How soon did you get pulled?

[Swellz]

How soon after becoming a nurse is too soon to get pulled to another floor? Is there a timeframe your unit goes by, or is it based on the maturity of the individual nurse?

I've been off orientation a month and have been struggling with the transition. My manager asked me if it would freak me out to get pulled for four hours yesterday. I said it would, she said based on staffing I was the person that made sense to go, but someone else would go in my place and left it at that. Well, that someone else kept asking me if I would rather go. I do not think that nurse was deliberately pressuring me; on top of it, it didn't seem right to me that she should have to lose the patients she had for 8 hrs to get a new assignment on a different floor for her last 4. I opted to go, because I was floating (no patient assignment), heard it was an easier unit, and I figured I can do anything for 4 hours. My brief shift up there was fine, but the nurses could not believe I would get pulled after only a month on my own. They said their rule is 6 months off orientation. Then, this morning, I got a text from my friend who started on my floor the same time as me. She got pulled today too, and they used the explanation that since I got pulled yesterday, they figured she was fair game. She thought it was too soon for her to get pulled as well, but went anyway.

I'm going to email my manager and my clin spec about it, but I wasn't sure if this was the norm on other floors. Are we spoiled to think that we should have a couple more months before getting pulled, or is it commonplace to give that leeway to new grads?

Thanks for the insight in advance. And Merry Christmas to those who celebrate!

[Nurse SMS, MSN, RN]

New grads can't float for a year at my hospital.

[Esme12, ASN, BSN, RN]

Wow a year! I have worked at smaller facilities that TRY to not float new grads for abut 6 months. However, there are times that with holidays and sick calls in a large volume..like holidays and snow storms....I have no choice but to float the new grad.

You have to take into consideration the experience ratio necessary for the floor to function safely, ACLS/Pedi certifications, critical nature of patients present that require the experienced nurse to remain on the home floor. IF I float a new grad I try to be sure I help them throughout the day or place them in a position that isn't "direct patient" related other than to give care.

[nursejami]

I floated to ICU after 6 months. I was scared, but felt comfortable as they gave me patients that had orders to be transferred to my floor anyway (just no available beds). After one month, there's no way I would've felt okay doing that.

[DoeRN]

One month is way too soon to float someone. I'm glad it went ok but I would have been very uncomfortable with this.

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[workingmama77, BSN]

We orient on not just our unit, but a few days on the others. We get a month on our own on our "home unit" then we can float just like everyone else. Some people do need more time & the facility will give it if needed.

[NoviceRN10]

I was pulled after 5 months. Now three years later the new hires get 6 months' grace period before they get pulled. After one month I sure would not have felt ready at all to take on a strange unit!

[TammyG]

Our rule used to be six months, but there was some confusion and so it somehow got extended to one year with respect to myself. I did not float for one year and was glad about it. I think anything earlier than six months is too quick.

[BiotoBSNtoFNP]

How soon after becoming a nurse is too soon to get pulled to another floor? Is there a timeframe your unit goes by, or is it based on the maturity of the individual nurse?

I've been off orientation a month and have been struggling with the transition. My manager asked me if it would freak me out to get pulled for four hours yesterday. I said it would, she said based on staffing I was the person that made sense to go, but someone else would go in my place and left it at that. Well, that someone else kept asking me if I would rather go. I do not think that nurse was deliberately pressuring me; on top of it, it didn't seem right to me that she should have to lose the patients she had for 8 hrs to get a new assignment on a different floor for her last 4. I opted to go, because I was floating (no patient assignment), heard it was an easier unit, and I figured I can do anything for 4 hours. My brief shift up there was fine, but the nurses could not believe I would get pulled after only a month on my own. They said their rule is 6 months off orientation. Then, this morning, I got a text from my friend who started on my floor the same time as me. She got pulled today too, and they used the explanation that since I got pulled yesterday, they figured she was fair game. She thought it was too soon for her to get pulled as well, but went anyway.

I'm going to email my manager and my clin spec about it, but I wasn't sure if this was the norm on other floors. Are we spoiled to think that we should have a couple more months before getting pulled, or is it commonplace to give that leeway to new grads?

Thanks for the insight in advance. And Merry Christmas to those who celebrate!

I was pulled when I was about a month off orientation. A coworker of mine was pulled the second night off of orientation, so we clearly have no time frame. We go by reverse seniority so once you are off orientation, you are fair game!

I was very nervous to be pulled, especially since I still rely on advice and input from the other nurses and was scared that the nurses of the other floor would not help me if needed. But, I went in with a brave face and made it known to the nurses on the floor that I was pulled to that I was extremely new and they seemed open to me and asked how I was doing a few times throughout the shift.

[dudette10, MSN, RN]

They tried to pull me to ICU (because it was my turn) three months off orientation as a new grad. The nursing supervisor would not hear of my refusal, so I called the NM at home. Even she did not guarantee that I would only get overflow patients, but I was told I would get the "more stable" patients. I still said no.

In my current hospital, they usually will not float you to a higher level of care or specialty from your experience/home unit unless you've been properly oriented. Even then, if a float request is given, the nurse gets right of refusal without fear of retribution.

[Lennonninja, MSN, APRN, NP]

When I was a new grad working med/surg I got floated within the first 8 weeks off of orientation and then a few weeks later our floor was closed for a while so we had to float every shift for almost 2 weeks. It caused me an insane level of anxiety. Now in the ICU we don't float for the first 6 months. I've been there 1.5 years and only floated once so far.

[HouTx, BSN, MSN, EdD]

Just a couple of points.

If OP 'volunteered' to float, I am sure that this was very much appreciated by her co-workers & this type of gesture will go a looooong way to becoming "one of the team" rather than an outsider/newbie. Most 'rules' should be broken when they just don't make sense. In this case, the nurse without a firm assignment would be the logical person to float - causing much less disruption to patient care.

Second point.. my background is critical care so I have dealt with many tearful, frightened nurses who were (unwillingly) floated into that environment. But float nurses were never expected to function as an ICU nurse. Instead, the staffing model was adjusted & they were paired with someone who did all the "ICU" stuff for a larger assignment, and the float nurse did "nurse" stuff that was well within his/her scope of expertise. Most of the time, it ended up as a positive experience for both.

Flexibility and the ability to adapt to new/different situations is a key ingredient of stress management. Be careful - choose carefully before taking a rigid stance on anything. Make sure it's really a "hill that's worth dying on" before you make that move.