New Nurse 6 Months-float ?

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Specializes in BASIC.

Hello,

This Is My First Post, I Am A New Nurse, And Am Working On Med-surg Telemetry, I Love My Position On The Night Shift And Enjoying My Coworkers. My Problem Is That Before I Hit Six Months On The Job, They Wanted To Float Me To Another Floor, I Wasnt Comfortable With That And Told Them That I Had Not Been Working For The Six Month's Required Before Floating Someone. They Looked Into It And Said Ok And Sent And Icu Nurse Upstairs, Who Was Not Happy, Because She Says That Its Not In Her Job Description, The Only Floors She Is Suppose To Float To Is Telemetry Or Pacu. Anyways She Went. When I Did Have Six Months, To The Day, I Was Sent To The 5th Floor, Med Surg Without Any Orientation To The Floor, I Went But Did Not Feel Comfortable And Told Management, . A Per-diem Was On My Floor And Should Have Been The One To Go, But She Said She Was Not Comfortable About It Either So I Had To Go I Was Sent, Even Though She Has Been A Nurse For Over 2 Years. Well , It Happened To Me Again Last Night, I Was Not On The Schedule When I Arrived For My Shift And Was Told That I Had To Float To 5th Floor, , So I Told My Manager That I Didnt Feel Comfortable With This And Was Not Happy Again About Having To Go Without Any Orientation To The Floor, But Of Course I Went, Had No Choice. I Got Up To The Floor And The Nurses On 5west Said That I Was Not On The Schedule For 5 West, And I Should Go To 5 East Ortho, I Went To 5 East And Was Told Again That I Was Not On The Schedule For 5 East, Go Back To 5 West, I Did Go Back But Called My Supervisor And Told Her The Situation, And Long Story Short I Ended Up On 5 East Ortho Unit. I Was Totally Upset By Now And It Was Around 11:,15 Shift Starts At 10;45, Nurses Were Chatting And I Sat Until 11:50 With Not Report, While At The Same Time Er Was On The Phone Wanting To Give Me Report On A New Admit That Was Going To Be My Patient. I Called My Supervisor Again And Told Her The Situation And That I Did Not Feel Comfortable About Getting Report On A New Admit Without Even Seeing My Patients, She Said Hang In There And That She Would Talk To The Resouce Nurse To Clear Up Matters, And To Take Report, Which I Did And Got Report On My New Patient, Then Report On My Other Patients, While The New Patient Was Allready Getting To The Floor. Anyways, Im Not Comfortable With This, And Felt Like I Was A Mess All Night, I Know That People Say Welcome To Nursing, And That This Is Just How It Is, But It Doesnt Seem Right. Is This Just How It Is? And Am I Just Being Paranoid, I Felt Like I Was A Real ***** On The Floor, Because I Was Not Happy, But Honestly I Felt Very Uncomfortable And Unsure Of My Self, Ortho Is Different Than Telemetry And I Just Felt Lost? Any Suggestions.

Thanks,

Selina 1st Post

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Why are all your words capitalized? I didn't read your whole post, but I gather that you were floated and didn't like it. I've always enjoyed floating, I just act really dumb and they are always nice and give me an easy assignment. Of course you don't know what to do, you've never been there before. Just ask alot of questions, smile, and don't act like you know what you're doing,cause you don't, that way you'll get an easy assignment

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Specializes in BASIC.

not sure why all were in caps, i dont think that i can fix it!! just my luck, im not that great with computer.

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Specializes in Med-Surg.

First, let me welcome you to Allnurses. I hope you find friendly support here.

(The typing of the first letter of every word in caps is a distraction. More than likely it was just an unconcsious thing you were doing. People do it all the time, no biggie but I would try not to do it.)

We float our new nurses after three months on the floor, so six months is generous. All new grads hardly seem comfortable on their own units, so they definately are not going to feel comfortable when they float. But if they waited, two or three years, those first few floats are still going to be tough and you're still not going to be comfortable.

Some places offer orientation to units they have to float their nurses to, others don't. Our facility doesn't, because basically a nurse should know how to do an assessment and charting, and they feel the charge nurses should be used as a resource. Right or wrong this is how it is where I work.

In the end we survive. I'm perfectly comfortable floating to the areas we float to now but definately wasn't at first.

I definately feel that you were taken advantage of by the nurse who claimed she wasn't comfortable. The supervisor should have clamed their foot down on her/him the way she/he on you and made them take their turn in floating.

