Float nurse-Pros & cons?

MADHAT6 · Jan 23, 2009

I loved floating! you will hear people complain but it can be a great job.Staff are usually grateful you are there to help and you never get bored,if staff are not nice to you,you know you are only there for a limited time so it doesn't get on your nerves the way it would if you were stuck on an unfriendly unit.You get to see things you wouldn't see if you were only on one unit and find out things...for example i agreed to float to the isolation floor,lots of people were afraid to go there but it is an amazing experience with highly trained staff,a great patient staff ratio and most of the patients there are in isolation protection from others and are no danger to you! Another benefit is that you don't get involved in unit politics and unhappiness,you just go in,take care of your patients and your energy is not drained away by petty little things that can drag a unit down...i think you'll have a wonderful and very interesting time...and the pay was better when i floated too!!Good luck!:wink2:

RNperdiem, RN · Jan 24, 2009

The pros are that you get to have a broad base of knowledge taking care of different sorts of patients. You get to know many nurses in the hospital, and that can be helpful if you decide to get a fulltime job.

Where I work, float nurses are given good assignments and are well treated. If your patient load is difficult, you will probably not get the same assignment back.

The cons are not belonging anywhere. If you don't have a "home" unit, it is hard to make any personal connections with your coworkers. The float is an outsider much of the time.

Another con is: who is your manager/supervisor. When I was float, the float pool was something of an orphan department passed around to various nurse managers to manage in addition to their units.

applesRN · Jan 24, 2009

I'm surprised you will be floating without at least a year of med-surg ( or your specialty)experience.

Floating has it's good things and bad things.

As said earlier, staying out of unit politics is a definite plus.

Flexibility of schedule is one of the high points for me, as is the pay rate.

Units will sometimes be fair, and some units will always give you the worst patients, and split groups. We care for isolation pts on regular units. I work in a hospital system where I could be sent to any of 7 acute care units, 3 longer term acute rehab units, 2 psych units, or 'support nurse' float to one of 5 ICU's or take med surg pts there, at different locations. I hate being split on evening shift especially- I may start at one hospital with 5-7 pts at 3p, then at 7p give them all up, get in my car, drive to the other hospital where the nurse is mad because ' I'm late' and pick up a whole new group to assess and I'm already behind. This was recently improved at our hospital, when a support nurse statute was made, so we can only take pt's one time a day. ( after that we 'float').

Your skills set does improve a lot, but you no longer get really good at one area. Every shift is new and different, and I am glad that if I have a bad day, I won't likely have the same groupnext time; but there are still some units that are always bad, and I guess I just keep getting sent to them lately.

Each unit has their own way of doing things, so you have to keep up with what everyone is now doing. For instance, ortho has their way of doing things that is not done anywhere else, but you may not remember that, and then get scolded. Pt's can be appreciative, but you don't usuallly get to develop any relationship with them, no matter how short term they are there. Each floor has it's own unique door codes, cart codes, etc. Your manager doesn't see you in action, so he/ she will rely on what other people tell her-and if someone had a bad impression of you that day- warranted or not- that's the email she'll get... not the 100 times the staff will thank you in person, but never pass the good word on to your manager.

I recently did a 3 month contract on a great med-surg unit with most of the nurses being nice and proficient. I have just come to realize how much I would like to be in one place- and probably out of med-surg for a while. I dread the thought of going into work most days because 75% of the time it is going to be a bad day. And the hours aren't guaranteed.

icyounurse, BSN, RN · Jan 24, 2009

I have been doing float pool since October and agree with much of what the other posters are saying. The hospital I am at, the Pro's are:

1. Excellent pay

2. Complete flexibility in scheduling, we put the days we are available on a computer scheduling system accessible at home and can update it continuously until our shifts are confirmed. Work as little or as much as you want in theory, days or nights.

3. Like someone said if you have a bad assignment or mean co-workers you wont be seeing them everyday which makes the shift go by easier.

4. You can acquire experience you might normally not get. I do ICU and tele mostly, but have floated to peds and outpatient IV services lately which I normally would never do but both days turned out to be fine.

