I have an opportunity for a POOL/float position in a hospital but pretty much this has always been my experience in the hospital since being hired on as a new grad (went to a few different hospitals but stayed in the same specialty). This new position would be a TRUE float/resource type gig. I am reconsidering this and wondering if I should make a real attempt at a floor nurse PERMANENT position? I know this does not exclude you from floating occasionally but I guess what I am asking is are there real benefits to having a "home" floor? I kindof feel like a orphan who's never really belonged anywhere (because of the floating) and I wonder if that is clouding my judgement of my nursing career thus far. I wonder if working on one unit most of the time would really help me. I don't feel super confident in my skills/abilities as a nurse yet period so I am in some ways terrified of floating every shift. What do you think? If you have a permanent position on a floor, how often do you float in general?
Also, if you are part-time, will you get floor training of longer than a week or so?
When I worked the floor, float nurses always thought they were getting dumped on. But they weren't, it was just hard for them to believe it was really that bad for everyone.
We loved and needed the float nurses, and even tried to give them the easiest assignments so they'd quit refusing to come to the floor.
Can I say both? Our floats get the least complicated patients - which means that they have the worst assignment on the floor. The super complicated, vented, unstable patients go to the regular staff, so the floats get the recently extubated, on the call bell or crawling out of bed, pain med seeking patients. To be fair, though - the nurses just out of orientation also get dumped on. I thought I was going to have to quit my first couple of months out because my assignments were so obnoxious.
Specializes in Medical-Surgical/Float Pool/Stepdown.
To the OP, I can't imagine not being in the float pool. The experience you gain and retain, not being part of the floors politics, and the extra differential are perks that I can't get just being committed to one floor! If it's in your comfort zone I would say go for it. To clarify some points on my other post in response to other posters, your float nurses (as we are expected) should be confident and competent to take any patient load on the floors they float to unless it's way out of their specialty like a float Med-Surg going L & D or ED. A nurse floating from another floor should be given extra support if needed because they are likely out of their comfort zone and patient population. Just because the float pool nurse is competent or it's just one shift for the nurse floating in, does not justify a bad assignment compared to the regular floor staff! You know when everybody else has time to pow-wow often at the nurses station in groups that you're the one shafted! I can tell when "things are tough all over" and when my acuity is way higher than the other assignments. Both nurses are still there to help support the floor and should be treated fairly, or the floor could be working short instead IMHO.
I think it's unique to the hospital/unit. When I worked ICU I had to float to tele sometimes, and they would give me 4 patients on polar ends of the unit and they were all very difficult patients. One was vomiting for three days...and yelling at everyone. One was a total care TBI who kept wandering and one was a demented lady who it took me an hour just to get her her meds. I realized that it wasn't just me when I had to give the assignment back to the charge nurse because they needed me back in ICU, and she said, "well this assignment is ridiculous, i'm going to have to rearrange this." I told her I agreed and I would likely refuse to return to the unit to help out if they ever did that to me again.
Another hospital when I floated to tele/med surg or ER, all the units were accommodating, helpful and I didn't mind floating at all.
However, the last ER I worked at, float pool nurses went to the pod where we were boarding patients or had stable psych patients. Most of the time (not all) it was guaranteed to be a easy shift.
Can I say both? Our floats get the least complicated patients - which means that they have the worst assignment on the floor. The super complicated, vented, unstable patients go to the regular staff, so the floats get the recently extubated, on the call bell or crawling out of bed, pain med seeking patients. To be fair, though - the nurses just out of orientation also get dumped on. I thought I was going to have to quit my first couple of months out because my assignments were so obnoxious.
This is just what I was thinking reading this thread! "Critically ill" and "difficult" are mutually exclusive terms sometimes. The less critically ill are often the more needy.
To the OP: There were issues a few years back with floats being unhappy, so management put out new policies and a survey. Upon arriving on the floor, the float would be greeted by the charge, given a tour of the unit, a written welcome sheet with door codes and unit-specific policies, and an assigned buddy to help them. After their shift they would fill out a survey on their experience and whether their policies were followed, and return it to their HOME unit to send to upper management.
After this, the "problem" floors (the ones who would mistreat the floats) quickly got in line.
In my experience, yes. The float gets dumped on. Usually, I would just grin and bear it. I figured, I was only per diem, and was grateful that I wouldn't be back for more the next day. :)
However, one time, I got to the floor in the morning and actually had to stop the nonsense. The floor had had a lot of discharges, hence empty beds. I sat down to start report with the night nurse, only to find that I had not one, but 2 nurses on the phone, waiting to give me report on 2 new admissions!! The charge nurse tried to give me 3 patients and 4 EMPTY BEDS! The other nurses on the floor had only 1 (or no) empties each. I actually had to put my foot down and demand that the empty beds be distributed better. I think that was the worst that I ever experienced. All the nurses on the unit were rude, too.
the dumping of bad/hard patients on float nurses got so bad in a hospital I worked in years ago, that the nurses from other departments began to complain LOUDLY to the CNO and keep records of who did what and when. Finally the hospital blew up that unit and started over. Everyone was fired, the unit was closed and before it could re-open the staff had to be interviewed. Many were assigned elsewhere or just not re-hired. The CNO made it clear what behaviors were not acceptable.
Depends on the unit/floor. Some are fair with their float assignments or a little lighter. Then there are the ones who want to scr*w you over and give you the hardest, most difficult patient load AND don't lend you a helping hand while they sit and knit!.
Been there and done that. Speak up! And in future make a note not to go to units which take advantage of floats.
At first, yes. Then our floor raised a huge and I mean HUGE fuss about it. I think we still get crap assignments but they are more appropriate than before. I think it's the whole well you are just here for a day mentality
I am on a home unit and I haven't floated in over a year(probably just jinxed myself.) I work the shortest staffed shift though, weekend nights. It depends on the floor I float to on whether I get the worst assignment. One place is Hades and always gives a nightmare assignment but other floors haven't been like that. We are nice to our floats and don't ever give them chemo patients or our sickest patients.
SubSippi
911 Posts
When I worked the floor, float nurses always thought they were getting dumped on. But they weren't, it was just hard for them to believe it was really that bad for everyone.
We loved and needed the float nurses, and even tried to give them the easiest assignments so they'd quit refusing to come to the floor.