Opinions on how soon to float new nurses

[Wright007]

Hi all, just looking for opinions. I am a new nurse 3 weeks off orientation. This was my first "full" week of 3 days as I still had to take a new grad course 2 days a week since coming off orientation, so I was only on the floor 2 days a week totaling 7 days on my own today. This morning I was informed I would be going to ICU to start orienting as we frequently staff them as floats. We are not short on staff that float currently. I honestly don't mind floating since my other nursing job is as a float for Drs. offices, but also I like ICU. But some of my co-workers were shocked I was going down there so soon because the other group of new grads that started before me did not start getting oriented in another unit until 2-3 months after being on their own.

I really didn't think anything of it until I came back up to my floor on break, and the secretary approaches me telling me he had my back for things the night nurses were saying. I had a super busy assignment (the worst I've had so far) and 2 admissions that needed a lot of attention, one being ETOH withdrawals. I was scoring her frequently and a couple times she did not need Ativan, but the nurse who took my assignment told the charge nurse (who makes the schedule for the day staff I.e. me) that "I wasn't administering Ativan and nothing was charted and I didn't do anything during my shift". I double checked my documentation because I was paranoid and clarified with another nurse and it was done correctly. The secretary saw how busy I was yesterday and thankfully told MY charge nurse to back me up, and she didn't say a word to me all day and if he didn't tell me I wouldn't have even known. But I'm starting to wonder if she sent me to orient on another floor due to that situation? The issue with floating is usually we come back after 8 hours, which means we get a whole new assignment for 4 hours.

I'm just looking for opinions on what people think about how soon to introduce a new environment to a new grad who is very recent off orientation. And if I'm crazy for thinking maybe there's a connection between my story and my schedule and what to do about it.

[caliotter3]

You are not crazy for coming to that possible conclusion. Try to validate your position with your charge nurse and otherwise stay the course. You could be getting floated earlier because they see you adapting faster than the usual new nurse, so don’t always assume the worst.

[JKL33]

11 hours ago, Wright007 said:

the secretary approaches me telling me he had my back for things the night nurses were saying.

No, no, no, no, no, no, and NO.

Stay out of this ****.

Nip this in the bud then move on.

What you have chosen to do instead is:

1) Believe the rumor mill without asking for one bit of proof

2) Begin catastrophizing: Coming up with imagined proofs of things

**

Go directly to the nurse who was reported to have been complaining and lying about you. Ask to speak in private and then say, "I was informed you had some concerns about my care of my patient yesterday which you shared with others. What are your concerns?"

[Hear his/her rambling answer, exaggerations and/or denial].

Resist the urge to justify any of your actions to this person. Instead, say, "Your descriptions of the situation are inaccurate and gossiping about me is inappropriate and unprofessional." Limit your words.

Leave there and immediately inform your manager that you have become aware of of being the subject of gossip and lies, that you have addressed it with the person (name names) and that you expect it to stop.

[Quota, BSN, RN]

Seems early to be floated to me. Our policy on my unit is you won’t be floated until six months after orientation ends. I was just floated for the first time about two weeks ago so just over a year as a nurse. It was awful haha, made me appreciate my oncology floor even more. Of course my unit hasn’t had the staffing for people to get floated for a few years so it’s not something that happens often. Even better I’m at the bottom of the list for floating now. Medsurg hell plus the disorientation of being on a different unit.

[Sour Lemon]

22 hours ago, Wright007 said:

I really didn't think anything of it until I came back up to my floor on break, and the secretary approaches me telling me he had my back for things the night nurses were saying.

Stay far away from this person whenever you can. And if you must interact with him, do a lot of listening and NO talking about anything except the weather.

[CritterLover, BSN, RN]

New grads: 1 year

New to the facility (or unit/area) but not a new grad: 6 months

[JadedCPN, BSN, RN]

The normal I've seen in my years is new staff float in 3 months; if they're a new grad, they float in 6 months.

[TheLastUnicorn]

There's a difference in being floated, and being oriented to floating. I was oriented the months before I was even floated. Before I was even eligible to be floated. Didn't remember a damned thing by the time my turn came around. No one cared. The nurses in Icu were incredibly supportive.

As for the drama. Nope. Stay out of it. I'm glad I'm now a float nurse. I no longer have to get involved or deal with any of that unit drama BS. Like someone else said: address it directly. Talk to your manager. Speak directly to said nurse. None of this he said she said they said BS. Don't fall for that crap.

[Kooky Korky, BSN, RN]

On 3/9/2020 at 8:30 AM, JKL33 said:

No, no, no, no, no, no, and NO.

Stay out of this ****.

Nip this in the bud then move on.

What you have chosen to do instead is:

1) Believe the rumor mill without asking for one bit of proof

2) Begin catastrophizing: Coming up with imagined proofs of things

**

Go directly to the nurse who was reported to have been complaining and lying about you. Ask to speak in private and then say, "I was informed you had some concerns about my care of my patient yesterday which you shared with others. What are your concerns?"

[Hear his/her rambling answer, exaggerations and/or denial].

Resist the urge to justify any of your actions to this person. Instead, say, "Your descriptions of the situation are inaccurate and gossiping about me is inappropriate and unprofessional." Limit your words.

Leave there and immediately inform your manager that you have become aware of of being the subject of gossip and lies, that you have addressed it with the person (name names) and that you expect it to stop.

I don't think you should be quite this militant.

The secretary needs to mind his own biz. Period. If he wants to tell you something about whoever and whatever someone said about you, just nod, say nothing, and walk away. Or question him. Where did he hear this? When? Etc. Get the details, verify things if you can.

You might want to CONSIDER talking to the person the secretary says was bad-mouthing you, but I would be much more courteous about it. You have to tread really softly at the beginning, I think. I think it is always best to get the story directly from the horse's mouth but not everyone is happy about being approached directly. They get embarrassed or fearful of repercussions and they build up anger toward the person who approached them directly and the beehive swarms with rancor. On the other hand, they might not have known how to talk to you directly before you approach them. In that case, they might actually welcome the chance to be open and frank. Just don't speak in anger or haste or try to force someone to talk to you.

I think you should not be floated so soon. You should get at least 3 months on your home ward but I guess that doesn't always happen.

I worked at a place where we would sometimes have an assignment for 4 hours and then get pulled to another area for 4 hours and have to start all over with a whole different assignment. I sometimes wound up having to finish my charting while on the 2nd ward. Not too big a deal because it was electronic and I could chart on my 1st ward patients while I was actually on the 2nd ward. But I didn't like it and was glad we rotated being pulled.

Best wishes.

[JKL33]

1 hour ago, Kooky Korky said:

I don't think you should be quite this militant.

I understand what you're saying and accept your opinion. I would soften up the edges a little.

On 3/9/2020 at 9:30 AM, JKL33 said:

"I was informed you had some concerns about my care of my patient yesterday which you shared with others. What are your concerns?"

I will amend this to the following: "I was informed that yesterday you were sharing some concerns about my care of my patient. If that is true, I'm asking that you would also share them with me."

Use non-threatening non-verbals/para-verbals.

I just find tip-toeing very problematic in and of itself. It causes nearly as much trouble as outright rudeness does, it only seems better because the kind of trouble it causes is insidious.

Straightforward is not synonymous with curt and not the opposite of kind. I mostly wrote the way I did because the OP sounded to me like someone who needs to resist being tossed this way and that by the very same wind currents responsible for the swirling gossip.