Pulled to other floors?

Bringonthenight · Oct 20, 2012

ER nurses don't float because the ER can be dead quiet one minute and drowning in patients the next. They can't predict how a shift will be so they have a certain number of nurses on at all times. It annoys me too don't worry. The places that I've worked, ICU nurses can only get floated to other critical care specialties with similar ratios and acuity, such as CCU. One time an ICU nurse got floated to med-surg and it was (no offense) a disaster.

amoLucia · Oct 20, 2012

You need to remember that you work for the FACILITY, not the individual unit. Management is responsible for running the whole facility, not just one unit, one unit, one unit, etc. They have to do whatever it takes to run the whole facility. They know floating is not terrific for pts and staff, but options are limited (just remember when your unit is short, someone else was floated!)

You just do the best professional job you can. As time goes on, you will most likely be floated again. Your being a newbie, I can understand your anxiety. It's obvious that you want to do good care. I'd bet that you did fine when you did float that time.

As much as I dislike being floated, I remember my paycheck is signed by XYZ facility, not east wing or 6th floor.

It does get easier. In fact, I actually was a floater for a while - I LOVED IT! Staff LOVED me too, as I was the extra person. I went in to whatever unit they gave me. Did my job; didn't get caught up in the floor drama, worked well with the regular staff, went home on time, etc. Unit mgrs even put in requests for me. I had my favorite floors, and there were ones I DID NOT like (because of ding-a-ling staff). As you mature, you'll see!!!

Esme12, ASN, BSN, RN · Oct 20, 2012

No one likes to float. From the time I graduated this has been a bone of contention amongst nurses. Some facilities have nurses that only float to "like units" others do not. The ICU nurse is, and yes I have been one, capable of caring for the floor patient even though the sill set is rusty but a floor nurse has difficulty caring for the specialized critical patients which is a safety issue. While critical care nurses can be over whelmed by the floor there is no patient there that she cannot care for.....not happily but they are safe.

ED nurses do not float not because they are specialized but because of the unpredictability of the department......just like OB and surgery they don't float they go home.

While it makes every nurse uncomfortable to float.....it is the nature of the beast. One of the reasons I like the ED is they don't float.

It does get easier even though you won't like it any better.((HUGS))

nrsang97, BSN, RN · Oct 20, 2012

We only floated to other ICU's and our neuro stepdown unit. We didn't float to the general floors.

eCCU · Oct 20, 2012

Our nurses only float to other ICUs and they are given the option to take PTO or float. Ps; our Nursing policy also states they have to be notified 2hrs in advance that they are going to be floated and they can choose to stay home or float;-)

Fortunately our CNO is big on giving nurses options thank goodness, before she took over nurses would be floated everywhere!

ICURN87 · Oct 21, 2012

At my hospital, the critical care nurses are also cross trained to work on the telemetry floor. A tele nurse typically gets about 5-6 patients. An ICU nurse who floats on tele can never have more than 4 patients. This is usually a piece of cake for me since I originally came from a med/surg floor. I know how to handle the load. The nice thing about working on the floors is the support staff. If you have a great tech, secretary, etc. Things usually go smoothly. Unless something unpected happens. It's a bit of a break compared to working in ICU where it's basically primary care. All in all, I don't mind being floated at all.

ashleyisawesome, BSN, RN · Oct 21, 2012

i work med surg, on a unit that gets all surgical cases in the hospital. they sometimes float nurses from my unit over to ICU (we are the only med/surg nurses that get floated to ICU in our hospital) if they are short. they try to give us the most stable, step-down type patients, but i am scared to death of when i start floating that this will happen to me. they also float us to PACU. :cautious:

Perpetual Student · Oct 21, 2012

The ICU nurses in our hospital are floated all over the place frequently. A buddy who now works in the PACU with me left the ICU mostly because he was tired of working on the floors. He said if he actually got to work in the ICU most of the time he'd have stayed.

i work med surg, on a unit that gets all surgical cases in the hospital. they sometimes float nurses from my unit over to ICU (we are the only med/surg nurses that get floated to ICU in our hospital) if they are short. they try to give us the most stable, step-down type patients, but i am scared to death of when i start floating that this will happen to me. they also float us to PACU.

What exactly do they have you do in the PACU when you're there? Help out? Cover hold patients? Recover phase I patients fresh out of the OR? If the latter, that's pretty dicey from a safety and liability standpoint without adequate orientation. At least be sure that you've got an experienced PACU nurse backing you up at all times who you're not afraid to ask for advice.

umcRN, BSN, RN · Oct 21, 2012

We pull ICU to ICU and acute to acute. I don't know what the ER does when they need help.

When I started new in the cardiac ICU I had to do one week shadowing on our stepdown unit just to get a feel for what the "other side" does. (this is done in vise versa for their new nurses). I work peds so the acute care nurses typically still only have 3-4 patients. I still thought it was horrible and would never be able to work acute care after being trained fresh out of school to have a critical care focused mind. I would for sure drown with three or four patients. I can't imagine in the adult world having 6-8!

eatmysoxRN, ASN, RN · Oct 21, 2012

I work telemetry and I have been pulled pretty much to every floor open at night except peds. ER is always fun although I'm there for support and to start IVs. I love being in the ICU since I get to see more complex issues and only have 2 patients instead of 8. I love being able to really know my patients. I'd love to work ICU one day although I feel the tele experience I'm getting now is invaluable.

When unit nurses float to us, they really do hate it. I don't blame them though. Our floor is cutthroat and it's possible to have an ICU level patient plus 7 others. Eek I wish we had better ratios, but I love my job usually.

Do-over, ASN, RN · Oct 21, 2012

Yes, we get floated. Not my favorite thing, especially as I have sometimes ended up on three units in one shift. We take turns. It definitely gets easier. I still don't care for it, but it no longer terrifies me!

I work progressive/tele and have floated to ER, ICU, and med-surg. No peds or OB, at least I've never been asked to. Sometimes it seems like once a week, then it might be a few months between floats.

from what I've heard, the nurses I know in bigger systems float less or can opt out. Likely they have bigger or dedicated float pools.