If I was hired in on Med Surg can I forced to switch units for staffing needs?

roser13, ASN, RN · Jul 19, 2015

That's not floating, that's a transfer. I don't have the answer for you - I think your manager & HR are the ones who need to answer it. But it sure isn't fair to you. I wonder why everyone on your original unit isn't taking a turn on Peds? That's how "floating" usually works.

ambr46 · Jul 19, 2015

Thanks for the input. The problem is that in order to train in another unit you have to have 1 year working on the unit and sadly on our rotation there are mainly new grads and one experienced nurse. The charge nurse said that he couldn't do peds because they needed to keep him available to train new nurses. Not sure what the solution is but I will need to look into it.

OCNRN63, RN · Jul 19, 2015

Thanks for the input. The problem is that in order to train in another unit you have to have 1 year working on the unit and sadly on our rotation there are mainly new grads and one experienced nurse. The charge nurse said that he couldn't do peds because they needed to keep him available to train new nurses. Not sure what the solution is but I will need to look into it.

No offense, but if I were a new nurse hired for your floor, I would be terrified that there are no (well, OK, one) experienced nurses working on your unit.

If it were me, I would be looking for another job, unless there's another flow you can transfer to. That is crummy for them to essentially transfer you without even asking or telling you. I hope you can find out what the heck is going on.

mvm2 · Jul 19, 2015

One thing I'll say is it is refreshing to here a nurse say they like med surg. Usually nurses seem to hate med surg and can not wait till they could transfer to another department.

I am with the others and see if you can talk to your manager about getting back to med surge and maybe they can put out a posting for the PEDS unit so you are not on that floor all the time.

KelRN215, BSN, RN · Jul 20, 2015

Ok, as I understand your post you are the only one on your shift eligible to float to Peds. None of your colleagues have the required 1 year experience and your charge is the only person to do charge/orient. Your unit apparently has sufficient staffing if there's an extra nurse on each shift. The peds unit doesn't. Are there no other units in the hospital from which nurses could float to peds? This sounds like a terrible idea and a hospital I'd never want to work at nor my child hospitalized at but from a staffing perspective, what would you have them do? You're the only one they have to send there. They need to hire a peds nurse but until they do, you may continue to find yourself sent there.

Here.I.Stand, BSN, RN · Jul 20, 2015

My initial response when I read this title was "of course. Welcome to the hospital."

But what you are describing is a whole different story. Like another poster said, this isn't a float--it's a transfer.

Everywhere I've worked, qualified staff take turns floating. "Qualified" generally means after 6 mo. on the job; nurses don't float the minute they come off orientation. They also don't float to inappropriate units; floor nurses don't float to the ICU and vice versa (ICU can float to stepdown), acute care doesn't float to psych, peds don't float to adult, etc.

We also don't get orientation on the various units, so the reasoning of not having been trained isn't an excuse.

Sometimes adult ICU nurses will float to the PICU but will be given a teenager to care for--not a toddler. Med-surg RNs can float to hem-onc but won't be given a pt receiving chemo. If they announce we are floating somewhere truly inappropriate, we refuse on the grounds of "I am not competent to provide safe nursing care." A recent example was the house tried to float an ICU nurse to the extremely high turnover

I personally have refused a PICU assignment; it was a very tiny 14 y/o who'd had a heart-lung transplant. I did not know enough to safely care for him.

Do you have a union? If so, that's the place to start. Also check your official facility policy. It could be that they are not following it, but do it because they've gotten away w/ it. Unfortunately you don't have the "incompetent" card to play, since they oriented you.

If nothing happens, I'd consider looking for a new job.

ambr46 · Jul 20, 2015

We don't have a union and I totally agree that floating is a necessity And I am completely flexible and open to that but being a small hospital it appears that I am the new peds nurse even though I didn't realize that was the case when I went there for orientation. I will continue to work peds until for a few more months but I will turn down assignment that I don't feel comfortable with. Thanks everyone for the advice

~PedsRN~, BSN, RN · Jul 20, 2015

Sounds like your PEDS unit needs to hire their own help! I agree with Kel, it sounds like you are the only eligible nurse to float really in your unit, so you have the short end of the stick. :/

That being said, how can you not love Peds!!?!?!? (I kid, I kid.)

ambr46 · Jul 20, 2015

Lol kids are cute...outside of the hospital.