PRN and per diem nursing get used interchangeably all the time — but there’s a real difference, and it changes what you’re actually signing up for. In short: PRN work is usually tied to a single facility, with a baseline of shifts and sometimes benefits. Per diem work is picked up across multiple facilities, at higher pay, with no guaranteed hours and no benefits. Knowing which one you’re looking at tells you what to expect from your schedule, your paycheck, and your commitment.

Why the difference matters (even though the words get blurred)

These two terms get blurred constantly — but the difference changes what you’re actually signing up for: guaranteed hours, benefits, and whether you’re tied to one place. Here’s how to tell, and what to ask.

That matters because the label sets your expectations. Take a role you think is flexible “per diem” work and find out it’s a “PRN” spot with minimum-hour requirements at one facility — or the reverse, expecting a steady baseline of shifts and getting none — and you’ve made a career decision on the wrong assumption. The words are used loosely, so it’s on you to know the real distinction and confirm it.

PRN vs. per diem: what actually differs

Feature	PRN	Per diem
Number of employers	Usually one facility	Multiple facilities
Guaranteed shifts	Often a set/baseline number	Rarely guaranteed
Minimum hours / policies	May require minimums	Usually none
Benefits	Sometimes eligible	Usually not
Variety	One unit or facility	Many settings and specialties
Pay	Higher than staff	Higher still (premium for short notice, no benefits)

In plain terms: PRN leans toward stability — you’re attached to one facility, you may get a baseline of shifts, and you might qualify for some benefits, in exchange for following that unit’s rules. Per diem leans toward freedom — you pick up shifts across different facilities and choose each one, usually at higher pay, but nothing’s guaranteed and benefits generally aren’t included.

Why it matters for you — the three things it changes

1. Income stability. PRN often comes with a baseline of shifts you can count on. Per diem doesn’t guarantee hours — your income rises and falls with demand. If you need steady, predictable income, that’s the single biggest difference.
2. Benefits. PRN roles are sometimes benefits-eligible if you work enough hours. Per diem roles usually aren’t — you’re trading benefits for a higher hourly rate. If you’re relying on a role for health insurance, confirm this before anything else.
3. Commitment and flexibility. PRN ties you to one facility and its rules (sometimes including minimum hours). Per diem lets you work across facilities and choose each shift freely. One is a lighter version of a job; the other is true à-la-carte work.

What to ask before you take a role

Because employers use these terms loosely, the label alone won’t tell you what you’re getting. Ask these five questions about any as-needed role — PRN or per diem — and you’ll know exactly what you signed up for:

1. Are shifts guaranteed, or purely as-available?
2. Am I tied to one facility, or can I work multiple?
3. Is there a minimum-hours or commitment requirement?
4. Am I eligible for any benefits at a certain hours threshold?
5. How and when do I get paid?

Those five answers matter far more than whether the posting says “PRN” or “per diem.”

Where Switch fits

Switch is a per diem platform — so we’ll be straight about what that means: no minimums, no contracts, and no benefits, because that’s what per diem is. What you get in return is the flexible side of that table, done well: you browse and claim open shifts across different facilities in an app, choose the ones that fit, and get paid the same day instead of waiting on a payroll cycle.

Two things make Switch’s version of per diem better than picking up shifts cold. First, continuity — Switch is built to send you back to facilities you already know, so you keep some of the familiarity that usually only comes from staying at one place. Second, accountability — if a facility cancels late or fills a shift internally without updating the app, that’s on the facility, not you, because a shift on Switch is a commitment on both sides.

Frequently asked questions

The bottom line

PRN and per diem aren’t the same — and the difference decides what you can count on: guaranteed hours, benefits, and how tied down you are. Don’t take the label at face value; ask the five questions and confirm. If it’s the freedom side you’re after — pick your own shifts, work across facilities, get paid same-day — [create your profile] on Switch and start browsing [per-diem shifts near you]. New to as-needed work? Start with what a per diem nurse actually is.

