[organichombre]

Hello all,
Here at the VA Hospital in Louisville, the critical care nurses are pulled quite often to all floors; med/surg, psych, telemetry, etc. We asked management about a pay differential for being the 'float ppol' for the hospital and they replied that we need to find out ourselves what other facilities are doing about critical care nurses being pulled. I would like to know two things, first are other hospitals pulling their cc nurses to the floor and if so are are they being compensated for the pull?

[fergus51]

Our nurses can be pulled to any unit in their group. The groups were specified in the contract (for instance, medical, surgical, telemetry and ICU are one group. Peds, PICU and NICU are one group. L&D and PP and nursery are one group). There is no compensation for being floated.

[BBFRN]

Norton only pulls their ICU nurses to other ICUs. When I worked at U of L a couple of years ago, they were pulling their ICU nurses to TCU, but they could only give them 3 patients.

[deeDawntee]

ICU nurses can only be pulled to float to other ICU's. Unless a nurse has been at the hospital for 10 years, then there is no floating.
(You need a Union. It is the best thing for nursing, we never feel like we are powerless against the Administration. I would highly recommend it.)

[BBFRN]

I could be wrong, but I thought the Louisville VA nurses were unionized?

[naskippy]

I am a traveling nurse from the Louisville area. In my travels I see ICU nurses pulled all the time...low census is low census. If ICU does not have enough patients to warrant staff that leaves two choices...be pulled to another floor of which you are competent to work or be sent home. Which would you rather have? No pay for the night or work where you are needed and are fully capable in doing so? As a ICU nurse you should have absolutely no difficulties working in Med/Surg or Telemetry or even the ER. Many if not most ICU nurse started out in one of these other areas before becoming an ICU nurse.

None of us like to be pulled to areas we are less familiar, but that does not make us incapable of performing good quality nursing care to the patients. As for pay...as an ICU nurse you are most likely making more money than the average staff nurse or float pool nurse already. I don't see a valid issue here...sorry.

[CseMgr1]

I had been out of school and had my license for several months, when I was asked by my DON if I wanted to train to be an ICU nurse. I jumped at the opportunity, for I had done med-surg for years and was becoming bored with it. Anyway, I had no sooner started working in the Unit and was getting my feet wet, when they began pulling me to the Newborn Nursery. At first I didn't mind, but when this became an everyday occurence, I complained to the DON who asked me to train. "I can go home and change my own son's diapers", I told her. Though she agreed, she said there was nothing she could do, as this was taking place at a Sister facility and she had no authority to stop the DON there from utilizing me as she pleased. The last straw came when I was ordered to do mandatory OT, despite the fact that my husband was out of town on business and I had no one to pick up our son from day care.

I quit after that. It was a shame, for I had worked for the same hospital system for over seven years. But I refused to be used and abused, for not only was I not being trained for the job my DON had approved me for, but I was also being forced to make a choice between working mandatory OT and caring for my son. I chose the latter.

[organichombre]

Thank you Naskippy,
All of your arguements except the last sentence are in fact true. I am quite comfortable working in any area of the hospital because quite frankly I am an expert at what I do. What I and my colleagues have a problem with is the fact that we do not make any more than the floor nurse with the same time and experience. Administration is having their cake and eating it too. As a traveling nurse you can surely relate to the fact. What would be the incentive to be a traveling nurse if your pay was the same as everyone else's?