Floating too much?

auntsas82 · Nov 17, 2008

This last contract I just finished, I floated about 2 of every 3 shifts. I also floated in rotation with regular staff, which is my preferance. I am a cardiac icu nurse, but I was working a smaller hospital general icu. The unit I was contracted was the best staffed unit in the hospital, they were bringing in travelors to accept icu in order to float them to the med surg-pcu floors...apparently not many med surg nurses would fall for the contracts...I understand why, those floors were a mess! On my contracts, I make it very clear that they can float me but only to adult population patients/units. I dont intubate babies, and I certainly dont catch them!

tinderbox · Nov 21, 2008

Hello. I am doing a local travel assignment. The census has dropped in my unit and for the last 3 weeks I have had to float to another unit every week for at least one shift! I am very frustrated with this and also trying to remind myself that its due to low census but I hate feeling dumped on because Im a traveler. What are your opinions on this matter? What has been the experience when traveling out of state and floating? I have several friends who travel out of state and they don't seem to float but I know that it depends on specialty and census. Also, the hospitals around here have the policy that travelers\agency float before anyone else! I hate that rule! Im in Texas, btw. Is this a common policy in other states? Btw, I still have 7 weeks on the contract and Im not looking forward to having to go thru it. I am floating to a comparable unit.

At my current assignment, where I work 19-07, I float somewhere else at 1900 and then float back at 02300. Every shift. It's hell. I've floated at other assignments before but not to this degree. I hate it.

AWanderingMinstral · Nov 21, 2008

I am considering signing up with a few large agencies, but I'm nervous about floating to other units. On one side of the coin, a patient is a patient is a patient, but I work in orthopedics. I know NADA about much else. If I could list 20 mid-size to large cities that I would be interested in traveling to, do you think a large agency could find me something strictly/largely in orthopedics? A friend just finished two 13-week contracts on a physical rehabilitation unit and he has never been pulled.

packtraveler06 · Nov 21, 2008

I have been working as a travel nurse in various ICU's for over 2 years. My current assignment is the first time I have ever been forced to float!!! I also DO NOT consider cardiac tele a comparable unit to the ICU. When I interviewed the hospital told me I would only be floated to IMCU, when I arrived the census was low and all of the sudden I became the "jack of all trades" for the hospital, being forced to float to oncology, tele, etc. I have a clause in my contract that states that I am staffed in the ICU with possible float to ICU on another campus. The hospitals response is that my contract doesn't say that I won't float so it is open to interpretation. Will be much smarter in the future and contract wording will be VERY specific.