Am I Required to Float to Covid Designated Areas?

All healthcare professionals may be required to float to alternative areas based on the operational requirements of the facility they are working in, regardless of who their employer is. The reason for this is that each facility needs to be able to manage their resources based on their current circumstances to provide the most appropriate patient care. This may include deploying professionals to where they are needed most. Solutions Staffing employees are not exempt from floating, this is inclusive of floating to designated areas for Covid positive patients.

Although you have a contract to work in a specific area or unit, you may be required to float to alternative areas based on the needs of the facility as outlined in the facility policies and procedures and outlined by Solutions Staffing policies and procedures. This is to ensure the highest safety and standards of care to the public. For this reason, Solutions Staffing has included this as part of your contract, noted on Page 2 of the Contract “This information reflects the primary unit of your contract although you may be required to float to alternative areas within your competency level, based on the operational requirements of the facility.”

Floating to unfamiliar areas is a challenging part of working in healthcare.

If you are requested to float to an area you are unfamiliar with:

1. Communicate any challenges you may have in working in this alternative area
2. Request orientation time if you have not been to the unit before
3. If you are asked to float to an area that you feel you do not have the competencies to safely provide care in, state your competencies clearly and negotiate tasks and duties that you do have the competencies to perform with your immediate supervision.
   1. Example: “I do not have the experience to be doing XX however, I would be happy to do these YY tasks
   2. Communicate your competencies in a clear, respectful tone
   3. Take a collaborative approach to assisting in areas that you would be helpful that are within your competencies
4. If you need assistance navigating your ability to maintain safe standards of care in a specific situation, request assistance from your immediate supervisor or call your after hours clinical support

During the current pandemic environment in healthcare, staffing shortages are increasing every day. Every healthcare facility is working with limited resources addition and new stressors that are changing every day. This is a challenging time to be working in healthcare, for everyone and it has never been more important to be collaborative and respectful in the way you work.

Solutions Staffing acknowledges that it is an unprecedented time in health care, and we are grateful for the important role nurses play during this time across the system. We know you are being asked to do more than ever before and expected to work in different ways. You have shown great compassion and dedication to your clients and their families every day. We understand that you are stressed and concerned about being able to maintain standards of nursing practice.

It’s important to remember that even in situations where you cannot provide optimal client care due to circumstances beyond your control (such as working with limited resources, increased workload or working in an unfamiliar area), we want to assure you that the standard of care is always considered in context. The standard of care can evolve with the dynamic nature of the pandemic and other circumstances that we are faced with, including that resources may become scarce or absent.

Nurses are responsible for providing the best care possible under the circumstances, setting priorities, using critical thinking and professional judgment, communicating with their employer and participating in efforts to improve client care. During this uncertain time remember that you are expected to follow the organizational policies and procedures and seek out any relevant resources they may have available.