Pulled to another unit by unit manager

pennyaline · Mar 16, 2010

i went to work today and i have a permanet unit. when i arrived in my unit, my unit manager says i have to go to anther unit because she is working on the floor. she even told me i was being mandated to go to another unit. can you belive that? just because a nurse called in and she have to work as a floor nurse that doesnt mean she has right to push me to another unit!!! i was so ****** off. what do you guys think?

get over yourself.

mustlovepoodles, RN · Mar 16, 2010

I take it you've never floated before. FYI--the people who cut your check, and their representatives(your manager), are allowed to float you wherever they want within your scope of practice. You cannot be floated to Ultrasound to do echocardiagrams, but you can sure be floated to ER to help out with vitals and IV starts. I once worked in a 40-bed NICU that was used as a float pool for peds. You read that right--they would float a NICU nurse to the general peds floor. :uhoh3: They tried to put me in charge once. Ha! NO WAY! I may know a lot about saving a 27wk premie but I know nothing about heme/onc, femur fractures, shunt revisions, and cystic fibrosis.

I ended up leaving that hospital because they were constantly floating me(and others.) If I had wanted to do general peds I would have applied for THAT job.

Ms.RN · Mar 16, 2010

She is a unit manager of the 2nd floor which has 2 units. She is on call few days a week and if we are short of nurses then she have to work on the floor which happened a lot. She have worked both units many times and she knows the residents. Just becuase she is a unit manager, she doesnt not have a right to choose which unit she wants to work.

mustlovepoodles, RN · Mar 16, 2010

She is a unit manager of the 2nd floor which has 2 units. She is on call few days a week and if we are short of nurses then she have to work on the floor which happened a lot. She have worked both units many times and she knows the residents. Just becuase she is a unit manager, she doesnt not have a right to choose which unit she wants to work.

Yes she does. She's the boss. When you're the boss of two units, you can choose which unit you want to work in.

mappers · Mar 16, 2010

From your second post I'm guessing your in LTC? I'm not very familiar with LTC, but maybe there is a reason she picked the unit she did, like there is a problem employee who she wants to keep an eye on or work with, or even a new employee she wants to mentor a little more. Or a new resident who she needs to get to know better so she can adjust the care plan. Or some situation has come across her desk and by working that unit, she might be able to get a better handle on it.

But the other posters are right. She's the boss, with that comes certain privliges as well as responsibilities.

SWS RN, ASN, RN · Mar 16, 2010

Oh but she does have the right!

If she is the manager, then she should work on her home unit. That way she can do direct care and supervise the unit as well.

What possesses you to think that you should not float? It is commonly done and every hospital and LTC Facility I have worked in over the last 16+ years has required nurses to float.

The ususal order I have found is 1. Nurses who volunteer to float 2. PRN nurses and agency 3. part timers 4. everyone else!

Many times if our census was down, we would be given the option of floating or being called off.

To be fair, a float book was usually kept and the permanent staff would rotate.

So, get over it and look at it as a learning experience and teamwork.

Just sayin'

cherrybreeze, ADN, RN · Mar 16, 2010

she is a unit manager of the 2nd floor which has 2 units. she is on call few days a week and if we are short of nurses then she have to work on the floor which happened a lot. she have worked both units many times and she knows the residents. just becuase she is a unit manager, she doesnt not have a right to choose which unit she wants to work.

actually, yes she does. if you want to have that choice, too, be a unit manager.

i've worked in healthcare for 14 years, 5 as a cna in ltc, 9 as an rn in a hospital, and guess what...everybody floats. we keep track and take turns doing it. it's really not a big deal.

our team leader (probably a similar position to your unit manager's) will occasionally work the floor and take patients, and she would not be included in the float rotation. perk of the job, if you will.

Moogie · Mar 16, 2010

She is a unit manager of the 2nd floor which has 2 units. She is on call few days a week and if we are short of nurses then she have to work on the floor which happened a lot. She have worked both units many times and she knows the residents. Just becuase she is a unit manager, she doesnt not have a right to choose which unit she wants to work.

If this is happening often, your facility needs to hire more nurses.

I am no big fan of management, especially considering that my experiences in acute care and LTC have been that many managers are clueless to the realities of the floor. I've seen many managers scurry to the safety of their offices when the feces has (literally) hit the fan. I will never forget the DON in LTC who ventured out from behind her clipboard when state was visiting and remarked that she had no idea how busy it was on the floor.

However, good managers who are doing their jobs do much more than floor nurses realize. There is a lot of responsibility in being a unit manager in LTC. Having far too much experience with managers who are unable to get off their backsides and pitch in when a unit is short, I would be so appreciative of a unit manager who was willing to work the floor that I wouldn't care if I was floated out of my comfort zone for one shift.

I agree with previous posters. Yeah, she does have the right to choose the unit on which she works if she's filling in when it's short. If she did take the "easier" assignment, you need to cut her a bit of slack as she very likely has other duties to fulfill in addition to working the floor.

BTW, in most facilities, management is salaried rather than paid hourly so it costs your facility less money if they make the unit managers work the floor than if they would actually hire enough help so they aren't short all the time.

PostOpPrincess, BSN, RN · Mar 16, 2010

I'm blown away that your manager can actually take care of patients.

That's such a rarity.

Most are so clueless (sorry UMs) that I wouldn't let them take care of my plants.

Kudos.

celclt · Mar 16, 2010

the manager that just interviewed me asked if I was willing to float vs being called off-heck yeah! Logs are kept so it is fair but more importantly, she is trying to gage my flexibility and fill the unit with RNs that will be flexible.I thought is was great she even asked! Gumby up Ms.RN, the time for flexiblity is now :)

Editorial Team / Admin · Mar 16, 2010

I would rather be floated than be called off for the shift, which is what my unit is currently doing to us (no voluntary float option).

Katie5 · Mar 16, 2010

She is a unit manager of the 2nd floor which has 2 units. She is on call few days a week and if we are short of nurses then she have to work on the floor which happened a lot. She have worked both units many times and she knows the residents. Just becuase she is a unit manager, she doesnt not have a right to choose which unit she wants to work.

WOW wow wow...slow slow. Now you're pushing it. Being courteous, she may CHOOSE to let you remain where on your particular floor. But she has EVERY right to relocate you where she deems fit.