Pulled to another unit by unit manager

Ms.RN · Mar 16, 2010

part time and contingent nurses have to float to different units but not the full time nurses who have a permanent nurses. other managers have worked in a unit where they didnt have a floor nurse and she is fillling in for the floor nurse. i'm not talking about her working in a unit where she is clueless about patient. she have worked in this unit many times before. so why is that she have to float a full time nurse who have a perment unit?

elkpark · Mar 16, 2010

Floating is a fact of life in nursing. Get used to it. As others have noted, if you approach it with an open mind, you may enjoy yourself, or find a unit you'd rather work on permanently. But, yes, she does have the authority and right to pull you to another unit.

Batman25 · Mar 16, 2010

It's refreshing that your unit manager was going to help out on the floor. As long as you aren't going to a unit that you are totally ill equipped to handle it's not a biggie. You are being much too hard on your unit manager who had every right to handle the situation as she did.

nursinger · Mar 16, 2010

part time and contingent nurses have to float to different units but not the full time nurses who have a permanent nurses. other managers have worked in a unit where they didnt have a floor nurse and she is fillling in for the floor nurse. i'm not talking about her working in a unit where she is clueless about patient. she have worked in this unit many times before. so why is that she have to float a full time nurse who have a perment unit?

honey i've floated for the last 36 years and i'm pretty sure you'll be floating for the next 36 years if you stay in bedside nursing that long...get used to it, it's a way of nursing life.

SWS RN, ASN, RN · Mar 16, 2010

The second verse is the same as the first...... :yawn:

I suggest you go back to the first comment and read all of the postings AGAIN!

The manager was well within her right to float you...PERIOD!

This rant shows that you are not flexible and not a team player.

I have been both a manager and a Director of Nursing...given this situation, when it came time for an evaluation, I would not look upon this attitude favorably.

No raise and possibly you would find yourself on another unit...or in another facility...permanently!

As DON there were many times I would stay and work a night shift to cover the floor if we were short-then go home, sleep a few hours ,shower and return to work.

You do what you have to do when you have to do it! This profession is not about YOU...it is about providing good patient or resident care. :redbeathe

caroladybelle, BSN, RN · Mar 16, 2010

i was hired and assigned to a unit i really wanted to work and enjoyed working, however i spent more time floating then working on my assigned unit. in fact, i floated to the worse floors imaginable despite choosing not to apply to those floors when i graduated from nursing school. to make matters worse, the other dons liked me so much hr tried to transfer me without my consent because my don agreed to the transfer (yep, i left). thus, be lucky you only had to float one day!

this is actually sometimes a strategy thing.

all hospitals have departments that are attractive to applicants and others that are not.

some hrs will frequently deliberately "overhire" in some easy to staff areas, knowing full well that the "extra nurses" will get floated frequently, thus covering the facilities shortages in some hard to fill areas.

this is done frequently with travelers.

then we have the old, "we are cutting back here (in attractive unit) but you could transfer to "y" unit (unattractive unit) where they have plenty of hours" routine. then they proceed to low census you frequently or always float you until you give up and go to other unit.

koala_bear · Mar 16, 2010

i personally think it's great that your manager is even willing to work as a floor nurse. think about it, how many managers do you see/hear of ever doing that? of course she has to stay on your unit, she is the manager, it is her unit to run, and the only way she can do both jobs effectively is to be there and not on any other floor. unless your unit is a closed unit, expect to be floated/pulled to other units every now and then. it's either get pulled or get canceled. i for one want to get my hours in, so i go where they tell me to go. it doesn't mean i won't complain though :). everyone gets scared/intimidated the first time they get floated but it can be refreshing to see how other units do things. for the most part, they're pretty grateful that you're there to help them out. give it a chance.