We are looking at floating related to age. Currently if you are 55 or over with 10 consecutive years you are exempt from floating. [this also exempts you from call]
Many older nurses transfer to our rehab unit because "most" of the pts are more stable, they spend half the day with PT etc. So most of the rehab nurse do not float. But, we have a couple 60+ nurses that do not fit this criteria.
Is it fair to make the 2 or 3 other nurses float all the time, or do we exempt the whole unit from floating? We are going back to see how many nurses {hospital wide} we have over 60 to see if exempting all of them from floating is feasible.
It's very tricky trying to show appreciation to our older nurses without causing hard feelings from thsoe that will continue to float.
That is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard. Is it even legal? If I had to float because of my age, I think this would be discriminitory.
No I dont think it is ok or even remotely fair. I think soon you'll find yourself with no young nurses. No one is going to put up with that. I hope all the young floaters get together and quit.
Specializes in Critical Care; Cardiac; Professional Development.
I think it will bite the older nurses in the hind end when it is used as an under-the-table, unspoken reason to get rid of older, better paid, less flexible nurses.
Doesn't sound legal to me. But having the certified nurses not float may be ok. Things can not legally be substantiated by age only. That is discriminatory.
I would be very upset if my hospital did this. Based on seniority you give your staff a perk for staying at the hospital. Based on age you give your staff a big opening to sue. Just because a previous administration did it that way does not make it OK.
It's not fair. I'm 60 and could handle floating. When I was 27 I was terrified of floating off my unit. My pleas fell on deaf ears. It was great experience for me and I was able to float to almost any floor after that. If they must choose it could be based on senority. Just because your over 55 does not make it fair to a 35 year old who has worked there for 10 years.
We don't include age, but ours is after 20 years, with the assumption that most nurses start in their 20's. After 20 years of floating, I was so glad that we had this perk! And for the certification..we have an 80% certification in our unit, so what if all your nurses become certified...the upper escholons will not be happy if one unit doesn't float.
Being certified should not be a reason to not float. BEing certified only means you have passed a test....no extra clinical skills. And if it means you are a better nurse, maybe the ceritified nurses should be the ones who have to float, instead of the rest, who aren't as "smart."
In a nutshell, nobody should be exempt but the unit that provides the floats (in our case it's the Birth Center) needs to be properly staffed before they pull a nurse. And in our case, sometimes they try to pull a nurse and want the charge nurse to have someone else come in extra. On principal, I won't be a part of that.
I am sorry, but if you are too old or unable to do the job than you shouldn't be working. Or get a doctors note...this is nursing, we new what we were getting into.
missladyrn
230 Posts
That is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard. Is it even legal? If I had to float because of my age, I think this would be discriminitory.
No I dont think it is ok or even remotely fair. I think soon you'll find yourself with no young nurses. No one is going to put up with that. I hope all the young floaters get together and quit.
This must be a joke.