Differential for shifts worked outside home unit???

[pedirn83]

I've been a nurse now for two years and have been trained and worked in two units. I started in a pediatric ER as a new grad, and transferred to a NICU Level II after eight months. I have happily stayed in NICU as it was always my dream job to work with babies. Since moving to the NICU, I have continued to work in the pedi ER from time to time doing overtime there since they are ALWAYS short. I don't mind helping out the ER and the hospital as a whole, and it helps keep my skills up. At most, I would work one OT shift/week in the ER, though sometimes I'd go a month or two without working there when I was busy with other things. I completed PALS, and am considering taking TNCC (required to work the trauma room) and triaging to add these things to my list of skills and be more flexible in my roles for the ER.

Nationwide, the census in NICUs has been down this year, and there are many speculations as to why. With low census, staff have been cancelled almost every day and night over the past months. We're talking regularly scheduled shifts, not OT. When this occurs, the employee has the choice to use accrued paid time off hours meant for use as sick time and vacation time. For most of us, it's not a choice- bills have to paid. Because of this, my management has asked those of us currently working in NICU who came from other units within the hospital to voluntarily "float" to our old units from time to time for regularly scheduled shifts. Including me, this is all of THREE nurses from a staff pool of hundreds. One of the three nurses came for a unit that was also experiencing low census, so they didn't need her and she got to stay in our home unit. The other nurse came from a med-surg floor that needed her occasionally, but she's mostly gotten to stay in the NICU. I, however, being from the ER where they are ALWAYS short, was not only asked to go by my manager, but asked for by the ER management.

To me, floating means a day here or there when your home unit is sufficiently staffed and another comparable unit (or unit you've been cross-trained to) could use some help. This is fine with me, I don't mind mixing it up a bit and enjoy the opportunity to learn and do new things and work with new people. I've also cross-trained to NICU Level III and have been floated there on several occasions, which I enjoyed.

Here's my question: is it still considered floating if you are told in advance that you'll be going to another unit for days/weeks/months at a time? And, regardless of the answer, should a differential for working shifts outside your home unit be provided in cases such as this, especially considering the large variance between the two units?

I understand that moving between 2-3 units doesn't quite designate me as a float nurse (who makes considerably more). However, I feel that to routinely "float" back and forth, literally working in one area one day, and another area on the next day, requires a higher level skill set and is more intense than staying in a home unit and perhaps even having the same assignment all 3 days each week.

As I stated before, I like helping out my unit and the hospital overall by being flexible. And I enjoy new opportunities to learn and grow. I'd just like some additional information and insight into the situation from nurses more experienced with some of these issues as I respect the input my more seasoned peers have to offer. Thank you in advance for your time.

[Reno1978, BSN, RN]

Where I work, it's in our contract which units we may or may not float to. For example, ICU and Cardiac Unit are a float cluster. ER and Short-Stay are a float cluster. If we float to another unit, outside of our float cluster, we're given an elective float differential of $7/hr. Management cannot make us float to units outside of our float cluster, but we may volunteer to do so when needed as staffing allows (low census in home unit, high census in floating unit).

Does your hospital have a float pool? We have nurses that float between all units they're oriented to and they are compensated at a higher hourly rate. I believe float pool makes $5/hr more on their base wage.