work model complicated?

Doing your own taxes can be complex and feel overwhelming. However, Jessica does it and even sees it as an advantage because she runs her own business. She said:

“I think sometimes that’s a lot for nurses to think about, but I’m like once you do a few 1099s, it’s not a big deal.”

Nursa’s 1099-NEC Ultimate Tax Guide for Independent Contractors gives clear guidelines for handling your own taxes.

Key takeaways to learn from Jessica

Here are some key insights we gleaned from the interview with Jessica:

Flexibility equals freedom: Choosing PRN shifts gives you the freedom to find a work-life balance.
Rural facilities need help: Staffing is a big challenge in rural areas, and PRN nurses help meet this long-standing need.
Transparency builds trust: Jessica trusts Nursa because it is transparent regarding hours, pay, and policies.

Learn more about what Nursa does for you, as a nurse, manager, or scheduler.