I graduate in April and am interested in a new grad float position at a local hospital. It appeals to me because working as an LPN the last 8 years, I have been happiest at jobs with variety and seeing different (Co-worker and manager) faces every day. I have noticed your not pulled into the politics/dramatics as much which appeals to me because I am not one for either of those. I get a long with most everyone so I have been able to adjust to each team dynamics fairly well. But this is all in ambulatory care which is completely different from hospital nursing.
I am concerned about entering an entirely new nursing environment and switching floors every shift. It is a new grad residency so comes with the 12 week orientation plus extra support.
In your experiences do new grads usually have difficulty floating? I don't want to set myself up for failure at all.
I think a float pool position as a new grad RN is a bad idea, however your experience as an LPN certainly would help smooth out the learning curve. You would be more prepared than say, a brand new nurse never working in a hospital, imo. I personally hate to float and even with 13 years experience as an ICU RN I still get anxiety when I have to float to another unit. Not knowing the individual unit's policies and stockrooms, etc is a big deal to me. Plus, not working with people you know and trust is another issue I have never particularly liked. A 4 month orientation is nice, but i would think 6 months or more would be a better idea.
Specializes in Float Pool - A Little Bit of Everything.
I have done pretty much nothing but float. I couldn't until I had 1 year of RN experience at a few hospitals and 2 years at others. Main thing I would point out is that you don't float everywhere until you have been oriented everywhere. So until I had been oriented to a few departments, I could not float all over every shift. I could go to other departments to task before being oriented, but they wouldn't give me a patient load.
Ask about your orientation (I apologize if you already have discussed this in the post). The pool where I work orients you to each floor for a few shifts each I believe. I think in total they get 6 weeks orientation. You're not a new nurse, and I think as an LPN you'll do better than most because you already have so much of it down. Just try to think about what would be new for each floor and ask if they will provide you with floor - specific policies (holding heparin, bladder scans, etc). I think you'll do great! :) I wouldn't want to do it because where I went to school is notorious for pulling floats every 4 hours. BUT you will get GREAT experience and see a lot. As long as your orientation is decent, I'd say go for it!
I worked a float nurse with only about a year of floor experience. I was not allowed to float to the ER or ICU but as a whole I really enjoyed it. I agree with you, I avoided drama and I liked the variety. I actually think it's a great experience and more people should do it. I highly recommend being honest with your leadership and your self, if you feel like something is a bit much, say something. I received excellent support for the most part but ultimately I left the float position because the hospital struggled with a culture problem of being mean to float nurses. (I never understood that, you would be short without me and having a very busy day.)
It's a wonderful idea if you work for a hospital with a good orientation program. I have seen new grads thrive in the float pool. I think you should go for it! It sounds like you love to learn, which is awesome for a nurse in the float pool.
Specializes in public health, women's health, reproductive health.
One of the reasons I left my first nursing job was because they expected us to float after a certain period of time on the job. I'm not saying that's necessarily unreasonable, but I was by no means ready to float to different units regardless of when they thought I should be ready. That being said, you've been an LPN for some time and you seem to know your personality well. I can see the benefits of moving around to different locations because that is what I did in my second nursing job, however those were clinic locations and not different specialties. It was good to see different faces and not get sucked into the cliques and drama (where that existed). Do what you think suits you best!
I graduate in April and am interested in a new grad float position at a local hospital. It appeals to me because working as an LPN the last 8 years, I have been happiest at jobs with variety and seeing different (Co-worker and manager) faces every day. I have noticed your not pulled into the politics/dramatics as much which appeals to me because I am not one for either of those. I get a long with most everyone so I have been able to adjust to each team dynamics fairly well. But this is all in ambulatory care which is completely different from hospital nursing.
I am concerned about entering an entirely new nursing environment and switching floors every shift. It is a new grad residency so comes with the 12 week orientation plus extra support.
In your experiences do new grads usually have difficulty floating? I don't want to set myself up for failure at all.
I accepted a position as a new grad float, nervous but excited about getting to know a ton of units. I was told that we had the option of staying on as a float after orientation or on one of those units as a permanent "home". Good luck!! I also take NCLEX in June and hope to start working right after ((crossing my fingers and toes)).
anchorRN, BSN, MSN, RN, APRN
279 Posts
I think a float pool position as a new grad RN is a bad idea, however your experience as an LPN certainly would help smooth out the learning curve. You would be more prepared than say, a brand new nurse never working in a hospital, imo. I personally hate to float and even with 13 years experience as an ICU RN I still get anxiety when I have to float to another unit. Not knowing the individual unit's policies and stockrooms, etc is a big deal to me. Plus, not working with people you know and trust is another issue I have never particularly liked. A 4 month orientation is nice, but i would think 6 months or more would be a better idea.