Refused to float without orientation ...Terminated

[SFnrs]

I recently accepted a travel assignment for an ICU position that turned out to be Trauma heavy (I have little experience in this area). I met with the director of ICU and we discussed my moving my contract to TCU. I was more than happy to do so. After completing my orientation of 2 shifts...I showed up ready to get to work. Approximately 3 hours into my shift I was told that I would be floating to a Med/Surg floor. I explained that I hadn't worked medsurg and hadn't been oriented. This was an 8 hour shift, so I told the charge nurse I didn't feel comfortable taking that assignment but would gladly go orient so I could be available for any future needs they may have. I also offered to float between the 2 floors and do admissions. I was told that I had to discuss it with the Nurse Manager who they got on the phone. I again explained that going from ICU to TCU then to Med/Surg without orientation in one week was too tall of an order for even the most seasoned of nurses. I was very respectful and even used the words "I mean no disrespect but no prudent nurse would take an assignment without having been oriented to a floor." I also asked him what he would do if someone asked him to work a floor he hadn't had experience with in 9 years without orientation. His reply.... "turn your pts over to the nurse following you and you wont be coming back here or to ICU."I mean When this all started I called my recruiter and did so a couple of times throughout the evening as this situation unfolded. The next day I received my termination notice and the nurse manager blatantly lied...he said that I refused to float and that HE offered me the chance to do admissions and I said NO!!!!I cannot describe how shocked I am. The night supervisor who was in attendance when this all took place knows the truth as I asked her directly if I could do admissions. My problem .... I find myself over a thousand miles from home with no job! I need some advice!

[LindseyRN86]

I am so sorry to hear this happening to you and how scary to be over 1000 miles away from home and without a job or anyone to console you. I don't have much input as I don't have much nursing experience yet but it seems to me you were terminate wrongly. Keep your head up there must be a reason this is happening to you and hopefully will be for the better. Cheer up :hug:

[caliotter3]

If you traveled with the recommended living expenses, you will have enough money to get home.

[MadpeysRN]

I was told by our teacher that you can't refuse to float unless you are union and it is in your contract, but to document that you explained to the managers you so not feel up to par in that dept. And if you mess up, you warned them pretty much.

[classicdame, MSN, EdD]

of course you can refuse to float - depends on facility policy and state NPA. However, in Texas we have the Safe Harbor Act that would allow us to request peer review over these type situations. Our NPA expects us to be competent, even if not expert in the job to which we are assigned. I believe this travel nurse got a raw deal.

[GitanoRN, BSN, MSN, RN]

unquestionably, you were in your right to state that you didn't feel comfortable in any of the units mentioned without the proper orientation. undoubtedly, this is the reason why when i use to work as a travel nurse, i was always prepared for the worse. i always brought with me one credit card that i could use in case of an emergency. lastly, i do hope they at least payed you for your travel expenses. wishing you the best on your future endeavors...aloha~

[Hemphia]

It is a sad world when a hospital terminates a nurse because they are not comfortable working in an area they have no experience or orientation in. That is the fastest way for errors to occur! Unfortunately being unsure of that hospitals policy, makes it hard to give solid advice, but I would be consulting an attorney over this. I think in the mean time you need to try and find a way back home, or try to get placed into another assignment. I wish you the best of luck in getting this all straigtened out, and I hope that it happens quickly.

[dorie43rn]

I'm taking my first assignment close to home for this very reason. People have asked me, "Couldn't you have picked a more interesting place?" But I feel I need to get my feet wet close to home. I'm taking an ICU job and was already told I would be floating between ICU, a step down and telemetry. When I arrive there next Monday, I expect to be oriented to those areas. I have had med/surg experience, but I agree with the poster, with no orientation, how the hell are you supposed to know what to do? Because we get paid more to leave our homes and familys, and sent to these places to help, do they think we know all? That hospital should be reported and not allowed to have travelers.

[Guttercat, ASN, RN]

The nursing profession needs to peel its collective face off the doormat.

[Guttercat, ASN, RN]

And PS. whenever accepting a travel assignment (I used to do travel assignments), make sure you fully understand the nature of the floor where you will be assigned, read the contract in full and if in doubt, accept only postitions below your current level of comfort.

As a brand new grad I went to a large ICU. They gave me literally two and a half weeks with a preceptor and then put me on my own.

