Pros/Cons of Pool?

VU RN BSN · Nov 13, 2008

Hi Ally,

I guess a year from now you will be a new Grad (GN)? Brand new nurse? Straight out of nursing school for the first time?

Honestly, I would not recommend working as a Pool nurse when you are fresh out of school. You may see these jobs posted as Float Pool / PRN Nurse / Per Diem, etc.

In my experience (I've been an RN for 4 years) pool nurses are very experienced nurses. Usually the pool nurses I have worked with were older, experienced nurses who have been around awhile and know their stuff and can function in unfamiliar settings. Pool nurses are often used to float around to areas that are short-staffed. They may have never worked on that floor before, but as a Pool nurse, they are expected to be smart enough, fast enough, and experienced enough in order to function there and anywhere.

Instead, here is my advice. When you graduate in a year, apply for Graduate Nurse Internship positions. Actually, these can be competitive, so start interviewing before you graduate. You can interview at hospitals who offer these internships before you graduate and before you pass the NCLEX. These are a once in a lifetime opportunity. Only when you are fresh out of nursing school can you do these internships. They usually offer a lot of training and a lot of time with preceptors. Many hospital's GN internship programs allow you to experience multiple areas of the hospital, in order to figure out which floor will suit you best.

In my opinion, work in a hospital on a floor for a full year before you think about working Pool. Get at least a full year of nursing experience under your belt before you consider working Pool.

The reason why nurses like to work Pool (the Pros of Pool) is because they usually are paid more per hour as a Pool Nurse than as a full time Staff Nurse. The money is good. Also, Pool Nurse can decide their own working hours. It's flexible. They can decide which days they are available to work. It's not unusual to see nurses working Pool at a certain hospital or other agency, and at the same time working full time or part time at a second hospital or agency. It is a way to make extra money, work more shifts during the week. However, Pool nursing jobs do not offer benefits (in my experience). If you only work as a Pool nurse, then you will have to buy your own health insurance (most of the time).

My :twocents:

Best wishes! :nurse:

APBT mom, LPN, RN · Nov 13, 2008

Pros: paid more, flexible schedule (some places), some places will allow you to work "full time" while being pool but you're used to fill in the gaps

Cons: no benifits because you're being paid more, when census is low, to many full and part time people on schedule, floor budget too high, don't expect to work, some facilites have you float to different floors (pool is interchanged with float), pool at some facilities is also the first one to be laid off, some programs that the facility offers state that only full/part time employees can attend

NeoNurseTX, RN · Nov 13, 2008

I'd get a lot of experience before doing float pool because you have to be able to 'hit the floor running' on pretty much any unit.

RNperdiem, RN · Nov 13, 2008

I have worked float pool too, and then I took a per diem position on my old unit where I worked before I went per diem, so I don't float much anymore.

I liked the variety of float pool. Even when working full time, I always volunteered to be the person to float.

Float pool worked for me because.

1: I loved to work in different settings,

2: I knew some of the nurses in all units so I was never a total stranger,

3: My workplace gives floats good assignments.

What I didn't like was that float pool was treated as an "orphan" department. Our small department was handed around to different nursing managers to manage in addition to their regular units.

Float pool can be lonely. I didn't have a "home" unit or even a mailbox. Having a regular group of supportive coworkers on a daily basis is what I missed.

I wouldn't recommend float pool for a new graduate. Orientation can be little more than "the med cart is over there, the supply closet is here, and this is your patient assignment."

silly RN · Nov 27, 2008

i must be the luckiest float nurse alive!

i work at a huge hospital, get paid more than staff nurses, get benefits, get all the hours i could ever want, and have an amazing management team. (and my very own mailbox too:up:)

but my float pool did require at least 1 year of staff nurse experience. this is a good thing though. . .i can imagine that it would be very hard to float right out of school as you have all of the normal new grad stressors. you don't know about those yet, but you will, trust me.

get your one year under your belt. . .really learn HOW to be a nurse, on one unit, then float away baby!!!

it was one of the best decisions i have ever made! everyday i love going to work in the morning knowing that i will have a different batch of nurses and patients to have fun with.

go for it and you will find yourself just as happy as me!

good luck with the rest of your education, have fun and learn a lot your first year and please contact me anytime if you have questions about floating. . .

:redbeathe silly rn