You’ve just clocked in and are noticing that your name is absent from the assignment board. Oh no! Did you come in on your day off again? Your charge nurse meets your gaze, giving you a look that’s half sheepish enthusiasm and half pity. Welp, looks like you’ve been chosen to float.

If your first reaction is anxiety, that’s ok! Especially if you’re a new nurse, floating to another floor can be nerve-wracking. Just when you get into the groove of your assigned unit, there you are, being shuttled off for unknown lands. Ask a handful of nurses and you’ll get mixed responses: while some nurses despise being assigned out, some relish the opportunity to see how the other half lives. 

The fact of the matter is that sometimes our unit’s census will be down. That leaves a a surplus of nurses (mostly, because, no one would ever dream of decreasing the staffing ratios—but that’s a blog for another day). When this coincides with the census being up on other units, it makes sense to have nurses float rather than cancelling them outright. 

So floating happens. But before you resign yourself with an attitude to just “get through” the next 12+ hours, consider the fact that you can actually come to enjoy floating, and relish it for the opportunity to grow as a nurse that it is! Below you will find some tips for those times you must float on…

Let’s define ‘float nurse’

Essentially, a float nurse is a nurse that is pulled from their regular assigned unit to work on another. Generally, this is because of a game-day decision when patient census numbers have dropped unexpectedly. Some hospitals have float nurse pools to exclusively cover these shifting daily needs, and/or to cover longer staffing absences due to maternity leave, FMLA, or vacation and PTO. 

No matter which department you work in, your role doesn’t actually change all that much. You’ll receive a patient assignment and be responsible for their care and needs, their charting, and communicating with family and care teams. Generally, charge nurses for the unit you float to will give you the most uncomplicated patient assignment possible. That being said, always remember to advocate for yourself! If you feel that you’ve been assigned a patient whose care is beyond your scope of practice or expertise, you need to be vocal about that. No matter how busy the unit or staff seems, it’s not worth putting your license on the line nor putting patients in harm’s way to accommodate staffing needs. 
In some hospitals and care settings, float nurses actually make a slight differential to compensate for their flexibility. While that’s a nice little perk if your employer offers it, try to also appreciate the floating opportunity for what it is: you may discover a whole new love for an entirely different kind of nursing than you are accustomed to. You’ll also have the opportunity to pick up new skills, and see new procedures you otherwise wouldn’t. Approaching a float shift in this way can transform some of your anxiety about the unknown into joyful anticipation—so long as you can reframe uncertainty into excitement. 

How to stay afloat

Upon arriving to the unit, there are certain things you’ll need to familiarize yourself with; if it’s your first time floating, go ahead and screen shot the following list of things you need to know to have your bases covered:

• Location of the bathroom, break room, med room, supply room, dirty utility room

• A safe spot for your stuff (and what is allowed at the nurses station)

• Who your ‘go-to’ person is for when you have questions

• Location of the EKG machine, crash cart, and code buttons

• Who will cover you for lunch and breaks and when’s the best time to go

• Where you clock-in and out

• Any keypad codes needed 

• Who your supportive staff are, and what is expected of them

Try to keep a positive attitude—it can be hard to put on a happy face when you feel uneasy or inexperienced, but most units are very welcoming to float staff. Without you, they would be taking on the extra patients themselves, so their relief is often palpable! 

Likewise, when float nurses come to your unit, return the favor. Remember that someone’s day can be dependent on a series small moments going well or poorly; little things like checking in on them, helping them with the sticky Pixys drawer, and advising them on which docs to speak assertively to and which to figuratively roll your eyes at can make or break someone’s shift. 

Above all else, try to roll with the punches, ask questions when you are unsure of anything, and know that this shift too, will pass. While everyone gets assigned to float at some point, charge nurses do have a bit of leeway with their assignment—in other words, if they didn’t think you could handle it, they wouldn’t have sent you!