"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.

[FineAgain]

Our nurses are only required to float to their "sister" unit so it doesn't happen a lot. That said, no one likes it and there can be a lot of huffing and puffing. The poor CNAs are not unionized and are floated wherever and whenever. My problem is this -- my hospital uses pool nurses as staff, i.e. they schedule them. To me, it is like having part time employees without having to pay them benefits or vacation. they have even told the pool nurses that they will have to work one weekend a schedule, and two major holidays. What is the advantage of being pool, then? They should use their pool nurses on an as needed basis. If someone wants to work, then they should be ready to be called in. Ironically, I just saw some postings for "last minute" pool nurses. These are people who are willing to be called at the last minute, and would be expected to work.

[Mulan]

[quote name=barbyann

Nowadays, it is a daily, preplanned arrangement, that is disguised as necessity, in morning and afternoon "huddles". Licensed personnel are traded like playing cards.

[/quote]

When they changed the name from Personnel to Human Resources it made no sense to me, then

I realized just what it meant.

You were a resource that could be used wherever needed, like an IV pump or a PCA pump or an SCD machine.

I said to the charge nurse one time, I feel like a piece of equipment, like a BP cuff or something.

[Mulan]

My problem is this -- my hospital uses pool nurses as staff, i.e. they schedule them. To me, it is like having part time employees without having to pay them benefits or vacation. they have even told the pool nurses that they will have to work one weekend a schedule, and two major holidays. What is the advantage of being pool, then? They should use their pool nurses on an as needed basis. If someone wants to work, then they should be ready to be called in. Ironically, I just saw some postings for "last minute" pool nurses. These are people who are willing to be called at the last minute, and would be expected to work.

My PRN positions have been like that, one weekend a month and one summer and one winter holiday, or 8 hours a pay period, or twice a month and Thanksgiving or Christmas, and always on the schedule in advance.

[msjellybean]

Floating happens a lot at my hospital. We have an internal float pool, but since they are paid more per hour to be floaters, they make every effort to float regular staff first. There are two med-surg floors in particular that are almost always short, because they're terrible floors to work on and they have a hard time keeping staff.

I don't have a problem with floating, as long as I don't get dumped on.

The one time I had an issue was this: my floor is currently in the process of learning how to take step down ICU patients (we're currently med surg). We are all to have a certain number of orientation days on that floor, along with more education. I come in, on an overtime day, and find I'm to go to the step down ICU. I complain, as I'm not fully trained there yet. House supervisor meets my complaints with, "well it's your turn to float and there is no one else." My manager essentially told me to suck it up and use it as a learning experience. A week after I wrote it up as a patient safety event, I was counseled by my manager & director on my "bad attitude."

[redhead_NURSE98!, ADN, BSN]

Wow, you must have a really awesome floor if they don't want to float!! I'll float off my flo' anytime!!

[ThePrincessBride, MSN, RN, NP]

I'm a nurse's aide and I like floating mostly because I can't stand my floor. Plus, variety is the spice of life.

[Lennonninja, MSN, APRN, NP]

When I was a brand new med/surg nurse floating caused me an insane amount of stress. After about 6 months though, I'd volunteer to float for someone else because I didn't like my floor. Now I'm in the ICU at a different hospital, and ICU nurses only float to other ICUs or PCUs. If we have to float to med/surg we can only be used as techs in case they need to pull us back home. Med/surg can only float to med/surg, and if they have to come to the ICU they're sitters. This past week we've had a very low census and 3-4 nurses have been floating per night. I think it'll be my turn by next week, so if it is, I'll take advantage of the situation and see about learning new things. Floating is stressful, but I like learning and meeting new people.

[pockunit, ADN, RN]

Gee, I guess I am glad my job in the float pool isn't as bad as your occasional float experiences. a lot of that is probably that I expect to float every single day. I wish I could say that I got six weeks on each floor but that's not the case. still, I know that in a year I'm going to have an incredible base of experience. I work medical surgical, adult and child behavioural, rehab, and burn. I kind of like the idea that I never know where I'm going to be from day to day. One day I'll be able to apply for pretty much any job i want and expect to have a pretty good shot at getting it because of this experience. Consider floating another way to build your resume!

[barbyann]

Just to add to the bad experience with floating tidbits:

One time I was floated to a surgical floor, east side was ortho and west side was gen/surg. They were both short and arguing over who would get the float nurse. The supervisor decided the only fair thing to do was have me take 3pts from each unit. Yup, I had to deal with two charges, two unit sec. etc. What a mess.

I have been floated to another HOSPITAL, across town. Yup, told to get in my car and report to our sister hospital---half-hour drive. I had a great day and I actually transferred over to the other hospital permanently.

[NicuGal, MSN, RN]

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

[musicnursing]

At our hospital, we only have 2-3 RNs on our floor at night, the rest is LPNs and CNAs for staff. I work with a lot of male nurses (love them!) however, when we have to float to OB because they are short down at thier end of the building, I always end up floating because my co-workers are male. I also get floated to the ER, ICU, Vascular, and Rehab if needed. It gives me a nice change of pace in a small rural hospital and because I have float experience I feel it makes me a better nurse. Our hospital gives us all the training we need to feel semi-comfortable floating, I have BLS, ACLS, PALS, NALS, TNCC, Fetal Monitoring Certification, and have taken telemetry courses.

[uRNmyway, ASN, RN]

I didn't know you could get paid extra to float! Maybe then people would be more receptive

The place I recently interviewed for offers an extra 6$/hr to float, on top of shift differentials. I think that definitely makes it worth it! But I agree with a previous poster, I used to work agency, similar to how float nurses get treated. We get first admissions, patients no one wants, etc...