Being cross trained wthout a choice.

[sky1263]

Hi All,

I work on a telemetry unit but was told today that they are going to cross train us to work on the step down unit. They had to transfer all the step-down patients last week to our unit because they didnt have enough staff to keep the unit open over night. So they put 3 patients on the med-surg unit and the others came to us. They said they will give us two days training and then rotate us over there. This seems like a huge liability to us-the nurses. Plus I feel it should be a choice if we want to be trained to work there rather than having no choice. Do you think this is a risk to our licenses?

[JaxJax5423]

I used to complain, but it gets u nowhere.

I was a pedi nurse and forced to float to NICU, Nursery, Womens health, and adult med surge...with little to no training. I used it as a resume builder and to learn. I dreaded floating most days though.

Now at my new facility I am acute care and am "forced" to float to ER....since that's the same thing and all :)

it comes down to $ and staffing.

[BittyBabyGrower, MSN, RN]

We are expected to float to

our step down. Same kind of patients, less acuity. Our protocols and policies are cross referenced for both. The step down nurses also float to us and get the lower acuity kids.

[imintrouble, BSN, RN]

I wonder what would happen if the ER doc was floated to the NICU, or the cardiologist was told he had to be the hospitalist for the peds unit.

After all, they're all doctors. Where I work the MDs are now employees of the hospital, just as I am. I doubt any of us would tell the outraged MD to consider it an opportunity for growth.

I can guarantee one thing for sure. If your father was having an acute MI in my tele unit, you would NOT want this med/surg nurse taking care of him because I was floated that day.

[ProgressiveActivist, BSN, RN]

https://allnurses.com/general-nursing-discussion/nurses-do-drop-1030100.html

As usual I see a lot of people who dont work in a specialty area such as a stepdown telling the poster to suck it up.

Stepdown can be a huge dumping ground in some hospitals to detox DTs pts, bariatric

pts( "he's too much work for the floor nurses") or

for your ED staff who dont want to have an ICU

hold. See above thread. Yeah like that. Just call

the code for help when they dump an unstable patient in your lap when the ICUs are full.

So what if it's a suicidal homocidal detoxing psych

hold and theres no sitter. Screw acuity and patientsafety. Stick 'em in a stepdown bed!

Beware the stepdown unit that has no admission criteria. Its ICU acuity with Med Surg staffing and you have to accept everything. Good times.

[applesxoranges, BSN, RN]

Fight for the orientation. make sure your monitor skills are up to snuff. Look up what drips you can get so you know before the ER sends a patient to you (in all honesty, I have no idea which drips our step downs can get and which ones have to go to ICU 99% of the time and it feels like it changes monthly).

I doubt they will let you not float. I don't think you will win that battle.

[anon456, BSN, RN]

I wonder what would happen if the ER doc was floated to the NICU, or the cardiologist was told he had to be the hospitalist for the peds unit.

After all, they're all doctors. Where I work the MDs are now employees of the hospital, just as I am. I doubt any of us would tell the outraged MD to consider it an opportunity for growth.

I can guarantee one thing for sure. If your father was having an acute MI in my tele unit, you would NOT want this med/surg nurse taking care of him because I was floated that day.

This is the best statement ever! Yes I wonder what would happen if MDs were put in our shoes?