When you start traveling as a nurse, you could be asked to float to another unit. Don’t panic! Although this might not be something you want to do, it could happen. This blog will address what you can expect and all the dos and don’ts of floating while on an assignment.

Who can float and how does it work?

First, you should never be asked to float to an area outside your scope of practice. For example, if you are an Oncology nurse, you won’t be asked to float to PACU. Or if you’re a MedSurg nurse, you won’t be asked to float to Stepdown or the ICU.

However, there are some specialties that are asked to float more than others. Nurses in the ICU, MedSurg, and CVOR circulators are generally asked the most to float. ICU nurses are often floated to Stepdown or MedSurg. MedSurg nurses are often floated to other MedSurg floors or to ED holds. And CVOR circulators are often floated to general surgery cases if there are not enough CV cases for the day.

Sometimes, nurses have experience in more than one specialty. For example, if you have experience in PCU/stepdown and MedSurg/Tele, and take a MedSurg/Tele assignment, you should not be asked to float up to the Stepdown unit.

When you sign a contract for an assignment, you begin the credentialing process for a specific unit. You do a skills checklist and take tests specific to that specialty. Although you may have experience in a higher-acuity specialty, you should not work in a higher unit since you have not been credentialed for that unit on this assignment.

Although you may not want to float, it is not something you can write out of a contract. As long as you are being asked to float within your scope of practice, it is something you might be required to do. You also might find that some assignments never float you while other assignments float you every other shift. To get an idea of the floating requirements, we recommend you ask the hiring manager about this in a phone interview.

Communicate with your recruiter

If you are asked to float, please inform your recruiter. It’s important that your recruiter knows what unit you are working to ensure you are in compliance with the hospital, the agency and the vendor. This is especially critical for agencies that at JCAHO certified, like Travel Nurses, Inc.

You’re there to fill needs

Remember that as a traveler, you are there to fill needs for the hospital. If a hospital needs you on a unit you were not contracted for, as long as it is within your scope of practice, you can be floated. Keep in mind that some hospitals will float travelers to avoid sending them home for low census. For hospitals without guaranteed hours, this could be their way of making sure you get your hours for the week.

For more information about traveling and assignments, contact us at thisisfun@travelnursesinc.com.