Once again I found myself in the position of charging and being told one staff member (not specified) would have to float to another unit. This was not floating to a like unit - it was going from ours (psych with a med-surg component) to a cardiac floor.
One staff member has worked there on several occasions, having been oriented to float throughout the house. The other nurse and myself have never worked on the other floors. I said the logical thing would be to send that staff member. She was upset (understandably, I think - few people like to float) and called the house supervisor. Claims that the super told her we would need to "take turns" floating. I told her she could do what her comfort level allowed, but I would not be accepting an assignment on a unit I had no familiarity with and endanger pt's due to my utter lack of experience in that specialty. Period.
She wound up not having to go there (went home instead - said that on further inspection they decided that they in fact had the correct number of staff without her, and that she'd like the day off.) I should add that I later found out that the original situation arose because the house super had called off a person on the other unit (who wanted a day off) to float our much less experienced nurse (our census was low.)
Who here has refused an assignment, and with what reaction? Is this common *everywhere* to try and force you into roles you are not equipped to fill?