OK and now the Con's

1. No guaranteed hours. When census is low it can be stressful.

2. Some places will give you bad assignments

3. Not knowing the unit routines, cart codes, door codes, where the linen is, where to clock in, ect can get old

4. Not having the same friendships/ect you would normally cultivate working in one place where you get to know everyone

5. This is very individual with me = I am 6 months pregnant, but it can be hard to tell in scrubs and no one knows unless I tell them which means I have to look at my assignment carefully during report since someone may unknowingly give me a radiation patient or shingles patient or something.

MiaLyse, APRN · Jan 24, 2009

I have been doing float pool since October and agree with much of what the other posters are saying. The hospital I am at, the Pro's are:
1. Excellent pay
2. Complete flexibility in scheduling, we put the days we are available on a computer scheduling system accessible at home and can update it continuously until our shifts are confirmed. Work as little or as much as you want in theory, days or nights.
3. Like someone said if you have a bad assignment or mean co-workers you wont be seeing them everyday which makes the shift go by easier.
4. You can acquire experience you might normally not get. I do ICU and tele mostly, but have floated to peds and outpatient IV services lately which I normally would never do but both days turned out to be fine.
OK and now the Con's
1. No guaranteed hours. When census is low it can be stressful.
2. Some places will give you bad assignments
3. Not knowing the unit routines, cart codes, door codes, where the linen is, where to clock in, ect can get old
4. Not having the same friendships/ect you would normally cultivate working in one place where you get to know everyone
5. This is very individual with me = I am 6 months pregnant, but it can be hard to tell in scrubs and no one knows unless I tell them which means I have to look at my assignment carefully during report since someone may unknowingly give me a radiation patient or shingles patient or something.

It's nice to hear some positives. I am the type of person who likes to get my patients, do what I gotta

do and go home. Not being involved in unit politics is an awesome benefit. As I am new to the hospital,

I am going to request to not float to specialty units. They have me 3 days orienting to a specialty

unit and I don't know if I'm ready for that yet. I know guaranteed hours is not a good thing but I work

per diem for an agency and a nursing home outside of the hospital so I hope getting enough hrs. won't

be difficult. I need the flexibility of being able to say hey, yes I can work second shift but I have to leave at 10:30 pm vs 11pm. thanks for sharing. :)

MiaLyse, APRN · Jan 24, 2009

I'm surprised you will be floating without at least a year of med-surg ( or your specialty)experience.
Floating has it's good things and bad things.
As said earlier, staying out of unit politics is a definite plus.
Flexibility of schedule is one of the high points for me, as is the pay rate.
Units will sometimes be fair, and some units will always give you the worst patients, and split groups. We care for isolation pts on regular units. I work in a hospital system where I could be sent to any of 7 acute care units, 3 longer term acute rehab units, 2 psych units, or 'support nurse' float to one of 5 ICU's or take med surg pts there, at different locations. I hate being split on evening shift especially- I may start at one hospital with 5-7 pts at 3p, then at 7p give them all up, get in my car, drive to the other hospital where the nurse is mad because ' I'm late' and pick up a whole new group to assess and I'm already behind. This was recently improved at our hospital, when a support nurse statute was made, so we can only take pt's one time a day. ( after that we 'float').
Your skills set does improve a lot, but you no longer get really good at one area. Every shift is new and different, and I am glad that if I have a bad day, I won't likely have the same groupnext time; but there are still some units that are always bad, and I guess I just keep getting sent to them lately.
Each unit has their own way of doing things, so you have to keep up with what everyone is now doing. For instance, ortho has their way of doing things that is not done anywhere else, but you may not remember that, and then get scolded. Pt's can be appreciative, but you don't usuallly get to develop any relationship with them, no matter how short term they are there. Each floor has it's own unique door codes, cart codes, etc. Your manager doesn't see you in action, so he/ she will rely on what other people tell her-and if someone had a bad impression of you that day- warranted or not- that's the email she'll get... not the 100 times the staff will thank you in person, but never pass the good word on to your manager.
I recently did a 3 month contract on a great med-surg unit with most of the nurses being nice and proficient. I have just come to realize how much I would like to be in one place- and probably out of med-surg for a while. I dread the thought of going into work most days because 75% of the time it is going to be a bad day. And the hours aren't guaranteed.

