How Per Diem Nurses are Managed by Medical Agencies

As Flu Season Arrives, Health Facilities Turn to Per Diem Nurse Staffing

Per diem nurses in 2021 are needed more than ever, with the unique and complicated situation that we are in now, hospitals, healthcare facilities, and clinics are now hiring as many nurses as they can to help out with the staffing needs that their facilities are facing. It is a great way to make great money because of the flexibility of your schedule. As a person who is interested in taking up per diem shifts, it is extremely important to know your rights as a per diem nurse here and how per diem nurses are managed by medical agencies. How do Agencies manage per diem nurses?

Supplemental Income for Per Diem Nurses

The average RN makes is anywhere between $54,000 and $78,000 per year, according to ZipRecruiter and the following factors are what affects your pay per year:

  • Which hospital or healthcare facility do you work for

There would be different fundings available in each hospital, healthcare facility, or clinic. The nursing salaries are typically being funded through federal, local, and state government resources, but it could also come from private resource funding; this would vary across each facility and how they are paid for.

  • The state you live in 

The state that you live in, or the state you choose to get your assignment in plays a huge part in how much you earn every year because each state varies based on how competitive the market is, and the cost of living of that particular state.

  • Which licenses, degrees, or certificates do you hold

Each position as a registered nurse is going to require a nursing degree and license, and you are going to need to get both of these no matter what specific nursing field you are planning on working in. All of these would affect how much you, as a registered nurse or per diem nurse, would be able to make per year.

What is per diem pay for nurses?

The part of a per diem nurse may vary depending on the availability of positions of the healthcare facility you are interested in working for and how many shifts you are willing to work. It is hard to give a concrete annual salary number because a per diem nurse could be a registered nurse, licensed practical nurse, or advanced practice registered nurse. You, as a per diem nurse, would be allowed the opportunity to make more money compared to the salary that you would make when you have a standard nursing position.

Is per diem nursing competitive?

The answer to this question is both yes and no since nurses would always be in demand, but the availability would depend on the location that you are planning on working in. There are some areas in the United States that are going to have more available positions than others.

Registered nurses are expected to increase by 7 percent from the year 2019 to 2029, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and this is faster than the average of other occupations. The amount of chronic disease would increase as the population gets larger and older, so this would mean that more nurses would be needed to take care of more patients.

There are going to be some areas that might be harder to find nursing positions in, compared to other areas. If you can’t find a position in your area, you could always try looking for a position a few cities away. That’s the great thing about per diem nursing.

Why do PRNs make more money?

If you are a per diem nurse or PRNs, you make more money because you have more flexibility in your schedule compared to non-per Diem nurses and work on a day-to-day basis. A big factor in affecting this is because you have the option to work as many extra shifts as you would like if the shifts are available.

As a per diem nurse who is working through staffing agencies, or directly with a medical facility, you are given more variety to choose from. There may not be any extra shifts available if you are employed directly through a hospital, limiting you from earning the amount of money that you may want to earn, but you can make extra money by picking up per diem shifts at other healthcare facilities.

The amount of money that you would make would depend on how many facilities need extra help and how many extra hours you are willing to put in when shifts are available since there is no set amount of money that PRNs or per diem nurses can make.