The nurse shortage in nursing homes is easing, but not over. Facilities added workers and cut turnover through 2025 — yet 90% of providers still say recruiting is hard, CNA turnover remains above 40%, and every nurse who leaves costs a small fortune to replace. For administrators, the challenge in 2026 has shifted from finding warm bodies to keeping care continuous without burning out the staff you have.

If you run a building, none of that is news — you’ve lived every line of it. What’s changed is the shape of the problem: fewer empty postings than in 2022, but a workforce that still churns faster than you can train it, and a turnover bill that’s climbed while you weren’t looking. Here’s where nursing home staffing really stands in 2026, what it’s quietly costing you, and what keeps care continuous when the labor market won’t sit still.

Where the numbers actually stand in 2026

The crisis framing of 2022 no longer fits. Nursing facilities added roughly 40,700 jobs in 2025, and 62% of providers say their workforce situation improved over the year. Reliance on temporary staffing agencies has dropped about 44% since late 2022 (AHCA/NCAL).

But the hard part didn’t go away — it moved:

• Recruiting is still difficult for 90% of providers, and the biggest drivers of turnover are now insufficient benefits (64%) and no employer-sponsored healthcare (40%) (AHCA/NCAL).
• CNAs — the backbone of long-term care — still turn over at about 42%, the highest of any role.
• Demand keeps climbing as the population ages, with the BLS projecting steady RN growth and roughly 190,000 openings a year through the decade (BLS).

So the question for a nursing home leader in 2026 isn’t “is there a shortage?” It’s “how do I keep my building fully and consistently staffed without paying for it twice in turnover and overtime?”

Challenge #1: Keeping care continuous

At the heart of the staffing problem is continuity. A rapidly aging population means more residents with chronic, ongoing needs — the kind of care that depends on providers who know the resident, the building, and the routines.

This is where a lot of the on-demand staffing market gets it wrong. Some platforms have tried to “Uberize” nursing — treat a shift like a ride and a provider like an interchangeable driver. But care isn’t a ride. A rideshare passenger never needs the same driver twice; a resident with dementia gets measurably better care from an aide who has been back before and knows how they take their medication. When a building is filled by a rotating cast of strangers, families notice, charting suffers, and survey risk climbs.

When you can’t keep a full, familiar staff, the working conditions for everyone get harder. High patient-to-nurse ratios raise the risk of errors, your full-time nurses absorb the gap in overtime, and burnout compounds. The fix isn’t just filling the shift — it’s filling it with someone who’s coming back.

Challenge #2: Recruiting and hiring is slow and expensive

Tell me if this sounds familiar:

You spent hours crafting the perfect job description, thinking through your ideal candidate. You posted for CNAs, LVNs, and RNs on every job board. You spent money boosting the listing on LinkedIn — though you’re not sure the budget was high enough or what the ROI was. Maybe you went the extra mile with Facebook and Instagram posts, and the extra-extra mile with a TikTok. Maybe you even got your administrator or CFO to sign off on a $5,000 sign-on bonus, plus benefits, PTO, and tuition reimbursement.

You blocked your calendar for interviews, went through the scheduling and rescheduling, sat through a couple of no-call-no-shows, and finally found a few candidates you were genuinely excited about. You made the reference calls, worked with HR on offers, built a training schedule, dusted off the manual. You welcomed your new hire, walked them through every policy. The first week went great — and then they missed a shift without notice and ghosted you.

Whew. That’s exhausting just to read. One hiring cycle is daunting; the thought of doing it over and over is worse. And the recruiting timeline backs up the feeling — the average time to bring on an experienced RN runs about 83 days (NSI). No one wants to be stuck in a permanent loop of hiring, onboarding, and training — while revenue leaks at every turn.

Challenge #3: Keeping the staff you hired

Then there’s turnover — and this is where the old assumptions are most out of date. The cost of losing a single staff RN has climbed to about $61,110 on average, with each one-percentage-point change in RN turnover costing (or saving) the average hospital roughly $289,000 a year (NSI 2025). For context on the wage base underneath that, the median RN now earns about $93,600 a year (BLS, May 2024) — a long way from the numbers many old staffing calculators still use.

