Hating float pool - came from the OR, what should I do?

Nurses General Nursing

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Hello Allnurses community! Wanted to pick your guys’ brain. I recently left the OR because it no longer worked with my home life (too much time away from the baby) plus very toxic management/certain bad apples that were making working there unbearable. I would have stayed if the hours worked and management was supportive but I was picked up med surg float pool. I figured it would be good experience for FNP as I am in school for that as well but my orientation is nearing its end and I feel so much anxiety. Pros are the hours work much better for my family (I work 8 hours less, don’t have to put the baby in daycare and more days off in a row) plus the money is very good. Cons are I am miserable. I don’t enjoy it whatsoever and I feel like I’m forcing myself to work float as I can’t transfer elsewhere for a year. I mustered up the guts to email my manager to set up a meeting to let her know how I feel and see if a transfer is possible as well as email the psych manager as a night shift position is open so now I’m waiting. I won’t be going back to the current OR unless management changes which is very unlikely at the moment plus I want to try different specialties to see if maybe something else is a better fit. I would love to go to psych as it’s not traditional nursing and more up my alley. So far in orientation it seems like the acuity of the patients keeps getting worse and worse, a lot of time there are no techs/aids or are so short I’m lucky if they do my vitals for me. A lot of the other times A good chunk of my time gets eaten up doing BG checks, emptying Foleys, doing vitals, doing bloodwork plus regular nursing stuff that it just feels so overwhelming and so not worth the stress. I am debating if I should just quit entirely (I’m pregnant again and that’s certainly not helping) or suck it up for a bit off orientation before leaving. I wish I could transfer elsewhere internally but I don’t think HR will let me as I just switched here. I just can’t imagine doing this for a full year. I’m tempted to just pick up a per diem job (substance abuse - low stress from what another nurse that works there PD tells me) at the moment until I figure out my next move or if I just need to suck it up. Will figure out another way to pay these god awful student loans back. Any thoughts would be helpful!

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Specializes in ER.

I hate floating, you just get on top of your assignment, and they move you to another floor for four hours to figure out their pit of hell patients. I want to know where I'm going and know that that's my group for the shift. Can you negotiate one unit per shift... none of the four hours each on there units?

You might have your own hot buttons...see if you can make it better.

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Specializes in Med/Surg, LTACH, LTC, Home Health.

When I worked float pool, there were tiers. The level you chose dictated the number or hours (and the number of dollars). Is that not an option at your facility?

@canoehead I did two shifts (through a nursing agency) at a facility that operated their units like that. At the end of the second shift, I was done! It is impossible to expect nurses to work on time management when management is wasting nurses' time. No one can effectively plan a patient's care for the shift when two hours in, you're being told to wrap up because at the 4th hour, off you go to another unit. The night that I worked 3 separate units in one shift was the last night I ever signed up for a full shift. I would only agree to go in there for 4 hours...until I realized that it was not worth my while to go there at all.

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@BSNbeDONE no they specifically said you would/could get pulled halfway through a shift to another unit plus there are two campuses 20 minutes apart and possibility of going from one to the other. even if I could negotiate it I honestly know bedside nursing is not my cup of tea. Thank you for the input @canoehead no it’s basically one flat rate differential nights vs days. Our hospital pays pretty crappy. I hope to hear from my manager tomorrow and see what happens because I have two shifts left on orientation I can’t imagine staying here longer ?

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Specializes in Retired.
4 hours ago, adeela01 said:

@BSNbeDONE no they specifically said you would/could get pulled halfway through a shift to another unit plus there are two campuses 20 minutes apart and possibility of going from one to the other. even if I could negotiate it I honestly know bedside nursing is not my cup of tea. Thank you for the input @canoehead no it’s basically one flat rate differential nights vs days. Our hospital pays pretty crappy. I hope to hear from my manager tomorrow and see what happens because I have two shifts left on orientation I can’t imagine staying here longer ?

Let us know if you get the psych job. Thus floating between places 20 minutes apart is ridiculous and stressful..you're not a widget. Nights on psych sounds delicious compared to what you are doing now.

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@Undercat so I interviewed for the psych position and it turns out it’s only 32 hours so it would affect my tuition reimbursement and I would have to work during the week 2 nights and one 3-11p shift - basically they need someone to fill in the gaps for the rest of the team and no weekends besides every third weekend days. It essentially doesn’t work for my schedule cuz I would have to put the baby in daycare, take a 1200 paycut as well so basically I would be working to just put her in daycare until a night weekend position opens up if someone retires in November which isn’t even guaranteed. So for now I think my best option is to look for work at another hospital and just give back the tuition reimbursement I have received so far. I also found out you have to give a 3 week notice which I think is BS. I had one intiercew so far at another place and am waiting to hear back from another psych hospital a bit farther away. Honestly at this point I am seriously contemplating just quitting all together and waiting to get another job elsewhere but I also don’t want to screw myself over cuz I will be visibly pregnant soon so I don’t want potential employers to hold that against me :(. Let’s see happens. Please send good thoughts/prayers my way!

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Specializes in Pediatrics, Pediatric Float, PICU, NICU.

When I had a home unit for the first 9 years of my career, I hated floating. Then I joined float pool when we moved cross country with the intention of using it to "try out" the floors I like and find one to permanently transfer to...that was 5 years and 2 facilities ago, and I can't imagine not being float pool anymore. I absolutely love it at it has helped with any of the burnout I may regularly feel after 14 years of bedside nursing.

That being said, it definitely is not for everybody and that's totally okay. However long you stick it out will just add to your experience. I would definitely recommend finding a job first before quitting, they always say it is easier to find a job while you still have a job. Also for future reference everyone assumes they just need to give a 2 week notice but every facility is so different so always make sure you check. I've worked places that only required 2 weeks and have worked places that require 4 weeks as a bedside nurse.

Good luck!

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