Do you have to work everywhere in the hospital first?

[xInspiredx]

As a nurse starting out, do you have to rotate where you work? Like how a doctor has residency, where they work in different parts of the hospital, even though they already know their specialty?

If you already know which department that you want to work in, can you just apply to that one, and not have to be a nurse anywhere else?

Even IF you have a job, let’s say in the Pediatrics, can you be asked to help out in another department?

What are the chances of someone putting you in another department, even if you don’t want to work there?

Lastly, who has ‘control’ over the nurses? Nurse Practitioners, or the doctor? Or someone else?

[BrnEyedGirl, BSN, MSN, RN, APRN]

As some of the other posters have stated,..while you are in school you will rotate all over the hospital,..just as the residents (students) do. Once you graduate and get your license you can apply to whatever area you want to work. Most hospitals have their staff float to other areas however usually they try to keep you with similar pt groups. I'm sure this varies per hospital,..but where I work, Level I trauma center,.pediatric RN's might float to newborn nursery but would not be expected to float to a cardiac floor. No one is expected to float to peds except peds ICU nurses. No one floats to ER and ER doesn't float anywhere.

Hope that answers your questions. Best of luck to you!

[Zaphod, BSN, RN]

Well ICU can float to ER. Not a good thing but it happens,

[LoveMyBugs, BSN, CNA, RN]

Depends on your floor.

I work in the ED and we have had med/surg RNs float down, but they serve as more of a tech role as they have not been orientated to the beast of the ED.

If we have a lot of behavioral health patients that end up boarding in the ED becasue the psych units are full, they will try to get a psych RN to float to the ED so the ED nurse can take on more patients.

My facility has a crictical care float pool, these nurses are trained to work in the ICU, ED and Cardiac units, they get paid slightly more because they do not have a home unit and every shift they are in a different floor, sometimes they get moved to different units multiple times a shift, but no one forces them, they are managed by the nurse manager and the house supervisor

[zsbaby]

You should probably watch your attitude if you want to continue asking questions for people to answer.

Geez!! Are you kidding me?

[klone, MSN, RN]

As far as floating goes, a lot depends on the hospital. I'm an OB nurse, and the first to admit that I'm useless anywhere else, unless it's to fetch water and change a bed. Thankfully, hospital administrators KNOW that OB nurses are generally useless in other units, and usually don't require OB nurses to float to other units. OB is usually what's called a "closed unit" although we do have med/surg nurses float into the unit and take postpartum moms or gyn pts if necessary.

[dianah, ASN]

Please respond to the issue or question of the thread, refraining from personal remarks.

Thank you. :)

[RNBSNxo]

If whether or not the OP is currently a nurse concerned you -- did you glance at the OP's profile to learn that OP is a pre-nursing student?

Sheesh.

Altra, she said "as a nurse starting out,"

This did not say as a nursing student starting out. It said as a NURSE starting out. You wouldnt be concerned if a "nurse starting out" did not know these things, I would. If the poster said nursing student starting out then it would be a different story.

I cannot check all profiles.

[RNBSNxo]

Sure, you can report the imaginary school that I got admitted to.

I am a pre-nursing student, and wanted to ask this question in this section to read what actual nurses have to say. I was reading conflicting stories about what nurses really do, so that is why I was seeking factual information. Thanks for the reply!

You said "nurse starting out" read your own message. Not new nursing student or just interested in nuring. The title of "nurse" means something. Now you say pre-nursing student, good job. And I still did give factual information about my facility, I also gave my concern because you said "nurse" not student.

[LoveMyBugs, BSN, CNA, RN]

As a nurse starting out, do you have to rotate where you work? Like how a doctor has residency, where they work in different parts of the hospital, even though they already know their specialty?

The OP does not say they are a nurse starting out, just as A nurse. The question at least to me, reads from someone who is interested in starting a career in nursing. And it is a good idea to know what is expected of you in a new career before you invest in the education.