mojitogirl

Thanks-I never even looked at the personal safety aspect.

want to put out a question to see if I can get any feedback or information. I work in a small rural hospital that has a 6 bed ICU. Actual ICU cases are few and far between, so they aren't well-staffed. As a trained ICU nurse, I work in another department, but I am being pressured to float to the ICU as the SOLE PRACTITIONER in the unit. No secretary, no aide, no other nurse but myself. I would be responsible for the phones, the paperwork, the telemetry monitors, EVERYTHING! The DON's rationale is that the M/S nursing station is only steps away. I am used to working in large ICU's with complex patients, but there's always been other nurses around and ancillary personnel. I feel very uncomfortable and have stated that this is not a safe environment for a solo practitioner, to no avail. I've looked at the AACN standards of practice but have been unable to find anything specific to address the issue. I have told the DON that I would be happy to float to the ICU anytime as part of a team, with another nurse there-not alone. I frequently float to the ER, so floating isn't the issue. Staffing is, and I feel trapped. Any suggestions?