SFnrs

Nurseaig..... with all due respect...med/Surg patients code as easily as ICU pts do. There have been many instances when Rapid Response is utilized on a medsurg floor or a code blue. We cannot assume that a patient will remain stable simpley because they don't start out in ICU. I do appreciate the question though and hope my response makes sense.

Capecod Mermaid (love mermaids btw) If you have ever worked ICU it is VERY different than medsurg....charting, knowing the layout, obtaining access to pyxis, availability and access to vitals, etc... the time management is completely different...no patient is going to feel comfortable having a nurse who can't find the most basic items to do their job. It is a valid question though :-).... At my last assignment I was oriented to several different units and happily floated to all of them. No unit is less work...just different in their approach. I absolutely enjoyed every experience I had at this hospital other than this particular encounter. The staff nurses were all top notch and every other supervisior and administrative person I came on contact with were completely professional, helpful, and friendly.

Thanks for the replies... I spoke with HR from the hospital and they agreed with me... This was not a case of not wanting to float... I was willing to go just to orient first. I don't have 9 years of medsurg exp...not sure why someone came to that conclusion. My license is all I have....I am an extremely compassionate and huge on teamwork. Regardless - Administration at both my agency and the hospital are supporting me. This has restored my faith in doing the right thing. Again thanks for the input.PS...hospital offered me a FT position. :-)

I recently accepted a travel assignment for an ICU position that turned out to be Trauma heavy (I have little experience in this area). I met with the director of ICU and we discussed my moving my contract to TCU. I was more than happy to do so. After completing my orientation of 2 shifts...I showed up ready to get to work. Approximately 3 hours into my shift I was told that I would be floating to a Med/Surg floor. I explained that I hadn't worked medsurg and hadn't been oriented. This was an 8 hour shift, so I told the charge nurse I didn't feel comfortable taking that assignment but would gladly go orient so I could be available for any future needs they may have. I also offered to float between the 2 floors and do admissions. I was told that I had to discuss it with the Nurse Manager who they got on the phone. I again explained that going from ICU to TCU then to Med/Surg without orientation in one week was too tall of an order for even the most seasoned of nurses. I was very respectful and even used the words "I mean no disrespect but no prudent nurse would take an assignment without having been oriented to a floor." I also asked him what he would do if someone asked him to work a floor he hadn't had experience with in 9 years without orientation. His reply.... "turn your pts over to the nurse following you and you wont be coming back here or to ICU."I mean When this all started I called my recruiter and did so a couple of times throughout the evening as this situation unfolded. The next day I received my termination notice and the nurse manager blatantly lied...he said that I refused to float and that HE offered me the chance to do admissions and I said NO!!!!I cannot describe how shocked I am. The night supervisor who was in attendance when this all took place knows the truth as I asked her directly if I could do admissions. My problem .... I find myself over a thousand miles from home with no job! I need some advice!