[jld7tn]

There is alot of dissatisfaction at our hospital Re: Floating to other areas especially overflow unit. ICU nurses to med surg .PRN staff refuse to float out of unit so the full time nurses are sent.Any one have workable alternatives or helpful suggestions?

[Angie O'Plasty, RN]

In our system, the floats are taken from the (qualified) travelers, then the per diems/pool nurses, then the part-timers, then the core staff. Core staff uses a float list to keep track of who went where and when.

We try not to float staff to an unfamiliar area. I don't mind being floated to another tele unit or med-surg, or even the overflow unit, but I really feel uncomfortable anywhere else and would prefer to assist rather than take on a full assignment.

It's just safer for the patients.

[New2CVSICU]

Our unit uses a date system. When you float a date is placed in the "float book". When the unit has to float nurses again, those with the oldest float date (floated the longest time ago), will float first. PRN staff float with the part timers and full timers.

Not a perfect system, but we get by. Also some incentives our unit gives out "float passes" quarterly for perfect attendance and for picking up extra weekend shifts.

[suanna]

Floating is the bane of nursing at every hospital I've ever worked. Our union got "float rules" in the contract- not a perfect solution but it helps. The biggest improvement is if you float outside of the areas you normaly work you take a very modified assignment or do task care without a assignment. For me, I am a CVSICU nurse, I take a team only in the SICU/MICU, CCU, or progressing ICU. If I go elswhere I am just an extra pair of hands to help out. Part timers and full timers float rotationaly in turn. Replacing a regular staff member with a PRN so the regular staff must float is forbidden. If anyone has a better way, please post; I think we all hate floating.

[ICUCoOLWaTER]

Hi everybody well in my Hospital we have ICU-CCU-CVICU-PICU and Dialysis in the same block and 1- we have a book of the nurses who went for what we call it pull out we do it in rotation so that no one will complain we love it coz its a break for as when our unit is hectic . 2 u have to increase the No of ur Staffing so that u want have this problem eating ur head.
Take care