What other profession floats?

[moonshadeau]

What other profession besides nurses float?

Janitors- their job-I couldn't do without them, is fairly standardized.

Teachers- even teachers have substitutes.

Secretaries- well, they can't kill anyone with their poor shorthand technique.

Those are the only few that I can think of at the moment. Feel free to add more if you can think of them.

But really, why do we float nurses? Those people that literally have a patients life in their hands for every minute of the shift that they work.

Why don't doctors float? Sorry, DR. OBGYN, Dr. Psych called in sick, you have to cover his patients for him today? Or dietary, hey, put down that apple juice and go look at UA's for the day. Sorry but we have a sick call to cover. It is your duty to cover.

The whole rampage began today. We have a step down unit, that like the rest of the country is becoming more acute daily. Unfortunately, they have lost over half of their staff but yet still try to maintain full capacity. Even though, our unit is one unit, it is composed of telemetry and step down. The only place that we are floated is telemetry, step down and ICU. Well, you might say that is ok?. Well, I have over 100 float hours in 2 months. I am the "it" girl over there. We can't take so and so because of... or that they flip and freak out too easily. Mind you that in all the float hours, there has been no education or orientation provided to any staff that floats. One time occurance, hey anyone may be able to get through a shift. But continually floating unexperienced staff is just plain dangerous. I knew that I was to float this am, which would have been ok, except I had a new grad. I wasn't going to float with a new grad. To take away from his orientation and set up for a potentially dangerous situation. "well, other nurses and new grads have done it, It worked before, why not now". I refused.

Why do we continually become martyrs when our license is in serious danger?

Tell the doctors, stop admitting patients, or you can float to the understaffed areas!

Do you really want to have someone working on you or your loved one in a critical care setting that may or may not be a "float". How many more mistakes are made when people float, not to mention those fatal? Those are mistakes that I don't want to make or find out about.

Please feel free to enlighten me or share your stories of floating.

Stepping off soap box and waving to crowd.

[Alley Cat]

Man, oh man do these tales sound familiar!!!!! The main problem I've found in floating is that 1. the areas you get floated to are usually full of people who are as burnt out as the rest of us, 2. the areas that chronically need float help can't keep regular help to begin with, 3. managers who don't have to do patient care are the ones who are the least sympathetic to staff members' concerns about floating. Even having "sister" areas didn't help morale at our facility--there was constant bickering over "I did a full shift and so-and-so only did 4 hours"....."How come we go over there for a full shift but their staff always gets pulled back after 4 hours or less?"....on and on and on and on.....

So the solution? Administration has cut staff, increased the number of patients a nurse is supposed to care for, and told every department no overtime pay unless you've worked 40 hours that week (and don't call anybody in that has because we don't have the financial resources to pay overtime.) Financial consultants have been called in, and people with seniority are getting laid off. They also have cancelled all contracts with travelers (in nursing), and personnel who are prn status are frequently getting called off. Nursing shortage? I quite frankly think it's been artificially created by business people running the hospitals who can't see anything but the dollars being spent, instead of what staff really does. The sad thing is, when winter hits and we really get slammed, there's going to be BIG problems thanks to people quitting, relocating, etc etc etc:o :angryfire

[BBFRN, BSN, PhD]

I'm actually liking floating to other floors these days. Get this- Thursday night, I got pulled from my regular 30 bed Trauma floor (leaving them with 2 RN's and 2 LPN's- that was 9 patients each for the LPN's, 5 for the charge nurse, and 7 for the other RN) to a 24 bed medical floor where I was the only LPN working with 4 RN's. I had 5 patients who weren't as critical as I would've had on my floor. At first I was irritated at getting pulled, then after I saw my patient load as compared to what I would've had, I think I'm going to consider transferring to that floor!

[DIPLOMATICRN4HIRE, MSN, RN]

I have floated to PACU from OR

Other units from the floor, but Im comfortable with where Im going and what Im doing. If I was going somewhere I wasnt comfortable with, I would just let them know and if that didnt do anything I would turn in my resignation. I wont allow someone or some hospital jepordize what I have worked so hard to achieve.

Its just asking for a mistake because of the unfamiliar territory, and ways that the floor or unit works.

Zoe

[OC_An Khe]

Just say no. Fergus has the correct approach.

This floating issue will not go away until we the staff nurses make it go away.

You can only be abused if you let some one abuse you.

[DIPLOMATICRN4HIRE, MSN, RN]

The guy that pumps my gas. He also floats with a windsheild washer and washes the front windsheild and then he floats to the back one and washes it too. Other than that I dont know one that does.

Zoe

[BBFRN, BSN, PhD]

I have a hypothetical question for those of you more experienced nurses. Could the hospital consider a refusal to be floated to another floor (after you have clocked in) a patient abandonment issue if they are in critical staffing mode? I had a charge nurse tell me that they thought this could be the case, and I was wondering if it was true. To me, it seems that you would have to receive report on those patients first.

[DIPLOMATICRN4HIRE, MSN, RN]

Report has to be given to you about the patients, if not you have recieved no patients, you can clock out and go home without the chance of patient abandonment. But however you will most likely be with out a job.

That I know of from personal experience and I called the state boards to find out and I called from the Nursing desk before I clocked out. I want fired but I was repremanded pretty hard and I would do it again.

Zoe

[Going80INA55]

Yah, it really does depend on where you are floating from and to.

I worked on the floor from hell, step-down, and on rare occasions I would be floated. It was wonderful, because any floor in the hospital was a breath of fresh air compared to that place.

[BBFRN, BSN, PhD]

Originally posted by Going80INA55

Yah, it really does depend on where you are floating from and to.

I worked on the floor from hell, step-down, and on rare occasions I would be floated. It was wonderful, because any floor in the hospital was a breath of fresh air compared to that place.

I know, that's how I'm feeling these days, too. Is that what gave you the gumption to change to something else? They have an opening on the last floor I got floated to, and it's looking like an option.

[Brita01]

Next time someone asks you to float, thank them very much for the experience they're giving you, because now you have the experience you need to go out and work confidently for a nursing AGENCY.

Way back when I left my hospital staff position, I figured that if I would have to float, I might as well get paid for it.

[BBFRN, BSN, PhD]

Originally posted by Brita01

Next time someone asks you to float, thank them very much for the experience they're giving you, because now you have the experience you need to go out and work confidently for a nursing AGENCY.

Way back when I left my hospital staff position, I figured that if I would have to float, I might as well get paid for it.

Amen to that!

[Going80INA55]

yes, that is one of the main things that gave me the courage to leave bedside nursing. i figured if i was good enough to float anywhere in the hospital, then i could do anything.

besides once i floated to other floors it gave me more experience. i did agency for awhile and enjoyed it. but then my personality is such that i like change.