The number that should worry you most is the CNAs

The RN figure gets the headlines, but in a nursing home the more dangerous number is the aides. Certified nursing assistants turn over at about 42% a year — the highest rate of any role in the building (AHCA/NCAL) — and they deliver the majority of hands-on resident care. When your CNAs churn, continuity doesn’t fray at the edges; it breaks at the center.

Why they leave isn’t a mystery. CNAs are among the lowest-paid workers in healthcare — averaging about $20 an hour in nursing homes in 2025 (Skilled Nursing News) — doing some of the most physically and emotionally demanding work in the building, often carrying loads as heavy as one aide to a dozen-plus residents, frequently without paid sick leave or employer-sponsored healthcare. Providers themselves name insufficient benefits (64%) and no employer health coverage (40%) as the top drivers of turnover. At that pay and that intensity, a better-paying or more flexible option is always one text away.

And the damage compounds. Because CNAs are the staff residents and families interact with most, their turnover is where care quality and survey risk surface first. Each departure resets the relationships a resident depends on and piles more load onto the aides who stay — which pushes them closer to the door. Individually a CNA is cheaper to replace than an RN, but it happens so much more often that the cumulative cost and the disruption to care dwarf the headline RN number. That’s the treadmill, and it’s the real staffing problem in long-term care.

The first months are the riskiest — early attrition is highest before a new hire ever settles in — so every departure isn’t just a rehire, it’s the whole expensive cycle again. Balancing retention, scheduling, and coverage while actually running the building is the job, and it’s brutally hard when there aren’t enough people, or enough margin, to offer the flexibility today’s workforce expects.

What actually helps: a staffing platform built for continuity

If you’re trying to close staffing gaps while keeping care quality high and protecting the staff you already have, [Switch] is built for exactly this. Switch is a healthcare staffing platform that connects your facility with a vetted pool of reliable CNAs, LVNs, and RNs — on demand, but built around continuity, not commodity.

Here’s what that means in practice:

• The same faces, not strangers. Switch is designed to send providers back to facilities they know, so per-diem coverage builds continuity instead of eroding it.
• People who show up — and accountability when they don’t. Switch holds the strictest standards in the category: when a provider no-shows they’re held accountable, and Switch backs its shifts on both sides. That’s how you get a 96% work rate, not just a filled slot.
• Survey Safe. Every provider is credentialed and current, so a surveyor pulling any file finds no gaps.
• Coverage that protects your P&L. Per-diem shifts let you flex to census and cut the overtime and burnout that short-staffing forces onto your full-time team. Our P&L works when yours does — the goal is the right amount of staffing at a price you can actually run on, not a per-shift fire extinguisher.

Whatever your building needs — a Tuesday-night gap or a plan to stabilize staffing across a portfolio — Switch is built to keep care continuous and your survey record clean.

Frequently asked questions

Keep your building covered — and your care continuous

The nurse shortage isn’t the five-alarm fire it was in 2022, but the cost of instability is higher than ever. The facilities that win in 2026 aren’t the ones that find the most bodies — they’re the ones that keep care continuous. [Connect with the Switch team] to see how per-diem and longer-term coverage can stabilize your staffing without blowing up your budget.

A per diem nurse works shift by shift, on their own terms — no set weekly schedule, no guaranteed hours, and usually a higher hourly rate in exchange. “Per diem” means “per day”: you pick up the shifts you want, at the facilities you want, when you want. This guide covers what per diem nursing pays, where the work is, the real trade-offs, and how to start.

How per diem nursing actually works

Per diem is an as-needed arrangement. You agree to a specific shift, you work it, you get paid for it — and you’re not committed to anything beyond that. Facilities use per diem nurses to cover the gaps a fixed staff schedule can’t: call-outs, seasonal surges like flu season, vacation coverage, and open nights and weekends.

Here’s how it compares to the other ways nurses work:

Status	Typical hours/week	Set schedule?	Benefits?
Per diem	Varies (0–36+)	No	Rarely
Part-time	20–30	Yes	Often partial
Full-time	36–40	Yes	Yes

Shifts usually run 4 to 12 hours, and per diem nurses are often expected to step onto a unit with minimal orientation and, at times, float to wherever the census is heaviest. You can pick up per diem work two ways: directly with a hospital or health system’s internal float pool, or through a staffing platform that connects you to open shifts across multiple facilities.

