"I'm not floating."

[Morainey]

Yup. Unfortunately, sometimes in the facility we have need of nurses on other floors and hey, did you really want to be called off and lose more time? Trust me, the supervisor and I put thought into who gets floated - most importantly, if it's the person's turn to float, if they are a good fit for that particular specialty floor, do they have experience in that specialty, and so on.

I'm really tired of having my head bitten off when the next shift comes in and says "I'm not ******* floating" and then calls the supervisor to get the same explanation I give them, and they ALWAYS end up huffing off to their float floor with a monstrous attitude a half an hour after their shift started.

Is it like this everywhere? I feel like my unit's RNs have a bad reputation for floating because they make such a stink about it and it's so obvious they don't want to float. In the interest of full disclosure, I used to get really upset about floating as a new grad, but I made an attitude adjustment once I realized it sets a tone for your whole shift when you show up to your float floor with a miserable attitude.

[That Guy, BSN, RN, EMT-B]

I loved floating. I would get a break from Medical and go to ICU. Best vacations ever.

[LDRNMOMMY, BSN, RN]

I am one who hates to float! I was a L&D RN and would be required to float throughout the hospital units. Floats always got dumped on, ALWAYS. That is the main reason L&D hated to float. I would go to ICU and they would tell me that I needed to read the cardiac strips and chart on them hourly. Hmmm. Sure, I learned it in NS but that was awhile ago. One RN (who was nice) told me that I'm an RN and should be expected to work ICU and read strips. I asked her when the last time was that she came down to help L&D when we were overburdened and needed extra hands. Her reply..."I don't know how to read the monitors". R I G H T!

I was floated to the ER and they acted like they were doing me a favor. Meanwhile, I was running my butt off and ALL of the staff were gathered around (should say lounging around) a computer monitor looking at Craigslist. At that point, I told them I was leaving to return to my unit and I was out of there. I was fuming mad! (Didn't have a pt. load, just tasking) Floating RN's to units they are not versed in puts pts at risk IMHO.

YES, YES, a thousand times YES! I am an L&D nurse as well and at my last L&D job we were required to float to all floors of the hospital to include the ICU. I was one that hated floated to any floor other than Mother-Baby. I was once floated to the ICU and I was that nurse that refused to take an actual patient assignment, a fresh admit from the ED. I had the charge nurse tell me pretty much the same thing "You're a nurse, aren't you?" I told the charge nurse I most certainly was a nurse, an L&D nurse. I told her I would be happy to run labs and other tasks but I was not going to take a patient assignment. We would never pull a nurse from another floor and expect them to be able to take care of a laboring patient so why is it ok to expect a non ICU nurse to safely care for an ICU patient?

[Mulan]

YES, YES, a thousand times YES! I am an L&D nurse as well and at my last L&D job we were required to float to all floors of the hospital to include the ICU. I was one that hated floated to any floor other than Mother-Baby. I was once floated to the ICU and I was that nurse that refused to take an actual patient assignment, a fresh admit from the ED. I had the charge nurse tell me pretty much the same thing "You're a nurse, aren't you?" I told the charge nurse I most certainly was a nurse, an L&D nurse. I told her I would be happy to run labs and other tasks but I was not going to take a patient assignment. We would never pull a nurse from another floor and expect them to be able to take care of a laboring patient so why is it ok to expect a non ICU nurse to safely care for an ICU patient?

Maybe because nurses are their own worst enemy.

[springsong]

I wish we have a no float policy too. The only unit that does not float in my facility are nurses that works in recovery, OR and ER. These units are closed unit and their staffs do not float at all. Other than that, when it’s time to float you have to go wherever floor needs you. The nurses have no choice. ICU nurses are used to 2 patients and when they float, they find it so hard to cope with the work because they are not use to take care of 5 to 6 patients in the floor. It is important to be flexible and be able to function wherever they assign you. It is very scary.To err is human. LOL.

[Morainey, BSN, RN]

Usually it is the staff member being difficult. Some staff just will whine about anything. Especially floating. I understand being in an unfamiliar environment is tough, but we all have to float.

Thank you. I think this is the major problem. Yes floating is no fun but it has to be fair and we do our best to make it so. It really sets a bad example for new nurses and even other nurses on the floor, IMO, that if you pitch a big enough tanty you won't have to float.

[Morainey, BSN, RN]

I can assure you, many of the nurses that are getting on your nerves about floating have worked in ****-holes like mine, and have been treated poorly in regards to floating policy. If it's happening enough for you to get angry and come here to make a thread, I GUARANTEE your activities are not being seen, by floor nurses, as being as fair and equal as you see them.

