The Fine art (and frustrations) of floating
Anybody who works in healthcare knows that at least once in your career you will have to float. Floating simply means being put outside of the unit or area you work in and have to work somewhere else due to a high census, high acuity or whatever. I was given this disclaimer when I started my job; I was ok with this. Now? I'm still ok with it...to a point.
When I have to float to another unit, I have it in the back of my mind that I'm going to actually be doing...well, my job. Just somewhere else. Well, the last few times I've floated to another unit (and it's been the older folks unit lately; extremely high census) I haven't been doing my nurse job; I've been doing other work. Please don't misunderstand me; I'm not saying I'm too good to do anything other than a nursing job, but it's frustrating. I hear from the top "we don't like to have nurses work as techs on the floor." And then the obvious question pops in my head. It would never be asked of a tech to do a nurse's job, so my question is why is it the opposite? Ok, I'm done. I honestly would rather miss a day of work and not even get paid then go into work and be exhausted, worn out, frustrated and miserable. I would rather miss a day of pay then go into a place where I might possibly hurt myself because I'm put in unsafe situations, along with other staff members who are having to be floated over there as well. And after last night, in which I almost had poo flung on me, got grabbed and whacked with a pack of wipes, and lots of bending, moving, lifting and sprinting. Needless to say I'm pretty sore today.
Now, there are times I don't mind floating. I've had several (and very many) positive floating experiences, primarily when working on the chemical dependency unit. Learning where these individuals come from, what they've gone through, gotten rid of, left behind and more is humbling, sad, and scary to listen to. But when you start a job, you call it your "home." It's where you feel most comfortable. You know everyone, you know where everything is, the daily grind of what goes on, and generally how to deal with what may come your way. I understand that in some instances there really is no way around it, but still. It's just hard sometimes. All I do is pray; hour by hour, minute by minute and continue to ask God to use me, even in a way where I certainly don't feel like I'm doing anything meaningful. That's why I like working where I do, on my unit, because even on a slow day I feel like I'm there for a reason. To serve a purpose. Yet I still go in and do what I do with a smile on my face, because even in the midst of the exhausting and tiring work, I have to remind myself that I have a job that was given to me by God. It's a job that I love and it's a place that He called me to go. It's just that patient safety is ingrained in our heads. But what about staff safety too?
When I have to float to another unit, I have it in the back of my mind that I'm going to actually be doing...well, my job. Just somewhere else. Well, the last few times I've floated to another unit (and it's been the older folks unit lately; extremely high census) I haven't been doing my nurse job; I've been doing other work. Please don't misunderstand me; I'm not saying I'm too good to do anything other than a nursing job, but it's frustrating. I hear from the top "we don't like to have nurses work as techs on the floor." And then the obvious question pops in my head. It would never be asked of a tech to do a nurse's job, so my question is why is it the opposite? Ok, I'm done. I honestly would rather miss a day of work and not even get paid then go into work and be exhausted, worn out, frustrated and miserable. I would rather miss a day of pay then go into a place where I might possibly hurt myself because I'm put in unsafe situations, along with other staff members who are having to be floated over there as well. And after last night, in which I almost had poo flung on me, got grabbed and whacked with a pack of wipes, and lots of bending, moving, lifting and sprinting. Needless to say I'm pretty sore today.
Now, there are times I don't mind floating. I've had several (and very many) positive floating experiences, primarily when working on the chemical dependency unit. Learning where these individuals come from, what they've gone through, gotten rid of, left behind and more is humbling, sad, and scary to listen to. But when you start a job, you call it your "home." It's where you feel most comfortable. You know everyone, you know where everything is, the daily grind of what goes on, and generally how to deal with what may come your way. I understand that in some instances there really is no way around it, but still. It's just hard sometimes. All I do is pray; hour by hour, minute by minute and continue to ask God to use me, even in a way where I certainly don't feel like I'm doing anything meaningful. That's why I like working where I do, on my unit, because even on a slow day I feel like I'm there for a reason. To serve a purpose. Yet I still go in and do what I do with a smile on my face, because even in the midst of the exhausting and tiring work, I have to remind myself that I have a job that was given to me by God. It's a job that I love and it's a place that He called me to go. It's just that patient safety is ingrained in our heads. But what about staff safety too?
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