If you're an allied health professional, you may have noticed that there are more per diem opportunities available than ever before. But what does that mean for your job prospects today, and your career in the future? Here's everything you need to know about per diem healthcare jobs and how to get the most of them.
> Did you know? HealthTrust specializes in per diem placements. Search hundreds of per diem jobs here.
What Does Per Diem Mean in Healthcare Jobs?
Per diem is a type of job where clinicians serve as on-call substitutes for a provider’s core staff. Like travelers, per diem workers help employers stay fully staffed when permanent employees are absent, meet a surge in patients, and expand their hours or services, among many other staffing challenges.
Per diem healthcare jobs have something else in common with traveling, too — they usually pay quite a bit more than standard jobs. For that higher wage, though, per diem healthcare workers must offer last-minute availability and enough career flexibility to handle extended periods of downtime (although this isn’t always necessary — read on for more details).
Types of Per Diem Healthcare Jobs
There are many different types of per diem healthcare jobs. Most involve working as a contractor for a larger organization or facility. Sometimes, that contract is temporary; other times it can be permanent, lasting for as long as you want to stay on call for that employer. Other per diem jobs may be temp-to-perm, giving you the chance to eventually get hired as a permanent employee.
Per diem healthcare jobs are usually located in hospitals and health centers, but not always. Today, you can also find opportunities in acute care centers, physician practices, nursing and rehab centers, home health, and other types of settings.
- Hot Tip: Radiology tech and respiratory therapists are currently the most in-demand per diem clinicians. You can see all available per diem jobs here.
What to Expect from Per Diem Healthcare Jobs
Qualifying for a per diem assignment is pretty much the same as any other healthcare job. You must have the education, license, and credentials to work in your profession of choice. And since these are high-stakes roles, you may also need additional experience in a variety of settings to make sure you’re truly qualified and versatile enough to meet their needs.
Some per diem jobs offer continuous work, where busy employers move you from department to department or even facility to facility within a larger system or network. Others are less demanding, involving weeks of downtime between calls. Sometimes they’re focused on seasonal fluctuations, with more work coming your way during busy times like flu season and the holiday break
5 Benefits of Working Per Diem Healthcare Jobs
Now that you know the basics of per diem work, it’s time to explore the ways that it can benefit your career. While everyone will have their own priorities, there are 5 main reasons you may want to consider working per diem healthcare jobs:
#1: Better Flexibility
Because you can choose to work full-time or only when needed, per diem work frees up your schedule to take classes, care for family members, or pursue other goals. You can also scale up the career side of your work/life balance by working extra hours on top of your full-time job. In fact, many full-time professionals work per diem jobs on their downtime to boost their earnings.
- Pro Tip: If flexibility is your priority, make sure that the per diem jobsite you use provides full transparency into every detail of every job. Learn more here.
#2: Extra Pay
Per diem jobs are popular with some healthcare professionals because they help you quickly build up some serious earnings. Whether you work per diem on your off days for extra income or partner with an agency that can provide consistent work, the higher pay offered by per diem contracts lets you quickly build savings.
- Pro Tip: When you apply for per diem jobs at the HealthTrust jobsite you may get higher rates of pay than other websites or job boards. Learn more here.
#3: More Opportunities to Develop Skills & Experience
Per diem healthcare jobs help you quickly build your CV — and your earning power — by gaining key experience in new settings and facilities, or by working with different types of equipment and tech. It’s also a great way to build soft skills like teamwork and communications and earn hours for certifications.
- Pro Tip: Some professionals work per diem jobs to preview new workplaces like nursing facilities or rehab centers before making a full-time commitment.
#4: A Bigger Professional Network
Because you’ll meet so many new people, per diem jobs are a great way to expand your network in the best possible way — with shared experience. Even better, it’s a chance working with more managers can help you develop your own leadership skills, and earn some valuable references, too.
- Pro Tip: Remember, getting a good reference means making a good impression — and filling in with a helpful, can-do attitude is an excellent way to do just that.
#5: The Chance to Truly Help Others
Finally, per diem work gives you the chance to help facilities that truly need you, with patients who need you even more. If you’re looking for a career path that lets you make an impact, per diem jobs are a great place to begin.
- Pro Tip: More per diem jobs are available today than ever, and the HealthTrust jobsite has exclusive listings you won't find anywhere else. Check it out here.
Find America's Best Per Diem Healthcare Jobs with HealthTrust Workforce Solutions
Clinicians, you're in demand! And as America’s leading provider of per diem healthcare jobs, HealthTrust is here to help you seize the opportunities available to you. Search all of our per diem jobs today.
