Force to change unit in the middle of shift

Nurses General Nursing

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Can a RN supervisor & DON force a nurse who was hired and assigned to another department, to change & rotate to another unit 4+ hours into their shift after they have already passed meds, charted, passes narcotics in their unit, etc? Can they threaten to write them up if they do not comply in the MIDDLE of their shift?? Can legal actions be taken?

Floating mid shift is par for the course in any large hospital. Census can change on a dime, and unfortunately - sometimes help is needed elsewhere and not so much somewhere else. It's a delicate balancing act.

That being said, when it happens to me... I take my time and complete all my charting on my home unit before packing up to hit the new floor. :)

Specializes in mental health / psychiatic nursing.

Yes, it is possible. As a CNA I was hired by the facility - my home unit was my home unit, but if census was low I floated and anyone floating could be moved to a new unit every 4 hours. There were a few time I started on my home unit was sent elsewhere and then called back as census fluctuated.

As a Float-RN at my current job I specifically asked about mid-shift floating in my interview, because our units are not all at the same facility and there can be significant travel time. For this reason my current employer does not mid-shift float units due to logistics. I can be floated from role (e.g. intake/admissions to floor or vice-versa) if there is need, but I don't mind that much.

Jumping between units can be hard and overwhelming, particularly if you aren't comfortable with the unit and/or your role on it - but that is a time to self-advocate either for a role for which you are trained, assistance with unfamiliar tasks, or the option to come train/shadow on the unit on a non-float shift so you can be more comfortable with expectations when floating.

Lol, I've been forced to float to an entirely different hospital in the middle of my shift. I started at 7 PM, was notified at 9 PM, finished my charting by 10 PM, waited for a cab until 10:30 PM, and didn't arrive at the other hospital and find my way to the unit until around midnight. The sister hospital was about an hour away; I was a city-dweller without a car, so the hospital was required to foot the cab bill out to the 'burbs (about $75 each way). This was at a union hospital, and the union had negotiated this into our contract (fortunately with a $10/hr inter-campus float). However, I have been forced to float to other units mid-shift in every hospital where I've worked, without a float diff in some cases.

It honestly didn't bother me that much, granted I was being paid a huge differential (including two non-productive hours being transported from the main hospital to the satellite hospital). I might be a bit irked if I wasn't getting a float differential, but honestly, after rounds and the first med pass at the beginning of the shift, usually the busiest part of the day is over (in my specialty, anyway). Of all the nurse staffing snafus in the world, this one is an annoyance but not a major offender (and certainly not a lawsuit :rolleyes:).

They sure can. And they will do it again. Get prepared now. Do not leave your current unit until your charting and hand off is properly completed. The nurse on the NEXT unit SHOULD just wait until you get there. On the next unit , make sure you get report before you accept the new assignment. If nothing else, the charge HAS to give you report.

Been there, done that. I have arrived on the new unit and been told.. there's your new peeps, have at it.

Cover yourself.

Short answer is yes.. you work for the facility / hospital, not a specific unit... the only exception would be a move to a specialty unit you have no qualifications for... example would be med surg to OR or med-surg to L&D... a move to peds or nursery would also be questionable....and yes, the can write you up for refusing... we used to designate a float or use a list to take turns if we could..

Yes they can. There are times when I was in 3 different departments during my 8 hour shift, 2 of which were specialties. At my work I get to float anytime they are short staffed. I am not even a float nurse, but the one who is the most flexible. I take advantage of floating as a chance to learn new skills and become a better nurse. I still prefer my home unit the most and would rather stay there..however, i try to be as flexible and accommodating because I like making my managers happy.

oh heck yeah they can do it. You are hired for the facility, not a specific unit. I once was sent to 3 different units in the first 1/2 of my shift before they sent back to my usual unit. A write up- yep. Could also fire you for insubordination if you refuse. SNFs and NF are very much difficult to survive in.

Why were you sent to so many different assignments? Emergencies? Too many call-off's?Terribly incompetent staffing person? Other?

