Float Pool/Resource Team Incentives?

[tfrisinger]

I manage a Float pool/ Nurse Resource Team amoung other areas. I am wondering about what other hospitals do for incentives for their nursing groups like this? Currently my staff do not get paid more but recieve a flexible schedule. I have a sudden influx of open positions and would like to take the opportunity to revamp the policy. Any feedback is welcome. Thank you.

[applesRN]

I was making $17 an hour 7 years ago on a regular unit, and left there to go into pool. We now have about 80 pool nurses (about 12 techs in that). we have 3 divisions- acute care(any stepdown, non-CC uinit, but occasionally take ICU assignments, long term care and rehab), CC, and Mother baby (peds, Mother baby, OPD, NICU). Now I make about $35 an hour. I buy my insurance at a higher rate, but don't have vacation,sick pay, or retirment matching. there are diff. tiers to the pool- minumum is a commitment of 32 hours a month (t least 8 hours off shift, 16 hrs weekends). from there you can commit to 64 hours a month (increase in off shift and w/e req), to fulltime (increase in offshift and w/e req. and you can either still get the higher pay or opt for lower "floor" pay rate and get full benes.) My manager is awesome and comes by to see us on days she is at our hospital to see how we are doing. We have team meetings. We have get togethers. We have weekly e-huddles. We have a manager that tries to be fair and is in our corner fighting for some non-essential benefits, like education reimbursement. We are limbo though (unless in fulltime tier) and are not guaranteed hours. she tries to find new places for us to float to in the system (backloading pt charts, etc) when hours are low. We are completely closed staffing except for the pool ( or rather, because of it) and do not use agencies or travelers.

[gue007]

For those of you on a resource team that receive higher premium per hour in exchange for no benefits...what is your hospital doing to preparing for this Affordable Health Care Reform Act? According to this law beginning in 2014 I believe, employers (including hospitals) will be required to offer their employees benefits. I don't know if the term 'offer' is also synonymous with 'required' or 'mandated' in terms of the bill. I don't know how the hospitals are interpreting this.

My hospital has temporarily put a freeze on hiring resource RN's because of the uncertainty. Is your hospital also doing this?