Tips for floating

[Bluepen]

I have not had good floating experiences. Last week I get sent to a floor with no charge nurse, got the assignment with the needy covid patient, bed alarm setter, confused patient who attacked his sitter at 5 am then the new patient coded after shift report but luckily survived. So now I am afraid of it. Any tips to make floating smoother or get over my fear?

[JBMmom, MSN, NP]

Unfortunately, floating is one of those things that you just have to find a way to survive and hopefully you will become more comfortable with time. Personally, I love floating because I can meet new staff members and I enjoy seeing the different floors and their patient populations. (Although it seems like recently almost everywhere in my hospital has become med-surg with COVID thrown in)

Try to introduce yourself to the staff members you'll be working with. Make sure you ask questions when necessary and I think one of the most important relationships is with your techs! (hoping that you have one) They can be key to making or breaking your shift. Taking a couple minutes of your time to help them with a turn or cleaning a patient will give HUGE returns. Everyone is busy these days and the acuity is higher than many places normally handle. You can't do much about the situations you described, just know that you're trained to handle things and you can do it. The floor staff are happy to have someone there to help their staffing crunch, hopefully your future floats go more smoothly.