Your hospital's rule for PRN/Pool nurses

[Anaclaire]

I was wondering about prn, per deim, and pool nurses and where they are required to work in their hospital.

I've heard of nurses who only work in ONE DEPARTMENT. For instance, they are only called to work when they are needed on the Outpatient Surgery unit, or the Orthopedic floor, etc.

I've heard of some who must agree to work WITHIN A DIVISION. For instance, their hospital's Maternal Child Division which would include L&D, Well Baby Nursery, Post-Partum, Ante-Partum, Women's Med/Surg, Pediatrics and NICU, and they don't have a choice in where they will be assigned.

I've also heard of some who must be willing to work in ANY AREA OF THE HOSPITAL but this seems to be in the smaller hospitals.

If you choose OTHER, please tell us how it works for your facility.

By the way, if you are a nurse doing this type of work, what are the things you do and don't enjoy about your experience.

Thanks!

:)

[misti_z]

At my hospital there are floor specific pool nurses. They are on the schedule at their certain floor just like a staff nurse. They usually pick up on other floors too, they are also the first to be called of it the need be. The other pool nurses are divided into working ICUs and floor. The floor pool nurses do work anywhere from Mother/Baby to Med/surg.

[teeituptom, BSN, RN]

Howdy yall

from deep in the heat of texas

Actuslly I dont know. We do have some ER specific ones though. And everybody knows you dont put ER nurses on the floor. Thats dangerous,

doo wah ditty

[pebbles, BSN, RN]

I put "other"...

Many units have nurses on staff classified as "casual"... ie they have no regularly scheduled hours, but are called in as needed or may pick up shifts that we are short staffed for in advance.

The "float pool" is generally hospital wide although nurses may refuse to float to "critical care areas" (ICU's, PACU or ER) if they do not feel comfortable in those areas. There are medical and surgical float pools although they often end up cross-covering.

Separate from that is the "Critical Care Float Pool" - nurses who are hired into the critical care areas and have taken the advanced care ICU-nursing or ER -nursing courses... they can be floated to any critical care area in the hospital as needed, regardless of where they were "hired" - this is because that is where the staffing needs are hardest to meet, so they have to be a bit more flexible to accomodate each critical care unit.

Anyway, they call ALL of us at home regularly to see if we will come in overtime for a shift on our home ward OR on any other ward.... I guess a nurse is a nurse, eh?... I just don't answer the phone!

[doobiedo, RN]

The facility I recently left said one thing and did another. I work fulltime in pharmaceutical but wanted to pick up extra $$. I am critical care experienced and will do Med Surg gladly however do not put me in nursery! Never took care of anyone under 16 yrs of age, not comfortable with given medications in peds pts...it is a different ball game. But I was placed in nursery once...survived however not comfortable with it. Also left because they changed the rules and would mandate pool nurses for mandatory overtime. Had enough of that working full time and part time...not going to do that again....course they said things have changed....not so much mandatory OT.....talk to the staff and you get a whole different story!

[LaurieCRNP2002, MSN, RN, APRN]

I also put "Other". At my facility, each floor has it's own per diem staff but as per diems, we are the first to get pulled (not just to other tele floors but Med/Surg also ) We're supposed to work two weekend shifts a month and although I haven't fulfilled that requirement in quite a while, I'm still on the payroll. And they haven't been bugging me to work recently. Go figure

Laurie

[tiger]

at my place the perdium are scheduled on our unit but would be the first called off or offered to float if another unit needs the help. they are now starting to force perdium and full time to float. perdium first of course.