When a nurse floats to your unit........

RN4NICU, LPN, LVN · Jul 25, 2004

We always give floats a very easy assignment (we are VERY protective of our babies). OTOH, when we get floated, we wind up getting treated like crap. That is why I HATE HATE HATE floating to the other units. All of the nurses in my unit do - we moan and groan and bicker over who has to go because it is usually such a miserable experience.

There is the exception of one peds unit, on which we usually get the lightest assignment and they are usually considerate enough to give us any babies that might be on the unit since it is what we are used to doing and babies make most non-LDRP/neonatal nurses a bit uncomfortable anyway. So I don't usually put up much of a fuss about going to that one unit - sometimes I wind up with a better assignment there than I would have had in my own unit!

zambezi, BSN, RN · Jul 25, 2004

We give floats an easier assignment, or the least critical patients (I work in a critical care unit). We even give our travelers the easier assignments. We we float, sometimes I feel bad because we will have 3 patients to everyone elses 6-8...(but it is nice since I am not used to the flow of the other units...) I don't mind floating, but I would if I had to take the huge patient loads...If I do float to the floor and get a smaller load, I usually offer to do total care- vs cbs etc and then help others...I think that it work well...

Marie_LPN, RN, LPN, RN · Jul 25, 2004

The med-surg floor i worked on, the float got whatever assignment was there, sometimes it was easy, sometimes not.

HJBeans · Jul 25, 2004

In the CVICU, that's what we do.

The other day I got floated to tele. All of the other nurses had 3 patients primary care. I had SEVEN. No Aide, just me. And three were total care.

It wasn't until 1/2 way through the shift I realized how bad I was jerked over.

cannoli · Jul 26, 2004

Are you kidding?

Being floated and being dumped on is the name of the game.

RN4NICU, LPN, LVN · Jul 26, 2004

In the CVICU, that's what we do.
The other day I got floated to tele. All of the other nurses had 3 patients primary care. I had SEVEN. No Aide, just me. And three were total care.
It wasn't until 1/2 way through the shift I realized how bad I was jerked over.

Kinda makes you wish you worked in a closed unit doesn't it?

HJBeans · Jul 26, 2004

Kinda makes you wish you worked in a closed unit doesn't it?

I'll tell you what though, it won't happen again. I made sure of that.

Luckily, I survived. But I am used to 2 patients, 7! I ended up with a huge blister on my foot since there I had one patinet in room 602, one in 610, one in 621 etc...

night owl · Jul 26, 2004

In the CVICU, that's what we do.
The other day I got floated to tele. All of the other nurses had 3 patients primary care. I had SEVEN. No Aide, just me. And three were total care.
It wasn't until 1/2 way through the shift I realized how bad I was jerked over.

Now that's just a nasty thing to do to someone who isn't familiar with the flow of the unit. They should be grateful that you came to HELP them out, not do the majority of the workload. I don't get it. What's wrong with some people??? I hope they were at least nice to you.

cannoli, you shouldn't have to be dumped on when being floated to give another unit a hand. Why do you suppose that is?

leslie :-D · Jul 26, 2004

dig that....if i receive a float, it's obvious they're not happy to be there. i am respectful and appreciative. why would anyone want to dump on someone? i want my unit to be known as one of the better ones!

KacyLynnRN · Jul 26, 2004

I got floated once to an ortho unit and one of the nurses had the NERVE to ask me if I was sure I had gone to nursing school, since I didn't know how to work a CPM machine...excuse me but working on med/surg you don't see any CPM machines! Most of my other floating assignments have been OK and the assignments themselves usually aren't too bad (but there have been a few exceptions) but one thing that gets on my nerves is that whenever someone floats to our floor, I take 5 minutes to show them where everything is...kitchen, linen closet, pyxis, whatever else that may need to locate during their shift. NEVER ONCE in all the many times I have been floated have I been shown that same simple respectful gesture.

hypnotic_nurse · Jul 26, 2004

At my part time job, I'm a Behavior Med floater -- I always do whatever the other nurses don't want to do. Since it's part time for me, it's really no big deal...the people who do it all the time should get a break.

Although the one time I worked with the neat freak charge nurse just prior to JAHCO (JHACO? I never can remember), I really did think it was a little much that she wanted all the surfaces dusted, even on top of the fridge -- but I did it. (I work 11-7 and we didn't have any admits that night, so there was actually time to get it done). :)