Floating to Med-Surg Floors due to COVID 19?

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Has anyone been sent to float to your med-surg floors due to the current COVID crisis? Our OR has cancelled most elective surgeries, and as a result a lot of us are being sent to other units to assist them. Initially we were taking vitals and answering phones (ie tech/CNA duties). Now they are telling us to buddy up with a nurse to essentially get a crash-course orientation to floor nursing in case they fall ill or have to self-quarantine.

As a new grad who went straight to the OR, this is terrifying. Is this happening in a lot of your ORs as well?

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I am in a very similar position, got a job in CVOR 5 years ago directly after graduating from nursing school and have never worked the floor. As of now our managers are saying we would not be forced to work on the floor, only on a voluntary basis. A few have volunteered and been told they will be going to get a crash course orientation, but this has not happened yet. However, my area has not been hit hard yet, and I am terrified this could change. I am willing to help out on the floor, but the idea of being forced to take patients with little to no training is terrifying. I am hoping and praying it does not come to this.

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Specializes in OR, Nursing Professional Development.

We are looking at all of our nurses and where they may have worked prior to the OR to see if they can be utilized. If you're an AORN member, log into ORNurseLink and check out the posts there on this topic- one member shared a breakdown of what they expect the OR nurses to be able to do independently, with help, and so on.

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@Rose_Queen Thank you, I will take a a look at the ORNurseLink boards.

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They are surveying all our ambulatory nurses to see what skill set and experience we have in case they need to pull us to the in-patient side. If it happens then it’s ED or ICU for me since I have over 2 decades in it and have kept any of my certs that I could up. This could get very interesting. ?

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Specializes in Family Practice, Progressive Care, PACU, ICU, OR.

As a OR manager I have sent a number of nurses to other departments to help out. The floors have been very appreciative and are willing to train them. My hospital also started a crash course in taking care of critical care patients. My plan is to float nurses up there on a continuous basis to train with other nurses on the Med Surg unit, ER, and ICU. We also created a unit to take care of only suspected or diagnosed Covid patients which I’ve sent three OR nurses to help support that unit. All the other nursing sections have also sent people there and too the floors. I tell my nurses I rather you volunteer to go somewhere you may like rather then management come down and tell you when things get worse. Most have been pretty receptive. I can’t have nurses just sitting around, getting paid, and not supporting the mission when it comes down to it. It’s all hands on deck!

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Our hospital deployed military type respirators that use N-95 filters to the ED, ICU and dedicated COVID-19 floor staff. If I’m provided the same level of PPE I’d volunteer. If I’m given a procedure mask then it’s a hard pass.

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Specializes in Tele, ICU, Staff Development.

Our hospital is orienting some of our OR nurses to the floor and some to ICU, depending on their prior experience. We're documenting competencies the same as we do for new hires to make sure they're prepared.

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Specializes in anesthesiology.

the society for critical care medicine recommends Non-ICU/ED nurses to start taking care of ICU patients, ICU nurses to help and oversee these nurses, CRNAs to manage care, non-ICU MDs and CC NPs to oversee the CRNAs, and an intensivist to oversee it all.

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Specializes in Perioperative / RN Circulator.
On 3/27/2020 at 7:27 PM, Rose_Queen said:

We are looking at all of our nurses and where they may have worked prior to the OR to see if they can be utilized. If you're an AORN member, log into ORNurseLink and check out the posts there on this topic- one member shared a breakdown of what they expect the OR nurses to be able to do independently, with help, and so on.

I just looked at this list. I've done almost every item on the list with live patients. I wouldn't feel comfortable or safe just jumping in cold; but with a short orientation I feel confident I could handle med-surg. ICU would be different, but with an experienced ICU nurse to oversee and help, yes.

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