report for another shift

[2bNurseTimTin]

I know somebody who is working in a geriatric care unit and she was asked to report for a shift in the surgical intensive care unit. Is this allowed?

[MikeyJ, RN]

It depends on the hospital and the level of training the nurse has. Perhaps this nurse is ICU trained but chooses not to work in that area.

At the hospital I work in, there are different "pods". There is the pediatric pod (PICU, NICU, and general pediatrics) -- those nurses can only be floated to other pediatric areas. General ped nurses can be floated to PICU and NICU; however, they are generally given patients equivelant to an IMC status. These nurses are NOT allowed to be floated to adult areas.

You then have the Adult ICU Pod (CVICU, CICU, MICU, SICU, NSICU, TICU, Burn Care, ICU), and those nurses can be floated to any adult ICU or to any IMC or general med/surg floor. However, from what I understand, they are rarely (if ever) floated to anything but ICU. These nurses are NOT allowed to float to any pediatric department.

Then you have the pod nurses that work in the med/surg and IMC units. These nurses can be floated to med/surg or IMC floors; however, cannot be floated to ICU floors. There are certain exceptions, from I understand, but not sure of those exceptions. These nurses also cannot float to any pediatric floor.

Our hospital is very strict about who they float where and try to keep everyone in their pod's.

[MIA-RN]

Yes its called floating. Its one of the things I hated about working on the M/S floor.

The important thing for your friend is to let the charge nurse on the new floor know where her knowledge base is.

Often, I was floated to the ICU and due to being completely clueless of ICU procedures etc, I just worked as a tech---didn't have an assignment or patient to care for specifically. Perhaps that is what will work best for your friend. They really don't expect you to go from one specialty to the other and have the same knowledge base.

Good luck to her.

[Penelope_Pitstop, BSN, RN]

yes its called floating. its one of the things i hated about working on the m/s floor.

the important thing for your friend is to let the charge nurse on the new floor know where her knowledge base is.

often, i was floated to the icu and due to being completely clueless of icu procedures etc, i just worked as a tech---didn't have an assignment or patient to care for specifically. perhaps that is what will work best for your friend. they really don't expect you to go from one specialty to the other and have the same knowledge base.

good luck to her.

i don't think floating a floor nurse to the unit is a good idea, nor is floating a unit nurse to the floor! you can search for icu vs. floor posts that show medsurg nurses and intensive care nurses alike feel this way. when i worked medsurg, i was pulled to rehab once and stepdown another time (that was bad enough!) the icu always found icu nurses if they were short, same with er and pacu, and they were never pulled. the thought of me being pulled to the icu doesn't make me feel too well...

jess

[MIA-RN]

i don't think floating a floor nurse to the unit is a good idea, nor is floating a unit nurse to the floor! you can search for icu vs. floor posts that show medsurg nurses and intensive care nurses alike feel this way. when i worked medsurg, i was pulled to rehab once and stepdown another time (that was bad enough!) the icu always found icu nurses if they were short, same with er and pacu, and they were never pulled. the thought of me being pulled to the icu doesn't make me feel too well...

jess

yeah it was always scary. i was basically in the role of tech but because i was licensed, i would still be held to that level of responsibility if anything happened to a patient while i was caring for them....yuck. they used to float nurses from my floor to the ed too.

i am glad i am not there anymore!