Realize you're a new nurse and you're not going to be comfortable, but that shouldn't necessarily be a reason you don't join the rotation in floating the same as your peers. You survived and you should begin to feel more and more comfortable as days go by.

Don't forget to use other nurses as a resource, and don't do anything you can't do or don't feel right about doing.

Good luck.

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Specializes in cardiac/critical care/ informatics.

Our hospital floats after 90 days, and no orientation. Unfortunately that is the nature of the beast (working in a hospital).

Good Luck

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Floating stinks but we all have to do it. When you're new it might seem a little overwhelming but I agree with the earlier post. If you make it known that you're new, you probably will be accomodated. Where as if you're known to be experienced you reallly get dumped on. Good Luck.

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Ortho.

My facility too. You get off orientation and if staffing needs float you get to go in your turn just like everyone else. We dont get orientation to another floor after the initial orienatation period however they are getting better about sending someone to orientate to another floor for a couple weeks during their intial orientation period.

Just remember what you were taught (since most students rotate through most every department while in school) and if in doubt always ask.

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Specializes in ICU, ER.

There's one advantage of working inthe ER-floating to other areas almost never happens!

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Specializes in Rehab, LTC, Peds, Hospice.

Maybe this is why Nurses leave in droves? Why not just orient a new grad at least to all floors when they come if this is the policy? Just because this is the way it has always been done, doesn't mean it works. Don't get me wrong, I like floating. But I can certainly understand why someone else wouldn't. In another post, others have thought a 1 year internship like MDs have might be helpful, especially since nursing is getting more demanding. Better than how some states want to require a BSN. (Like New York) We all know how school doesn't truly prepare you for the 'real' world of nursing. New grads should get all the support they need and for that matter, nurses period.

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I have been in the same position Sallysmg is in and it really bites. I don't think it is right to expect a new grad to float anywhere. 6 months out of school, I was still learning about how things were done in ICU, which docs you called at 0200 and which you didn't, where supplies were, and still sorting thru real world nursing vs NCLEX and nursing school. I was also expected to float to ACC (ICU step down), CCU, SICU, and AIU (which is really a med/surg unit where the nurses take 6-8 pts). I had a 4 hour orientation that was basically a walk through of all 3 units. Like it has been written in other threads, each facet of nursing is a specialty unto itself and to expect someone who is new to their specialty to step into another specialty is wrong.

Some people are natural floaters. Those people don't see the big deal in having to float. Then there are people like me. I don't float well. I don't know where supplies are, I don't know the staff I am working with, I don't know who to go to with questions, I don't know the unit culture, I don't know the unit dynamics, I don't know the doctors, I don't have a key to get into the drawers, access to the pyxis, or a badge to get into the supply rooms. In the cases of CCU and SICU I don't know enough about the patient population to be safe, in the case of AIU, I wouldn't know how to even start to take care of 6-8 people, and I stress that I may well do something or not do something that will hurt/kill my patient.

IMHO, just because something has been done that way forever, doesn't mean it is right. I just don't know where to start to try and change things.

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I sympathize with you. Floating can really stink. I am also a new grad and I am working as a full-time float right now and I am getting bounced around all over the hospital. Sometimes an hour here and an hour there. It's crazy, sometimes I will leave work having changed depts 4 times in a shift. Shifts like that I feel like I must have messed up somewhere, either done something wrong, forgot to do something, done something and forgot to chart it.. then I get home and can't sleep b/c my mind is racing. The shifts where I show up, get my assignment, figure out my meds, etc and then have 12 whole hours to get everything done are so much better. And b/c I was hired as a float- I don't get any differential for doing it! Other nurses who float get an extra $2/hr to float.

And am I the only new grad that is really tired of hearing the sarcastic phrase "welcome to nursing" when you question staffing, the MARS are incorrect, the hospital changes policies and doesn't tell everyone, etc...?? I can't help but think that if these seasoned nurses think nursing is really that bad and that's the way it's always been, then why have they been putting up with it for so long? let's do something about it instead b/c I don't know if I can for another 30 yrs or so...

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Specializes in ER/Trauma.

I haven't floated - yet. We don't float an awful lot from my floor - we are pretty much a "dedicated" surgical floor (all though of late we've seen more medical patients being admitted).

Our techs are in high demand though...

And I seem comfortable with most other floors - including ER.

But man! I don't want to float to mental health. I doubt I could do it! :eek:

No disrespect meant to those who work there - you guys and gals are made of sterner stuff than wimpy ol' me tiphat.gif

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