What per diem nurses actually earn

Pay is the biggest reason nurses go per diem. Because there are no guaranteed hours and usually no benefits, the hourly rate is typically higher than an equivalent staff role.

Nationally, per diem RNs average around $48 an hour, with most rates landing between roughly $40 and $80 depending on state, specialty, and shift (ZipRecruiter, Nurse.org). Two things move you up that range:

• Location. The highest rates are in California, New York, and Massachusetts, and high-cost metros like San Francisco, Boston, and Seattle. Pay in other regions runs lower — so compare rates against your local market, not a national headline number.
• Specialty and shift. ICU, ED, and psych shifts sit at the top end, and night, weekend, and holiday shifts carry premiums on top of the base rate.

CNAs and LPNs can also work per diem; both earn less per hour than RNs, and rates vary widely by market. Whatever your credential, the trade is the same: you’re exchanging guaranteed hours and employer benefits for a higher rate and control over your schedule. Whether that math works depends on how consistently you pick up shifts — and how fast you actually get paid. (On Switch, per diem shifts come with same-day pay, so a shift you work today doesn’t sit in a two-week payroll cycle.)

Where per diem nurses work

Per diem shifts exist in nearly every care setting:

• Hospitals and acute care — med-surg, telemetry, ICU, ED, plus specialty units, surgery centers, and dialysis.
• Post-acute and long-term care — skilled nursing facilities, rehab, and assisted living, where CNAs and LPNs are in especially steady demand.
• Outpatient and community — urgent care, infusion clinics, home health visits, and public-health events like vaccination clinics, which often run shorter, more predictable shifts.

The real pros and cons

The upside is straightforward: higher hourly pay, control over when and where you work, and exposure to a range of units and facilities that’s hard to get in a single staff job.

The downside is the part staffing platforms rarely put in writing. Per diem income isn’t guaranteed — shifts thin out during slow census and budget crunches. You often walk into a unit cold. And the frustration nurses name most: a shift that falls through. A facility cancels last-minute, or fills the spot internally and never updates the app — so you drive in, scrub on, and get told you’re not on the schedule. The day is gone, and on most platforms, so is the pay.

That last problem is a design choice, not a law of nature. It’s the specific thing Switch was built to fix: when a facility cancels late or fills a Switch shift internally without canceling, the penalty lands on the facility, not you — because a shift on Switch is a commitment on both sides. It’s also why continuity matters more here than in most gig work. A rideshare rider never needs the same driver twice; a resident in a nursing home gets better care from someone who’s been back before and knows them. Switch is built to send you back to facilities you know, not to treat every shift as a stranger filling a slot.

Who per diem nursing is a good fit for

Per diem rewards clinical confidence and adaptability — you need to integrate into a new unit quickly. It tends to fit:

• Experienced RNs (roughly 1–2+ years in acute care) who can float and work independently.
• Nurses balancing school, an advanced degree, family, or semi-retirement who want flexibility.
• Nurses “test-driving” different facilities or cities before committing to travel nursing or a permanent move.
• Anyone picking up shifts for supplemental income alongside a staff role.

New grads can find per diem work in lower-acuity or long-term-care settings, but most guidance points new nurses toward a structured residency first, then per diem once you’ve got your footing.

Licensure and credentialing

Credentialing tends to come up more often for per diem nurses, since you may work across several facilities. The basics:

• Current, active RN license (or CNA/LPN certification for those roles).
• Up-to-date immunizations, TB test, background check, and drug screen.
• Unit-specific certs: BLS everywhere; ACLS for tele/ICU/ED; PALS for peds; crisis-prevention training for psych.

A multistate license under the Nurse Licensure Compact widens where you can work — as of 2026, about 43 jurisdictions have joined the NLC, with roughly 40 as full members (Nurse.org, NCSBN). Track every expiration date closely: a lapsed credential means a canceled shift and lost income.

