Just curious if ICU nurses are being pulled to general floors? We are trying to set up a standard to prevent this from happening, just trying to get some feedback. Thank you.
Just curious if ICU nurses are being pulled to general floors? We are trying to set up a standard to prevent this from happening, just trying to get some feedback. Thank you.
Usually when a nurse is pulled to another floor, she is given the worst assignment there. They usually have no idea what is happening and accept the assignment before knowing what they are getting into. Being cross-trained is going to become necessary as our economy worsens and the supply of nurses dwindles. I would suggest that nurses seek to cross-training before being madet to. Several of our PACU nurses work in the ED and OR. If you are in the planning stages then PLEASE plan ahead and don't thrust this on staff. Get them involved in the process. Ask them where they might want to cross-train. Offer an afternoon shadowing a nurse from that unit in order to get a feel for the specialty. Start an inservice program for nurses who want to cross-train and offer an hourly compensation to work off the regular unit. Don't be penny wise and pound foolish. You get out of something equal or better that which you invest when it is with people. [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]
Why is it a problem for ICU nurse to be pulled to general medical floors? I would see a problem if a med/surg nurse were pulled to work in the ICU. Granted, it is not an ideal situation to pull a nurse from one unit and float them to another. I guess I am just having trouble understanding the point of this particular thread.
I am an ICU nurse, and yes, we sometimes get pulled to other floors, and yes we sometimes get the worst assignments, and yes we are sometimes left in the weeds by the staff on those units... but think about it;
Are we not some of the more higher skilled nurses? Not better, mind you, just equipped with a broader skill mix? And with this broad skill mix, and expertise, are we not better able to handle the worst assignments?
Sure, I would rather stay on the unit and care for the more critically ill patients, but we are all in this thing together, and personally, I really don't mind lending a hand where it is needed... if indeed it is truly needed.
Now, if I am sent to another unit just because some staffing idiot just can't see the forrest for the trees, that's a different story all together. In any case, the other nurses will appreciate my assistance, and I am always grateful at the end of the day that it is not me in that hospital bed.
Hi all.
The problem is this: When they pull ICU nurses to the floor, they are assuming since the ICU nurses are so skilled, that they are teh jack of all trade nurses and can handle anything. The is true in the sense of one sick patient - ICU nurses are very much skilled in the situation of one or two sick patients.
Being pulled is ok when you have had the experience of 6 patients who are minimally sick. BNut when a nurse started in teh ICU out of school they are not experienced in the floors. To have 6 patients who are only minimally sick, and need 50 pills each, it is something taht they are not experienced in. That is where the problem arises. ICU nurses should stay where they are trained, and floor nurses whould stay where they are trained. At least they should try to only send ICU nurses with floor experience.
Well put, bluesky.
Well then you shouldn't mind getting on a plane and flying to another state or anther country tomorrow to take care of patients who are in need. Please, do we really have to take care of all the patients in the world to believe we are great nurses? It is the UNIT MANAGER'S job to staff her unit.........not the Critical Care Nurses. I come in for my unit ON MY DAY OFF whenever I am needed, because I do CARE. But I don't imagine myself having to take care of all the patients in the world. Now that is just impossible and silly, isn't it? Unless you have a red cape with a big yellow "S" on it. That didn't come with my scrubs.
You do not understand the role of the ICU nurse. I've worked both in General Peds and PICU. They are different worlds. Once indoctrinated into the PICU there was no going back. Everything is different. Right now I'm in peds LTC, and that's different too. I'm going back to my general peds experience, and the Dr and FNP are not liking it. I'm used to doing things on my own. You have to think quick in ICU. This was my choice, but on the whole I don't think ICU nurses should be pulled to work on M/S floors.<font face="Comic Sans MS">Text</font><font color="green">Text</font> <span style="background-color:white">Text</span>
I used to work ICU, now work ER. Back in those days, we would "pull" a floor nurse to take our STABLE pts., you know, those pts. who should have been on the tele floor, but their MD wanted them in the ICU instead. Great nurses, loved them!! We would also be pulled to the tele floor, those nurses gave us the 'easy' patients, or we would help out passing the meds, starting IV's, helping with baths, etc. After all these years in the ER, I have learned to appreciate each speciality, M/S, ICU, Peds, etc. Could I do what those nurses do? No way!! Why should a speciality nurse be floated to another unit? Would an OB/GYN accept being floated to the ICU? Would a cardiologist deliver a baby? Why should a speciality nurse?
So true...We LOAO once when our ortho guy said he heard the page..."Any MD to the OR stat". And he ran from PACU back into the OR.. They were "in the process" of a C-section and a foot dropped out of the vagina.. The OR nurse ask the ortho guy what do you think..He said "I think it's a foot"...LOLLLL
WR,,, three commas for Becca
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