Floating? I need your comments!

[editor2rn]

Hello, all,

I'm putting together a best practice presentation for my hospital staff, and I'm collecting nurses's thoughts about floating. If you could, please respond with a one- or two-sentence answer to the following scenario:

"You come in for your usual shift, and you've been asked to float to another unit. Although this unit has patients of similar acuity level, it's been quite some time since you've cared for the types of patients assigned to this unit (e.g., you work on the neuro floor and you're floated to tele or you work in med-surg and are assigned to ortho). What are your immediate thoughts and concerns about this assignment?"

Thank you!

[brownbook]

Thoughts to myself.....

Someone, a nurse, doctor, patient, needs help.

Yikes, I hope I can handle it, okay take a deep breath you can do it, we are NOT talking life and death, critical care patients here, you can do it, think of it as a challenge.

That which does not kill us makes us strong. (I hate that phrase, some key losses, regrets, in my life have definitely not make me stronger, but it does apply here.)

yikes I hope I can handle it, okay take a deep breath, etc.

[Dafabb, LPN]

LOL that's funny to still see that attitude. I know when I was full time before going agency you had on occasion someone like that where you worked. The majority of the time we are thankful that they came and appreciate it. If they were not there it would be a much larger load and then WE would have something to complain about. Most of the time it is the positive outlook they see whether City agency of Travel. Now the last 17 yrs I have done agency and have to say 95% is a good attitude. I did literally walk into hospital and get told they hate agency as they are incompetent and don't last long. Of course I changed the subject. They do get paid a higher salary but it is not double or even close. I am sure there are exceptions to that rule somewhere. I am from the south. I am also an LVN. But at all my agencies over the yrs. I do know what salaries are. In 03 here they dropped several dollars from when i left in 02. Tenet came in a put a number on it and if you didn't comply you were left out of a great number of hospitals to staff. We have no home,we have no insurance through them. First to get canceled and they always overbook. So stability vs instability. If they like you then you work mostly full time. They still can cancel often. It's a choice and not as prestigious as people think. So I am glad I have done well and had very little of the "hateful" issues.