Making per diem work for you

The flexibility is only worth it if you manage it on purpose:

• Anchor a core schedule of recurring shifts, then add last-minute openings for extra income.
• Mix your units — balance high-intensity floors (ED, ICU, psych) with lower-acuity clinic work to protect against burnout.
• Protect your rest between shifts, for patient safety and your own.
• Set your limits up front: max hours, preferred shift types, and which weekends or holidays you’ll take.

Done deliberately, per diem is also a career accelerator, not a detour — different populations, technologies, and workflows in one year that a single staff role can’t offer, plus a widening network of managers and teams at every facility you return to.

Frequently asked questions

How to start picking up per diem shifts

1. Check your credentials — license active, certs current, immunizations up to date.
2. Know your preferences — units, locations, and shift types you actually want.
3. Create your profile on Switch — set your credentials and availability.
4. Pick up your first shift — choose what fits, work it, and get paid the same day.

Per diem nursing offers what few career structures can: flexibility, a premium rate, control of your schedule, and real variety. If that’s the career you want, the thing that makes it sustainable is a platform that pays you fast, has your back when a facility doesn’t, and sends you back to the places you like to work. See per diem shifts near you.

Have you ever come across a job add for a “CNA certified nursing assistants PRN” and wondered what that meant?

If you’re considering a career in nursing, you may have come across the term “PRN nurse.” PRN is Latin for “pro re nata,” which means “as needed.” In the context of nursing, a PRN nurse, or per diem nurse, is a nurse who works on an as-needed basis, typically filling in for other nurses who are on vacation, sick, or on leave.

Certified nursing assistant PRN shifts grew rapidly during the COVID-19 pandemic as front-line workers became in high-demand.

But is a career as a PRN nurse the right option for you? Here’s what you need to know.

What does a PRN CNA do?

As a PRN nurse, your job is to fill in for other nurses as needed. This means that you may work at different healthcare facilities or units, depending on where you are needed. You may work on a short-term basis or for an extended period of time, depending on the needs of the facility or unit you are working in.

PRN nurses are typically responsible for providing patient care, including administering medications, monitoring vital signs, performing procedures, and assisting patients with activities of daily living (ADLs).

They may also be responsible for charting and communicating with other healthcare professionals, such as physicians and other nurses.

What is the difference between PRN and CNA?

While registered nurses and licensed vocational nurses can technically also work as PRN nurses, due to different certifications and lower education required for certified nursing assistants, PRN is more common with CNAs.

Responsibilities for PRN certified nursing assistants and full-time certified nursing assistants are largely the same; however, the work may vary with the type of employer and/or the supervisor on duty.

Can I make a good living as a PRN Certified Nursing Assistant?

As a full-time certified nursing assistant considering switching to part-time or PRN, you may be wondering if it’s possible to make a good living while working on an as-needed basis.

The answer is yes, you can make a good living working as PRN certified nursing assistant – but it all it depends on who you choose to work for.

Some platforms pay more than others, and sometimes your pay can be tied to a review from the facility you worked for. Other platforms can charge you a multitude of fees, from insurance to getting paid.

Always be sure you know how much you are going to make before you agree to working a PRN shift, and when in doubt, ask. Additionally, negotiating with human resources for benefits such as tuition reimbursement or commuting expenses can further enhance your overall compensation.

Let’s Start with the Average Salary for Certified Nursing Assistants

The average salary for a certified nurse assistant varies according to patient care experience, geography and the type of facility – for instance, hospital experience may pay more than a long term care facility.

The national average salary for a certified nurse assistant, according to nurses.org, is $34,352 or $17 per hour.

As a Certified Nursing Assistant in Texas, the average full time salary is $34,175.

The highest salaries for CNAs in Texas is $40,972 and the lowest salary range for CNAs is $28,384. Keep in mind, these salaries are for full-time employment.

Averaging this out per hour, the pay range for as a certified nursing assistant is $13.85 to $20.12 in Texas.

How much do PRN CNAs make?

