When Marie Bordes, LPN, started in nursing, the shifts were long, the pay was just ok, and the schedule made it hard for her to see her family. Switching to being a per diem nurse changed her work-life balance. It also gave her the means to buy a house, a life goal for that can seem unattainable when you are concerned with taking care of family, making ends meet, and keeping yourself employed.
Let’s explore how our IntelyPro, Marie, was able to use per diem nursing as a means of improving her life.
Marie’s Start in Nursing
Marie wanted to get into the medical field after growing up in Haiti, where there were very few hospitals. She initially planned to become a doctor, but after moving to the United States, certain complications got in her way, making it difficult. Instead, she decided to pursue nursing.
Marie feels she has the best job being a nurse. She gets to personally take care of patients, which is what she always wanted to do.
Making the Switch to a Per Diem Nurse
In a now infamous phone call about her previous nursing job, Marie confessed to her friend, “I need another job, I need something more relaxing. I need something where I can pick up my own hours. This is terrible, I can’t do this.”
Her shifts at the time were supposed to be 8:00am – 4:00pm, but really ended up being 8:00am to “whenever.” It was common for the next shift nurse to call out, leaving Marie to work 12-hour days all week long. It made it impossible to make plans, take care of errands, and spend time with her family, let alone take care of herself. This was when Marie’s friend told her about IntelyCare.
Marie felt stuck in her day-to-day nursing life, but when she found out that she could be a per diem nurse, everything changed. The realization that she could make her own schedule and have a lot more flexibility – while still having a career in nursing – was a gamechanger for Marie.
Buying a House
The freedom and flexibility that IntelyCare offers is great, but Marie realized this was a chance to take the new control she had over her life a step further. Once you’re out of the day-to-day grind, you can start to focus on the future. Not only could she make her own schedule and spend more time with her family, but she could start saving money for her dream house, with a yard big enough to host all of her friends and family. And she did!
This is where Marie feels that IntelyCare provided her with an additional advantage. As a per diem nurse, she could work as many shifts as she wanted with no caps on the schedule, which made sense for her and her family. And with IntelyCare, she had access to an IntelyPro Success Manager (ISM) who could support her through the mortgage application process.
In Marie’s opinion, having an ISM is the biggest reason to switch to per diem work with IntelyCare. (Well, that, and the pay!) Marie and her ISM, Will Clark, have a very special relationship. Once she had saved up enough money to buy her dream house, she found Will instrumental in actually making it happen. He was there to help her get any paperwork needed for the mortgage, make corrections that she needed, and to be there for her every step of the way. He went above and beyond to help her see her dreams come true.
“Marie is not just an amazing nurse, she is an amazing person. I connected with her within my first days as an ISM and we have stayed in touch ever since. Every time I talk to her I can feel the joy and passion she has for nursing. I look forward to joining Marie at her house warming party at her brand new home. So proud of her for making a major purchase and becoming a home owner!”
Will Clark, IntelyCare Success Manager
Advice from Marie for New Per Diem Nurses
- Like anything in life, you get out what you put into it. Going to a new facility is intimidating, but your attitude makes all the difference. Go in with a positive outlook and be ready to work, and everything else will fall into place.
- You don’t have to return to a facility you don’t like. Do a great job and finish your shift, but if It’s not a good fit, you don’t have to go back to that location.
- IntelyCare has your back. Your ISM is your greatest resource and advocate. If you have any issues at a facility, they are there to support you. Even if you can’t reach your ISM, someone will answer you and help you.
Applying to become an IntelyPro is easy but taking that step into the unknown is hard.
“I’m picking up my first shift. I don’t know what I’m doing. How am I going to function? You know what? A nurse is a nurse is a nurse is a nurse. I’m going to walk in this place. I’m going to do my job. I’m going to do what they ask me to do and I’m going to walk out. And that’s exactly what I did.”
Marie Bordes, LPN
This attitude has transformed Marie into a hot commodity on her shifts, with full-time facility staff fighting over which ward she’ll cover. Marie works as a full-time per diem nurse through IntelyCare and now provides mentorship for new nurses joining the IntelyCare team.