This may be different than what you do. I will be floating within one hospital, not to other hospitals and not

to units such as the ICU/CCU. I am set up to do per diem on the psych units but that's only because I've worked

there before. I will mostly be doing med-surg and am going to request to not go to specialty units at this

point as I don't feel I'd be comfortable yet. I'll have 10 weeks of 24 hr. orientation and I was told I could ask

for more if I needed it, so we'll see. thanks so much for sharing your experience

MiaLyse, APRN · Jan 24, 2009

I loved floating! you will hear people complain but it can be a great job.Staff are usually grateful you are there to help and you never get bored,if staff are not nice to you,you know you are only there for a limited time so it doesn't get on your nerves the way it would if you were stuck on an unfriendly unit.You get to see things you wouldn't see if you were only on one unit and find out things...for example i agreed to float to the isolation floor,lots of people were afraid to go there but it is an amazing experience with highly trained staff,a great patient staff ratio and most of the patients there are in isolation protection from others and are no danger to you! Another benefit is that you don't get involved in unit politics and unhappiness,you just go in,take care of your patients and your energy is not drained away by petty little things that can drag a unit down...i think you'll have a wonderful and very interesting time...and the pay was better when i floated too!!Good luck!:wink2:

While the pay won't be any different while floating, I will have flexibility which is a must right now around

another job I work that gives me benefits. Thanks for sharing, it's nice to read some positive stuff.

MiaLyse, APRN · Jan 24, 2009

The pros are that you get to have a broad base of knowledge taking care of different sorts of patients. You get to know many nurses in the hospital, and that can be helpful if you decide to get a fulltime job.
Where I work, float nurses are given good assignments and are well treated. If your patient load is difficult, you will probably not get the same assignment back.
The cons are not belonging anywhere. If you don't have a "home" unit, it is hard to make any personal connections with your coworkers. The float is an outsider much of the time.
Another con is: who is your manager/supervisor. When I was float, the float pool was something of an orphan department passed around to various nurse managers to manage in addition to their units.

Thanks for sharing. That's great that they give you good assignments. :) I don't mind being an outsider

as long as I can get treated decently. I don't know that the manager/supervisor is around as much

as a unit manager is either so that will probably be a con for me too. thanks again

Ms. BSNRN · Nov 8, 2009

I just was offered a position as a "Med Surg Float Nurse". I am a new grad and this scares me. Is this something for a new grad. The orientation is for 3 months with a one on one preceptor. Is floating a good experience for me?!

Long Term Care Columnist / Guide · Nov 8, 2009

I just was offered a position as a "Med Surg Float Nurse". I am a new grad and this scares me. Is this something for a new grad. The orientation is for 3 months with a one on one preceptor. Is floating a good experience for me?!

Floating is some of the best experience you can get! However, I don't think it would be suitable for a new grad, and frankly I'm surprised you would even be considered..........not because you're not a good nurse, but because the position requires a broad knowledge base and a cool head, neither of which is something the average new grad possesses. (I know I couldn't have done it when I was new, even though I'd been one of the top students in my class and had a fair amount of life experience under my belt before I even graduated.)

The pros of the job you're being offered are a long orientation and 1:1 precepting, which is better than simply being thrown into the deep end of the float pool and told to swim! But I'd still recommend a minimum of a year of med/surg before taking on a float position, because it gives you time to become familiar with what a nurse REALLY is up against as opposed to the sanitized version most nursing schools present. You will also see all sorts of different diseases and injuries, deal with all kinds of patient and family dynamics, learn prioritization and time management.........there simply is no substitute for this experience, IMO.

applesRN · Nov 8, 2009

I don't think a new grad should be a float nurse. Our hospital requires a minimum of two years in the specialty before even interviewing for float. As a new grad, you need that crucial 6 months to a year to get proficient in your skills before trying to add something new- like floating to different floors on a daily basis. I also suggest you find a mentor that you admire and will be a support during your first year out.