PRN: What Does it Mean? (Medical Abbreviation & Nursing)

The healthcare profession is full of acronyms and abbreviations.

PRN or “pro re nata” (we’ll get to that shortly) is just one of many such abbreviations.

This article is going to answer the question of what does prn mean.

What Does PRN Mean

PRN is an abbreviation from the Latin phrase “pro re nata.” “Pro re nata” depending on the translation means “as needed,” “as necessary,” “as the circumstance arises”.

PRN is an acronym that’s widely used in medical jargon and documentation. It’s also an acceptable abbreviation for joint commission. In other words not on Joint Commissions “Do Not use List of Abbreviations list.”

You might also see PRN written as p.r.n.

What Does PRN Mean in Medical Terms?

As stated above PRN means “as needed”.” PRN is used many times when it comes to physician orders. You’ll see this a lot when it comes to pain medications.

For example, you might get an order that reads as such:

Give Tylenol 325mg PO q6h PRN.

Or

Give Ibuprofen 200mg PO q6h PRN.

So in the case of Tylenol, it would mean you can give 325mg of Tylenol by mouth as needed every 6 hours.

I’m going to clarify something that’s very important.

PRN medication orders are different from scheduled medication orders. For example, if the order was:

Give Metformin 500mg PO BID.

It means you have to give the medication twice a day. Unless the patient refuses (but that’s a different topic).

When you’re talking to patients, you want to tell them the frequency of their medications. In the case of pain medications, you don’t want patients in pain.

But you also don’t want them to keep pressing the call light if it’s not time for their pain medication.

If you tell patients PRN means they can have it“whenever they want it” or “as they need it” the patient might literally take it as they can have it whenever. Which is not the case. Let’s use the Tylenol example again.

What the order is saying is after 6 hours you can have 325mg of Tylenol if you need it. After the patient gets the dose, they don’t get the option to have another dose until 6 hours from the last dose.

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What Does PRN Stand for in Nursing?

You might hear or see nurses that are in a PRN position.

What PRN means in nursing is similar to what PRN means in medical terms. PRN nursing positions are also sometimes called “per diem.” Basically, what this means is those nurses are not on a set schedule like everyone else.

For example, full-time nurses are usually required to work 80 hours in a two-week period. PRN nurses don’t have those requirements. Depending on the hospital they may only be required to work a couple of shifts a month.

It’ll vary from hospital to hospital. Sometimes from department to department in the same hospital system.

The primary objective of having PRN positions is to fill staffing shortages. Or to fill in when the full-time nurses are sick or on vacation.

As someone who has worked plenty of PRN nursing positions, I’m a fan. There are some pros and cons of PRN nursing positions. So make sure you’re ok with them before signing up for PRN positions.

Pros and Cons of PRN Nursing Positions

Pros of PRN Nursing Positions

1. Flexibility and freedom: PRN gives you a lot of flexibility to pick the shifts you want. Also to work when you want. At least more so than you would with a full-time nursing position.
2. Supplement your income: PRN nursing positions are good ways to supplement your income and make more money as a nurse. I’ve worked with nurses who have had 2+ PRN nursing jobs.
3. Higher per hour pay: PRN nursing staff are usually paid more per hour than their equivalent nurse peers.
4. No drama: Some units and departments are known for being drama filled. As a PRN nurse, you have a better chance of avoiding the drama. It helps that you’re not one of the regular staff.
5. Try out a unit before committing: I’ve heard of nurses that do this. They’ll start per diem in a department to see if they like working there. If they do, then they’ll apply for a full-time position when it’s available.

Cons of PRN Nursing Positions

1. Your hours are limited and sometimes not guaranteed: PRN nursing positions are more temporary than permanent. Many hospitals have requirements for PRN nurses. Even with those requirements, your hours are not guaranteed. Also PRN nurses are typically the first to be canceled if needed.
2. Not ideal hours: PRN nursing staff are generally needed in situations when there isn’t enough permanent staff. Or in shifts that have high call-ins. Usually, you’re looking at nights, weekends, and holidays.
3. No benefits: PRN staff usually don’t qualify for any benefits. Which means no insurance, unemployment, retirement benefits and so forth.
4. No consistency: PRN nurses need to be able to adapt to situations quickly. You’re more likely to be floated to other units than the full-time nurses.

Nursing Terminology and Medical Abbreviations are Hard

When I first got into nursing school medical abbreviations like this were always confusing me.

I would constantly ask myself “why does the medical profession not spell things out like all the other professions?

• “PO?”
• “What is PO?”
• “Is it the same as NPO.”
• “What about B.I.D or T.I.D.”

Honestly, the questions kept going on and on. I’m sure you’re as frustrated as I was. Fast-forward to today, and most of these abbreviations are second nature to me.

If you’re getting started in healthcare it will eventually be the case for you also. At some point, you’ll even hate spelling things out.

You’ll start asking yourself why hasn’t anyone come up with an abbreviation for that phrase yet.

If you need more help with medical abbreviations check out some of these books below to help you learn them.

Have You Read any of These Articles?

Here are some articles related to PRN medical abbreviations.

• What Does ETOH Mean in Nursing?
• What Does PO Mean in Nursing
• What Does Per Diem Mean in Nursing?

Frequently Asked Questions

These are frequently asked questions related to PRN nursing.