vent about floating

[proud nurse, BSN, RN]

Today I have officially decided that I hate floating. When you're nice enough to come in on your off day, I think it's B.S. to have to float to an unfamiliar floor. I'm not a whiner. I accept my assignment and report to my unit like I'm expected to. But I felt like I was doing the bare minimum to get through the shift, and I don't like working or feeling like that.

I could go on and on about how horrible my noc was, but I won't and I'm too frustrated. I'm sure many of you have felt the same way about floating. My biggest problem was that the nurse I was working with didn't lift a finger to help. I'm courteous to nurses that float to my unit because I know how it feels to be out of your comfort zone.

Just needed to vent and say it again... I HATE FLOATING!

[lisajtrn]

I hear ya sister, been there done that, or should say, had that done to me. It is crap.

[Fiona59]

I left one unit and moved to another in my hospital. My old manager asked if I'd float back to keep my skills current. No biggie, I liked the staff on that unit.

Fast forward six months, central staffing office said no more unit specific floats. Well, if I'm giving up my day off (and yes I realize I get paid for it), I want to work somewhere that I want. Why send a nurse who's never worked Ortho to that unit, why send an Ortho nurse to General Surgery?

And they wonder why they lost a lot of nurses.

[Palliative Care, DNP]

Another thing I will not miss about floor nursing! A nurse is a nurse is the facility's thought but so untrue. I worked oncology and was floated to L & D once.....really?

[Morainey, BSN, RN]

I feel like I might as well work in the float pool, I get floated so much. That's okay though, I used to hate floating and be miserable the whole shift but now I just go cheerfully.

[SoldierNurse22, BSN, RN]

Another thing I will not miss about floor nursing! A nurse is a nurse is the facility's thought but so untrue. I worked oncology and was floated to L & D once.....really?

I've been in the same spot. With no one getting chemo, I had no idea what to do!

[NickiLaughs, ADN, BSN, RN]

Yeah I worked ICU at one hospital, they never had patients, so I frequently was floated to med surg, tele, once pacu, and a lot of ER? I feel as though I should have been paid float pull rate....I was floated so frequently. It all turned out fine because I found a love of the ER and am enjoying myself. And we don't get floated ever, we are always short! We do however board patients up to 24 hours sometimes. So I guess I'm still sort of in a float pool world! But at least I know where most things are now......

[NotMyProblem MSN, ASN, BSN, MSN, LPN, RN]

This is EXACTLY why I became a Float Nurse! It alleviated the resentment (some of it anyway) while padding my pockets and giving me even MORE days away from that place. When I need more days, I sign up for more. But I've gotten really great at living off of next to nothing! So two strategically-spaced days per week is cool with me. Take your best shot!! But if you expect me to answer the phone the next day, I would think long and hard before pulling that trigger, if I were you.

[briarwood]

I think if staffing calls you and begs you to come in on your day off you should tell them you will gladly come in for the specific unit(s) you want to work on otherwise you will enjoy your day off. Make sure they don't pull a fast one on you and wait until you come in and reassign you to a unit you don't want to work on. You DO have a say after all ....it is your license and your responsibility if you accept the assignment. I think it is unsafe to float a nurse from say OB to work in ICU....it puts the patient at risk as well as the accepting nurse's license. I have been a nurse for 30 yrs and do not feel bad about taking my days off. I work hard (as all nurses do) and need my days off to recuperate and come back to work refreshed and ready to go again.

[TiffRN82]

I worked at a small hospital that if and when they would call and ask if I would come in, I would specify that I would work on my unit. I would usually also tell them a couple other units I would do but I would also tell them if they couldn't do that I couldn't come. Except I was nice about it, and they Were usually happy.

[briarwood]

I always try to be nice when staffing calls. They are only doing their job!

[LNRN11]

I hear you! I work CVICU and get floated pretty frequently to SICU, MICU, and ER. It's so irritating because we purposely sign up for OT days on my unit so we aren't understaffed. The other units don't do that, so we end up floating to staff theirs. When we float, it's never a choice on your day off either. It is one of your scheduled days...definitely leads to some resentment. I've worked with some pretty nice and thankful staff so far, but I have heard of them making some unfair assignments to some of my fellow CV nurses. For example, assigning a fresh craniotomy or tripling someone with an admission. If one of our surgeons found out we assigned one of our open hearts to a float nurse, heads would roll.