Occasionally nurses ask me about starting Nursing Informatics while keeping a bedside role. One thing I have not talked much about is that I did not step away from the bedside all at once. From the moment I started my first Nursing Informatics role, I kept a per diem job in direct patient care. Like many nurses, I put a lot of blood, sweat, and tears into my bedside nursing career. I was terrified of losing those skills. So, I worked several weekends a month seeing patients for about four years.

A lot of nurses believe it is an either/or decision. Either go into Nursing Informatics and completely give up bedside care, or stay in bedside care but never get to try the field of Nursing Informatics. I am sharing my story to help more nurses see what doing both looks like. There are benefits, but there are also drawbacks.

My disclaimer is this:

• I was much younger back then and did not value my time the same way I do now.
• I did not have children, elderly parents, or many other real responsibilities.
• The per diem role was on my own time…as in my time ‘off.’

With that disclaimer out of the way, here is my story.

Why I Kept a Per Diem Role

First of all, my family is full of workaholics. My mother’s side is from Jamaica, and we like to joke that if you only have one job you are not really Jamaican. From the start of my nursing career it seemed normal to me to have more than one job. While I was in nursing school, I heard about nurses with two and three jobs, and they were held up as heroes. I assumed their nursing skills must be top notch and they were bringing home tons of money!

Once I actually became a nurse, I learned how the work was truly exhausting. Most of my nurse co-workers only had energy for one job. While in bedside care, I valued my time off as a chance to rest and recuperate. I also had several really crazy nurse managers, so the idea of spending more time with them was unappealing to say the least.

But when I was offered my first Nursing Informatics role, I suddenly felt unsure about leaving the bedside. As tiring as being a home hospice nurse was, it took me years to gain those skills. I was afraid of stepping away and forgetting everything. What if I regretted it and wanted to go back to bedside care? Would I have to start from scratch?

To assuage my fears, I approached one of the nurse managers in my department about taking on a weekend per diem role. She gladly hired me for it because. Like everyone, she was short-staffed and could always use a nurse she did not have to train.

So, to take a baby step into the unknown world of Nursing Informatics, I brought along with me a safety line in the form of a per diem job in direct patient care.

How I Found the Time for Two Jobs

Quite honestly, looking back I cannot understand how I had the time and energy for two jobs. My Nursing Informatics role was a full-time, 40 hours per week job. Sure, it had flexibility bedside roles did not, like set start or end times. But I was busy for most of the day everyday, five days per week.

Then two weekends per month, I would get patient assignments and work 8-10 hour shifts. I was working 7 days per week for half of the month every month! And I did that for four years!!

I wish I could say I had some secrete formula for how to do this. I did not and was really just burning the candle on both ends. There were many things I loved about having both roles at the same time. But now that I am older and realize time is our most valuable asset, I would have prioritized gaining more balance.

The Benefits of Starting Nursing Informatics While Keeping a Bedside Role

As I mentioned, there were definitely things I loved about keeping the direct patient care role. Here are the main four I found:

Benefit #1: Maintaining my bedside skills

The experience certainly served this aim. My bedside skills remained relatively intact compared to if I left patient care completely. I stayed on top of how to insert Foley catheters, what medication doses are appropriate, and how to detect patient deterioration. I could have gone back to bedside care full-time at any point with little additional training needed.

Benefit #2: Understanding what bedside nurses go through

Because I was a bedside nurse two weekends per month, I very much empathized with the nurses. I understood how frustrating it was when management added more documentation requirements but kept productivity measurements the same.

Benefit #3: Getting ideas for how to improve the system

I often saw places where the system could be streamlined and save the nurses a step. And, because I was already an Informatics Nurse, I was in a position to implement those changes. I remember trimming an assessment that was 150 questions down to 20 questions, and then using it one weekend. My documentation was done well before my shift finished, a first in my nursing career.

Benefit #4: A little extra money

I mention this one last because the money I was earning in bedside care was nowhere near what I earned in Nursing Informatics. It was something, so I do not want to ignore it. I earned enough to pay for a nice vacation each year. But it in no way competed with my Nursing Informatics salary. Getting a promotion in my full-time role would easily have been double what I made per diem.

The Drawbacks of Starting Nursing Informatics While Keeping a Bedside Role

While there were benefits, there were also drawbacks to keeping the direct patient care role.

Drawback #1: Not making progress as quickly in my Nursing Informatics career.

My supervisor in my Nursing Informatics job had to sign off on allowing me to have a per diem role. This is not unusual even if you have jobs at two different organizations. Many healthcare companies want to know if you are working for a competitor on the side. They may terminate your employment if you fail to disclose it to them. Nursing Informatics was my main job, so I was honest with my boss about my per diem role.

Not that being honest about the per diem job was a mistake. But it definitely created the perception that I was less committed to my full-time job. My supervisor’s boss made a comment once about how he did not worry about promoting me since I always had my bedside job to fall back on. When I moved to a new company, I left the bedside role behind. I have not received a comment like that since then.

Drawback #2: Not spending that time picking up more lucrative Nursing Informatics skills like Six Sigma certification.

I have mentioned before that Nursing Informatics master’s programs do not prepare nurses for the job market. The only certification my master’s program ever mentioned was the Nursing Informatics certification. I only learned about Six Sigma, PMP, Scrum Master certification, and many others once I was out in the workforce.

Instead of spending my weekends at the bedside, I wish I had spent more of that time getting one of these more lucrative certifications. The average salary for a Six Sigma Black Belt in the U.S. is $122,000, and for a Certified Scrum Master it is $118,000. Those certifications are also much more portable than the Nursing Informatics certification. More technology hiring managers know what Six Sigma Black Belts and Scrum Masters are than Informatics Nurse Specialists.

Drawback #3: Not as much time relaxing and exploring other interests.

Like I mentioned in my disclaimer, I was young and did not value time the way I do now. I must have been so boring back then. All I did was work – both for my career and in my off time! If I had it to do over again, I would have relaxed more and found some hobbies.

Drawback #4: Not as much time with my family.

Time is our most precious asset because we can never get it back. Time you spend working is time away from the people you care about. Once that time is gone, it is gone.

Key Takeaways:

I was nervous about losing my bedside skills while getting into Nursing Informatics. Starting Nursing Informatics while keeping a bedside role was my solution. I saw some benefits to having two jobs, but there were also drawbacks. If I had it to do over again I would have prioritized gaining more balance. I also would have done it for a shorter period of time, and left the per diem role at least two years sooner. Hopefully sharing my story helps other nurses gain insight into this decision.

Looking for some guidance on how to get into Nursing Informatics? I have two options for you:

Option 1: Sign up for Career Coaching! If you would like hands-on help planning your Nursing Informatics career, apply for one of my career coaching packages or book a Coaching Call. Check out my Services page for more information.

Option 2: Check out From Bedside Nurse to Informatics Nurse: A How-To Guide available in our online store.