It is mainly a few individuals who absolutely refuse to float, and have a last float date of at least a month (I'm not exaggerating) before all of the other nurses. They come in, see they are floated, make a scene at the nurse's station, call the supervisor, scream and yell, and they get away with it over and over. I would not describe that as professional. It sets a negative tone for the rest of the shift, creates resentment among staff who float without complaint, and sets a bad example for other staff, particularly new nurses.

[DoeRN]

I currently work in the float pool and will remain in the float pool until I finish school. But I remember the first time I got floated as a nurse. I was so scared! I had a horrible shift and my floating nightmare came true.

The secretary mixed my phone and another nurses phone number up for one particular patient. I had a patient that kept calling the other nurses phone for pain and nausea meds and the other nurse said to call your nurse I'm not your nurse. So the patient thought it was me and that I was refusing to care for her. Even though I was in her room every hour asking her if she needed anything and giving her the scheduled meds, asking her pain scores. And we were both minorities and she thought the other nurse who had her roommate was her nurse. Even though I told her I was her nurse at bedside report and wrote my name on her board and assessed her and everything else. She always said no she was fine. So she called the patient advocate and it was a big ordeal and said I wasn't providing care. I said I haven't received any phone calls from this patient all day.

So I took the manager and advocate in the room to talk to the patient. They didn't want to go in but I am very strong willed and will defend myself against something I didn't do. So they did and the patient said she was calling me and I kept telling her to call her nurse. (It's funny she suddenly remembered I was her nurse when I started questioning her about the phone calls) I said I've been your nurse all day and I asked you 3 times as documented about pain and you said you were a 0 on the pain scale. I said call the number you have for me and I had my phone out and sure enough it didn't ring. It was the other nurse. So after all of that was straightened out the manager had the nerve to ask me if I could stay until 7 even though my regular floor manager called and said she needed me back at 3 for charge with no patients. Yeah right! I went back to my regular floor.

I do get some bad assignments as a float nurse but I know I don't have to come back the next day so I can deal with it. Also the fact that I get paid a lot more too. I come in, take my assignment, take care of my patients and get the heck out of there. So that bad assignment is there the next day for the regular staff who called themselves dumping on me to deal with. Not saying that I should have all the good patients but be fair. And please don't ask if I can come back the next day when you gave me a terrible assignment today. It's not going to happen.

Sent from my iPhone using allnurses.com

[Caffeine_IV]

We kept a float book where I used to work. I didn't float very often since I was charge.

The easiest floats were psych to do a 1:1. You just sat and watched the patient and documented. Luckily they weren't too severe the ones I had.

I was a med surg nurse so float to ICU would be most stable patient not on any pressors or ventilator. They would read my strips for me.

Often times my float would be a decent assignment...better than what was on my home floor but at times they would give the worst load of patients.

[MatrixRn]

I guess I must really be old school. It never dawns on me to say I won't take a patient or assignment or have a "hissy" when I see the assignment sheet. Not saying I am ever less than thrilled. Just wouldn't dawn on me to refuse unless it was an unsafe situation. What amazes me is the folks who get away with it time after time! Even the techs!

From one fellow Texan to another, Amen and well said. I have never refused a patient the care that he or she needs. We are a caring profession and should be delivering care. When you refuse to float you are denying a patient his or her care.

[MatrixRn]

It is mainly a few individuals who absolutely refuse to float, and have a last float date of at least a month (I'm not exaggerating) before all of the other nurses. They come in, see they are floated, make a scene at the nurse's station, call the supervisor, scream and yell, and they get away with it over and over. I would not describe that as professional. It sets a negative tone for the rest of the shift, creates resentment among staff who float without complaint, and sets a bad example for other staff, particularly new nurses.

Agreed. And this is where management should step in and realign those nurses expectations of the job. If the requirement is to float then all must float, that way it is fair to all.

[monkeybug]

Believe me monkeybug, you wouldn't want to be at our desk as a secretary! Sorry you had such a miserable time in NICU. We try to be extra nice to our floats, but there are times we have to give them the feeders from hell because they can't take vents, admits or comp care kid, or kids with umbilical lines . And our L/D will have 3 secretaries and never offer to float one Tony's when we don't have a secretary. Sucks.

I got sent to CCU once and they plopped me in front of the monitor and told me if it

Beeped, call the nurse that had the patient. I almost flipped when one guy had a HR of 40....that means CPR where I work lol

I worked in this NICU for a while, so I actually can take CPAPs, Vents, and lines. We try to be extra nice in the rare event we get someone floated to L&D, too. That NICU was like a shark tank, though, and the new girl was always the bloody piece of meat. I have never worked with a group of women that angry, bitter, and malicious. But yet no one could understand why I didn't jump for joy every time I was asked to go there.

[NicuGal, MSN, RN]

I'd kill for a float that could take all that!!! I just don't get why people have to be miserable to the people floating....be thankful for someone to help!