After a couple months, they "floated" me to a Neuro ICU... to work alone...with no support staff...and never having seen half the tubes and wires attached to these poor patients.

Umpteen years later I am seeing a return to this "slot 'em in and fill in the blank" mentality.

I had hoped those days were over for nurses.

Can't wait to get out.

[Esme12, ASN, BSN, RN]

I recently accepted a travel assignment for an ICU position that turned out to be Trauma heavy (I have little experience in this area). I met with the director of ICU and we discussed my moving my contract to TCU. I was more than happy to do so. After completing my orientation of 2 shifts...I showed up ready to get to work. Approximately 3 hours into my shift I was told that I would be floating to a Med/Surg floor. I explained that I hadn't worked med surg and hadn't been oriented. This was an 8 hour shift, so I told the charge nurse I didn't feel comfortable taking that assignment but would gladly go orient so I could be available for any future needs they may have. I also offered to float between the 2 floors and do admissions. I was told that I had to discuss it with the Nurse Manager who they got on the phone. I again explained that going from ICU to TCU then to Med/Surg without orientation in one week was too tall of an order for even the most seasoned of nurses. I was very respectful and even used the words "I mean no disrespect but no prudent nurse would take an assignment without having been oriented to a floor." I also asked him what he would do if someone asked him to work a floor he hadn't had experience with in 9 years without orientation. His reply.... "turn your pts over to the nurse following you and you wont be coming back here or to ICU."I mean When this all started I called my recruiter and did so a couple of times throughout the evening as this situation unfolded. The next day I received my termination notice and the nurse manager blatantly lied...he said that I refused to float and that HE offered me the chance to do admissions and I said NO!!!!I cannot describe how shocked I am. The night supervisor who was in attendance when this all took place knows the truth as I asked her directly if I could do admissions. My problem .... I find myself over a thousand miles from home with no job! I need some advice!

I am so sorry this is happening to you. :hug: It must be scary being so far from home. It has always been my belief that travelers and travel contracts should not be attempted without a few years experience under your belt. If you have a few years under your belt then you pretty much are capable to handle what can be thrown at you.

What was in contract? Did you read it? Did you add that floating to non monitored areas, without orientation, was prohibited? Was floating allowed by your contract? or the recruiter/agency that booked you say anything about floating in their orientation to their procedures?

Now you aren't going to like what I am going to say........If this was not in your contract you are pretty much out of luck and they are perfectly within their right to terminate you. It is perfectly alright to refuse an assignment that you are not comfortable taking but there is no law protecting you against the ramifications of your actions....therein lies the irony.

While NO ONE likes to float, an ICU nurse with all her critical care skills, is perfectly capable of safely caring for patients of a lower acuity on the floor. By all rights you were oriented to paper work and med sheet etc that are consistent throughout the facility. There were no patients on the med surg floor that you were not "capable" of and you are fully competent to care for.......this is exactly how they look at the situation. An ICU nurse while very unhappy is perfectly capable of caring for med surg patients...you might be slow, you might be over whelmed but you are "safe" it's not the same as taking a med surg nurse and putting her in ICU and giving her 2 vents with drips...that is not safe.

As a contracted employee you are "temporary" and while governed by the hospital you may not be afforded the same float policies due to your contract. Would it truly be fair for a staff member with loyalties to the facilities be floated while the temporary "contracted" employee stays in the unit? No, it isn't. You float the staff member stays. Sadly this is the life of traveling and contracted employment. It's what the facility pays the travelers extra for. I know of travelers that have no cancellation clauses in their contracts.

Now, what do you do. Well, in the future you need to remember to be there are certain things that are important to you added to your contract....or accept that floating is a reality to nursing.

As to what to do......well take one evening healing your wounds with your beverage of choice. Then tomorrow, get up, brush yourself off and start again.......lessons learned. You can call the recruiter for another assignment, try agencies. Is this a "temporary assignment" contract and you were booked through a head hunter? Then you may not have a travel/living stipend. Get another contract, get another job, maybe go home....what does your family say?

:hug:....we have all had hard lessons, but it's what we do with them that counts. I wish you luck!!!!

[CapeCodMermaid, RN]

I can see not wanting to float to a higher acuity floor, but why not from ICU to med-surg?