Typically, the hourly rate for PRN nurses and CNAs is higher than that for full-time nurses and CNAs. Switch, for instance, pays $18.00 to $22.00 per hour for a normal shift. Per hour pay can increase even more with shift differentials or for last-minute shift incentives.

You also have the opportunity to work as much or as little as you want as PRN certified nurse assistant. It is not uncommon to get paid shift differentials for nights and weekends, or earn shift bonuses for hard-to-fill shifts.

However, your overall income can be more variable than that of a full-time nurse or certified nursing assistant, depending on your certification, they types of facilities you work at, where the facility is located, and the number of shifts you work.

Factors Affecting Salary

Several factors can impact a certified nursing assistant’s salary. These include:

• Location: Salaries can vary significantly depending on the state, city, or region. For example, CNAs working in urban areas tend to earn higher salaries than those in rural areas. This is often due to the higher cost of living and greater demand for healthcare services in cities.

• Work Setting: The type of facility or organization a CNA works in can also affect their salary. For instance, CNAs working in hospitals or specialty clinics may earn higher salaries than those working in nursing homes or assisted living facilities. Each setting has its own pay scale and budget constraints, which can influence earnings.

• Experience: The more experience a CNA has, the higher their salary is likely to be. Experienced CNAs may also have more opportunities for career advancement and higher-paying job roles. Employers often value the skills and knowledge that come with years of hands-on patient care.

• Certifications and Education: CNAs with specialized certifications or advanced education may earn higher salaries than those without. For example, a CNA with a certification in gerontology or pediatrics may be able to command a higher salary than a CNA without specialized certifications. Additional training can make a CNA more valuable to employers.

• Shift and Schedule: CNAs who work non-traditional shifts, such as nights or weekends, may earn higher salaries than those who work traditional day shifts. Shift differentials and bonuses for hard-to-fill shifts can significantly boost hourly pay.

Salary by Work Setting

Certified nursing assistants can work in a variety of settings, each with its own salary range. Here are some examples:

• Hospitals: CNAs working in hospitals tend to earn higher salaries than those working in other settings. The national average salary for a CNA working in a hospital is around $35,000 per year. Hospitals often have larger budgets and more complex patient care needs, which can lead to higher pay.

• Nursing Homes: CNAs working in nursing homes tend to earn lower salaries than those working in hospitals. The national average salary for a CNA working in a nursing home is around $28,000 per year. Nursing homes may have tighter budgets and different staffing requirements, impacting salary levels.

• Assisted Living Facilities: CNAs working in assisted living facilities tend to earn salaries that are similar to those working in nursing homes. The national average salary for a CNA working in an assisted living facility is around $29,000 per year. These facilities often provide a mix of healthcare and personal care services, influencing pay rates.

• Home Healthcare: CNAs working in home healthcare tend to earn higher salaries than those working in other settings. The national average salary for a CNA working in home healthcare is around $32,000 per year. Home healthcare positions often require more travel and individualized care, which can lead to higher compensation.

Are you a CNA and need help choosing the right agency to sign up with to pick up PRN shifts? Read this article here.

Challenges of Being a PRN CNA

Working as a PRN (per diem) CNA can be challenging in several ways. Here are some of the common challenges PRN CNAs face:

• Unpredictable Schedules: PRN CNAs often have to work on short notice and may have to be available to work at a moment’s notice. This can make it difficult to plan personal and family responsibilities. The lack of a consistent schedule can be a significant drawback for those who prefer stability.

• Variable Pay: PRN CNAs are often paid on an hourly basis, which can make it difficult to budget and plan financially. While the hourly rate may be higher, the lack of guaranteed hours can lead to income variability. This can be a challenge for those who need a steady paycheck.

• Lack of Benefits: PRN CNAs are often not eligible for benefits, such as health insurance or paid time off, which can make it difficult to plan for the future. Being an independent contractor means that PRN CNAs must cover their own benefits and taxes, which can be a financial burden.

• High Stress Levels: PRN CNAs often have to work in high-stress environments, such as hospitals or emergency rooms, which can be physically and emotionally demanding. The need to quickly adapt to different settings and patient needs can add to the stress.

