hgraves64

No, small talk would include at least some sort of introduction of "Hi how are you?" Launching of into questioning a total stranger, especially during med pull, comes across as very blunt. I actually like meeting new people on my Float job. That was one bad instance. Very presumptive, are we?

Shoe on the other foot, I would never had approached a complete stranger on the floor and started an inquisition on their assignment without a proper introduction first. Also, everyone's assignment is written on the board and it's on a piece of paper handed out to everyone at the start of shift. If I have a bad attitude towards my assignment, I certainly wouldn't take it out on a new Float nurse. Usually, when I was a Staff nurse when I'd see a new face, I'd have the decency to introduce myself and ask if they needed any assistance. So, if ever again someone comes at me brusquely while I'm doing my med pull, which is supposed to be a non-talk zone anyway (there are signs all over the medication room), I'll tell them again where they can put their bad attitude, and even do it with a smile!

This floor has lots of turnover from the other Floats I talked to, likely due to the poor management and staffing. Are Floats allowed to refuse to work certain floors? I didn't know that was a possibility...

This Staff Nurse who doesn't know me, came on with a very blunt, prying attitude. Had he been like, "I'm having a rough night - can you help me out?" I'd been "Of course!" But he shouldn't had been taking his frustrations out on me, a complete stranger who was completely new to his unit. Attitude like his deserves a Nunya, as in None of your business, take it up with your Charge. And no, I was dealing with my own high acuity assignment. A little "hi, how are you? My name is..." will go a long way for a new Float nurse like me;

So, I'm a Float pool nurse, and last night, I was pulling meds when a Staff nurse comes up to me. Without so much of a "hello", he snaps, "How many patients do you have?" My eyebrows raise. "Are you Charge or Resource nurse?" I ask. "No," he answers "Then it's none of your business," I respond. "I have five patients tonight. How many do you have? Are you taking any admits?" he continues to press. "Again, it's NONE.OF.YOUR.BUSINESS. Take it up with Charge if you have a problem," I retort. "Oh, I'm just making conversation," he sneers. "No, you're being nosy. And I don't have to deal with it!" I reply. I told the Charge nurse about her Staff nurse's wildly inappropriate questioning. Charge said that "she would deal with it. At the end of the shift, Staff nurse had not apologized for his behavior, so I emailed his manager about the incident. The manager did not email me back. Would there be anything else you would have done?

I too lived and worked in Louisiana as a RN for both magnet and non-magnet hospitals. I was tired of being under-paid and over-worked. The worst was when I was a Charge Nurse on a Med-Surg floor that also had to care for six of my own patients during my shift. I've left and come to California, and working here is like Heaven in comparison! Better wages, sensible staffing, assignments with thoughtful acuity. Come to the Best/West Coast as soon as you can!

There's always going to be sick people in the world; think of it as job security.

Patient: "Why am I so sticky?"

Ah, the satisifaction of heading home to my sweet bed after a long shift is the best!

Nurse giving report: "Oh, and would you mind collecting the patient's UA and OCB tonight, by the way?" My reaction....

Yes, sir, I am still going to need to take your temperature rectally!

Do you have to rotate between night and day shifts every 8 weeks? WOW, that would be so hard! Me, I've only ever worked straight nights, and it's the best for me. Have you tried other sleep medications OTC like Benadryl or Unisom? Have you had a checkup or physical with your PCP lately? I discovered that I had Vitamin D deficiency from working nights for so many years. Now, I take a 1000 IU Vitamin D replacement daily, and it's helped my energy tremendously. Best of luck with talking to your manager. Would you consider maybe working day shifts on a different unit, if none are available on your current floor?

Yeh I don't feel any connection to any of my past or current recruiters. I definitely didn't realize how important that is or how much say we nurses have in our contracts and assignments. A learning experience for sure!

Oh it still is quite an ongoing mess! Counting the days down until my contract is done....

I would have liked a week at each of the five hospitals, in retrospect, especially since I work 4-5 different floors in each one. They are all in the same network but the amount of differences between each hospital and floor is pretty significant in reality. Being a Traveler in the float pool for multiple floors in multi-hospital system is pretty taxing. Before. I had always been staff on one floor of one hospital with rare occasions to float. This has been an eye-opening experience, for sure... Care to share any personal experiences with Traveler orientations? Good, bad, expected, or...?