Level III NICU, low census days q....

NICU Mama · Dec 24, 2008

First we would float someone to NBN or Pedi, if they have a need. If there is no need to float, then we cancel or place someone on-call starting with any per-diems on the schedule. If there is no need to float and no one wants to be cancelled or placed on call, then we just have extra nurses (light assignments). They can't make someone (other than per-diems) to be cancelled.

Sweeper933 · Dec 24, 2008

We will first float to NBN or peds (for an assignment with babies

Same rules for downstaffing, but in alphabetical order. For each 4 hour chunk you are downstaffed, you get an "x" and so on...

I wish we could work with lighter assignments, but no such luck. There have been days where we've only been working with 10 nurses, but have 18 staffed for the shift. So 8 people get to be downstaffed. We've been going through our lists rather quickly as we've had an extremely low census for months now.

A few of our nurses have been training on post partum to get some more hours in, but they report not enjoying it all that much.

prmenrs, RN · Dec 24, 2008

We float to Mother-Baby Unit, but only take care of babies. "Babies and boobies", I call it, cuz we do a lot of breastfeeding help. We can get up to 8 babies out there, and they're all over the place.

What a pain--in the back, feet, legs....!! And the folks out there are not happy cuz we don't take care of the moms. (If we did, we'd get 4 couplets.) I haven't taken care of a grown-up in ~ 25 years. I'd be real safe, right?

dawngloves, BSN, RN · Dec 24, 2008

Float to NBN or cancel. Be over nurses??? Hahahaha!

EricJRN, MSN, RN · Dec 25, 2008

We also primarily float to NBN, place on call or cancel.

We don't have a peds unit, but we occasionally get requests to go to women's surgery, where they house kids who had day surgery procedures that turned into overnight admissions. The last call I got for this was supposed to be a 12 month old s/p T&A, but it turned out to be a five year old once I got there :confused: .

The ER will also take us if they're hurting, but that's not mandatory and most of our unit's nurses don't feel comfortable. I don't take patient assignments, but I help more like a tech - labs/IV's, 12 leads, etc -- so I get to occasionally flash back to my EMS days.

Mimi2RN, ASN, RN · Dec 25, 2008

If we are over, and no-one else wants extra help (that means Peds or PostPartum, or occasionally L & D to help with baby recoveries) then we dock. I like to keep one person on call. The first to dock are PRN, the we go by the last dock dates, unless someone says that they would love to stay home.

mauigal · Dec 25, 2008

our hospital does not float on holidays unless you just don't want to get canceled. i don't know who would not want to get canceled. one year i got canceled for the last 4 hours and took vacation pay.

RNin2007 · Dec 26, 2008

Cancel you? ...yep and we get squares for that...MTO

FLoat you?....if they need us we can float to peds, OB (post-partum)

Let you be over by 1 nurse? .....occasionally

And for those that have to float...where do they put you? ......(answered above)

:)

All that being said, our census is scary low right now! We are only using 5 nurses. I am going to call our travel nursing agency here on monday and see if i can get some per diem work in adultland

NeoNurseTX, RN · Dec 26, 2008

We get floated to PICU rarely..if someone needs to be cancelled (rarely) then they call down a list until someone bites. However, our census is through the roof right now.

RN4Little1s · Dec 30, 2008

It's a pediatric hospital. We float to PICU and CICU if we are low and they really need us. In general though, we just get to keep our extra nurses. We are usually the ones pulling nurses from everywhere else! Every once in a while they well call you off of a few hours and let you use your PTO.

babyNP., APRN · Dec 31, 2008

We've been overstaffed as well since our unit has hired a lot of people. I'm still on orientation, so I don't float (thank goodness!), but people float to the PICU/CICU/SICU areas.