Lol, I've been forced to float to an entirely different hospital in the middle of my shift. I started at 7 PM, was notified at 9 PM, finished my charting by 10 PM, waited for a cab until 10:30 PM, and didn't arrive at the other hospital and find my way to the unit until around midnight. The sister hospital was about an hour away; I was a city-dweller without a car, so the hospital was required to foot the cab bill out to the 'burbs (about $75 each way). This was at a union hospital, and the union had negotiated this into our contract (fortunately with a $10/hr inter-campus float). However, I have been forced to float to other units mid-shift in every hospital where I've worked, without a float diff in some cases.

It honestly didn't bother me that much, granted I was being paid a huge differential (including two non-productive hours being transported from the main hospital to the satellite hospital). I might be a bit irked if I wasn't getting a float differential, but honestly, after rounds and the first med pass at the beginning of the shift, usually the busiest part of the day is over (in my specialty, anyway). Of all the nurse staffing snafus in the world, this one is an annoyance but not a major offender (and certainly not a lawsuit :rolleyes:).

You should have stopped for ice cream along the way, LOL.

I never got a Float diff. Wish I had, it sounds like a great idea. But never floated all that often, really.

We usually knew by 5 if we were being floated at 7, so had time to finish up. If we had insufficient time to wrap up, we could chart via EMR on the other ward.

I didn't mind floating, I rather liked the variety, although it is usually easier to work in one's "home".

For OP - yes, it can be rough, shocking at first. Next time, though, you will probably find it easier. You have now had your baptism by fire re: Floating mid-shift. Press on.

As others have stated, yes they absolutely can.

How you cope with it is entirely up to you. You can be angry and resentful and let it ruin your day, OR you can take it as an opportunity to meet other people in the hospital, see how other floors work and learn new things. Adaptability is essential in nursing, even if you aren't floating.

You will be in a position when your floor is suddenly down (someone gets sick or something) and someone needs to float from another floor. Treat them as you would want to be treated when you float (i.e. help them out and DON'T let the charge RN give them the meanest/most difficult patients on the floor!

Specializes in ICU.

Our hospital was just acquired again by another company, and the new staffing procedure is to review staffing every 4 hours.

I haven't seen it personally yet (I'm a new nurse), but people have mentioned people being sent home at 3AM. I worry for the safety of the employee having to walk out to their car at 3 AM since the parking lot is a bit of a walk.

Honestly 4 hours into my shift, I usually haven't charted much on these patients so if I had to go to a different unit or go home after 4 hours it would take me forever bc of charting lol.

Of course they can. If the other floor is desperate for help and you're qualified, they can float you at any time. It's about the patient and not our feelings. As much as it stinks, sometimes it's a necessity.

Specializes in Prior Auth, SNF, HH, Peds Off., School Health, LTC.
Our hospital was just acquired again by another company, and the new staffing procedure is to review staffing every 4 hours.

I haven't seen it personally yet (I'm a new nurse), but people have mentioned people being sent home at 3AM. I worry for the safety of the employee having to walk out to their car at 3 AM since the parking lot is a bit of a walk.

Employees shouldn't be shy about requesting that someone from security escort them to their car. If multiple people are leaving and all are parked in the same lot, then security might ask that you all leave together... 👮🏻{👩🏻🧑🏽🧔🏼👨🏽}

Keep in mind that you may need to wait a few minutes for security to meet you wherever you are. They might be on patrol elsewhere, or dealing with another issue. [think about it the same way you want patients to understand when you can't instantly materialise to deal with every request.... ]

It's really not something that security has a problem doing.... generally they'll just do their patrol at that time. If they see a trend that people are needing an escort at a particular time, or if admin notifies them that they need to be available, they'll just adjust their patrol schedule permanently.

At our University medical center, they have free 24hr Valet parking for patients. Employees who work, or get off, at night are allowed to use the service... actually they're encouraged to use valet, because there's not enough security personnel to escort all the staff that leave at similar times and go to multiple lots around the hospital campus.

They really take employee safety seriously, and it was the easiest way to ensure it. The only real complaint that's been noted is that it's *quite* a walk from valet to ED if that's where you work (ED patients have a separate, reserved lot, but staff isn't supposed to park there). On days, there's a shuttle that runs frequently from the employee lots to the various hospital and ED entrances.... but it doesn't run at night. It's sort of a passive-aggressive push for employees to use valet, I suppose.... if there's a odd employee that came into work in daytime, but left at night unexpectedly- - security will take them to their car in their golf cart. But that doesn't happen too often.

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