Career Advancement Opportunities for Certified Nursing Assistants

Certified nursing assistants have several career advancement opportunities available to them. Here are some examples:

• Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN): CNAs can advance to become LPNs by completing a training program and passing a licensing exam. LPNs work under the supervision of registered nurses and physicians to provide patient care. This role offers increased responsibilities and higher pay.

• Registered Nurse (RN): CNAs can advance to become RNs by completing a training program and passing a licensing exam. RNs work independently to provide patient care and may also supervise LPNs and CNAs. This career path offers significant opportunities for growth and specialization.

• Nurse Educator: CNAs can advance to become nurse educators by completing a training program and passing a certification exam. Nurse educators teach nursing students in academic settings. This role allows CNAs to share their knowledge and experience with the next generation of nurses.

• Nurse Administrator: CNAs can advance to become nurse administrators by completing a training program and passing a certification exam. Nurse administrators oversee nursing staff and may also be responsible for budgeting and planning. This leadership role offers opportunities for significant career growth and impact.

By considering these factors and opportunities, CNAs can make informed decisions about their career paths and potential for advancement.

Still need help to decide if a PRN certified nursing assistant is the right career option?

Whether or not a career as a certified nursing assistant PRN is the right option for you depends on your personal preferences and career goals.

Here are some factors to consider:

1. Flexibility:

   • If you enjoy flexibility and variety in your work schedule, a career as a PRN certified nursing assistant may be a good option for you. If you are looking for part time CNA work, then per diem work is also a great way to balance your busy life. You will have the opportunity to work in different healthcare settings and units, which can be both challenging and rewarding.

2. Job security:

   • On the other hand, if you are looking for a stable and predictable work schedule, a career as a PRN certified nursing assistant may not be the best option for you. As a PRN certified nursing assistant, your work schedule and income can be more variable than that of a full-time nurse. PRN options vary, and while you may have work this week, you may not find anything the following week. Depending on the agency you work for, if a contract ends, they may not have additional work for you right away.

3. Career advancement:

   • If you are interested in pursuing advanced nursing roles, such as a nurse practitioner, registered nurse, or nurse educator, working as a PRN certified nursing assistant may provide a flexible work schedule while you attend school and advance your career. Some companies or employers provide stipends or scholarships for school if you continue to work part time, covering tuition reimbursement and commuting expenses.

4. Salary:

   • While PRN nurses may earn more per hour than full-time nurses, their overall income may be less due to the variability of their work schedule. Full-time employees at a facility may resent seeing PRN CNAs making more per hour than they do. Additionally, PRN CNA’s are typically hired as independent contractors, meaning that they pay for benefits like health insurance, transportation and liability insurance – as well as taxes – out of their own pocket.

In conclusion

A career as a PRN certified nursing assistant can offer flexibility and create variety in your work schedule, but it may not be the best option if you are looking for stability or opportunities for career advancement. Ultimately, the decision to become a PRN nurse should be based on your personal preferences and career goals.

Switch: Empowering Nurses and Direct Caregivers

At Switch, we understand the importance of job flexibility, a robust selection of available shifts, and competitive pay for nurses and direct caregivers. Our platform is designed to connect nurses and CNAs with healthcare facilities, employers and clients who need their services on an as-needed basis.

By joining Switch, you can enjoy the following benefits:

1. Job Flexibility:

   • Our platform allows you to choose the shifts you want to work, so you can balance your work and personal life.

2. Robust Selection of Available Shifts:

   • We work with a variety of healthcare facilities and clients, which means there are always plenty of shifts available.

3. Competitive Pay:

   • We pay our nurses and CNAs a fair wage that reflects their skills and experience.

4. Value for Direct Caregivers:

   • Switch was created by a former caregiver who knows what it’s like to be in your shoes. We see you and value you for the work you do, and we appreciate how difficult your job can be.

Join Switch Today

If you’re looking to make a good living working as a PRN nurse or CNA, Switch is the right partner for you! We value job flexibility, a robust selection of available shifts, and competitive pay for our nurses and CNAs. Join our platform today and start working with healthcare facilities and clients who need your services on an as-needed basis.