You're an experienced nurse. You enjoy your job but are tired of the same repetitive work. The bottom line is that you're looking for a change of pace and more varied work assignments.
Did you know that float pool nursing gives you those possibilities?
But what is a float pool nurse? More importantly, should you become one? Keep reading to discover the answers to these questions and more about this type of registered nursing job.
What Is a Float Pool Nurse?
Float pool nurses move from one section of the healthcare facility to another, working in different areas on the same shift. Float pool nursing is a method healthcare facilities employ to cover the lack of nurses they might have.
Therefore, many people will use sayings in the healthcare industry such as, "We had to float Nurse Nancy to the ICU floor," or "Can a manager send a float nurse to our Medsurg unit to help with a few admissions?"
What Does Float Pool Mean?
Float pool is a term that healthcare professionals used for the past 40 years or so to refer to a nurse that a manager hires specifically to cover different areas within that facility. A floating nurse is typical in facilities with high levels of nursing shortages coupled with various types of units, usually acute care settings.
PRN (pro re nata) nurses can often pick up PRN jobs with Nursa for float pool shifts.
Roles and Responsibilities
The responsibilities of float pool nurses are the same as those of an RN (registered nurse). To clarify, some typical duties of a float pool nurse may include:
- Administering medications to patients and monitoring them
- Educating patients and their families on their treatment plans
- Performing basic (or advanced) life support
- Supervising other nursing professionals, such as nursing assistants and licensed practical nurses
- Preparing patients for clinical procedures or surgery
- Performing physical assessments and assisting patients with their daily living activities
As a float pool nurse, you may work at a hospital in different sections and units, or you may work in other healthcare facilities.
What's the Average Salary for a Float Pool Nurse?
The average salary for a float pool nurse ranges from $80,000 to $98,000 yearly, superior to the average RN annual income of $61,250 to $129,400. A float pool nurse often earns an annual wage higher than the average for a registered nurse. Of course, pay varies according to several factors, such as geographic location, type of facility, and whether, as a nurse, you choose to pick up PRN shifts, which tend to offer higher hourly pay.
As a float pool nurse, you need to have a high level of proficiency in most areas of patient care. Moving from one location to another requires assessing new situations quickly and providing care for various patients and conditions.
What Is it Like to Be a Float Pool Nurse?
Here is a list of benefits and challenges to help you decide if being a float pool nurse is right for you:
Benefits
- Higher earnings potential: You can expect to earn more as a float pool nurse than the average RN.
- You might always be interested: There is plenty of variety in your assignments, and you will likely change units and settings quite often.
- Embrace change: This factor might be negative for some nurses, but it is advantageous for float pool nurses who enjoy the change-up. You might have a different routine every day.
- Gain more experience: You will gain more experience, making you more capable in your practice.
- Less burnout: If you feel quickly bored with the same routine, you will be happy to know that the chances of burnout are less as a float pool nurse.
Challenges
- Too much change: You will not enjoy pool nursing if you enjoy being a single specialty nurse.
- Added stress: Often, pool nursing can be stressful if the facility manages it poorly.
- Less control: You might desire more control over your assignments or the units you float to, which can be a negative factor for some nurses.
Knowing if float pool nursing is for you depends immensely on your personality and needs. Remember that most of these challenges are lessened with PRN jobs, as you can control your shifts and still be a float pool nurse. Therefore, if you go to a certain facility and don’t like how they work their float nurses, you can decide not to pick up a job there again.
How to Become a Float Pool Nurse?
To become a float pool nurse, you need to be a registered nurse, so you must first obtain your RN license and work a few years to gain the necessary experience.
Education Requirements
To begin with, you need to become a registered nurse through an ADN (associate degree in nursing), which usually takes two years, or a BSN (bachelor's of science in nursing), which generally takes four years of study.
Once you have obtained your degree, you must pass the NCLEX-RN (national certification licensing examination for registered nurses). Then, you will obtain your state license, allowing you to start working as an RN and acquire the necessary experience to apply for float pool nursing jobs.
Required Certifications
Having certifications or specializations besides being an RN is not always required for float pool nursing. However, some certifications help you land the job. In any case, these certifications will be advantageous when moving from one unit to another - or even being an RN who doesn't pool:
- Basic Life Support (BLS)
- Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS)
- Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS)
- Neonatal resuscitation program (NRP)
Therefore, general certifications are helpful for an RN in any area and are sought-after when looking for pool nursing jobs.
What Experience is Needed to Become a Float Pool Nurse?
Generally, a float pool nurse needs considerable experience in different areas of nursing. Often, nurses who work in high-acuity settings as their primary specialty, such as intensive care unit (ICU) nurses, are good candidates for becoming float pool nurses as they can care for patients of various acuity levels.
However, there are entry-level openings for float pool nursing that may expect you to have less work experience and may accept you if you have had preceptorships (a nurse preceptor is another nurse who has guided you before graduating). Therefore, it is possible to pick a float pool job if you've recently graduated, but having experience certainly helps. Furthermore, remember that to pick up PRN jobs as a float pool nurse, you must be trained in this area and have worked in other float pool positions before picking up per diem shifts.
Alternatives to Being a Float Pool Nurse
Float Pool RNs Vs. Other Nursing Types
As mentioned above, other nursing types have some similarities to float pool nursing. Some of these alternatives with flexible scheduling and variety include:
- Travel nursing: A travel nurse picks up jobs away from their hometown. They tend to have scheduled shifts but accept them in advance, so these jobs are flexible.
- Telehealth nursing: Telehealth nurses tend to their patients remotely. They offer nursing services using technology tools. Their schedule varies, and they might work from home.
- PRN nursing jobs: PRN nursing jobs offer flexibility regarding scheduling. Nurses can pick their schedules, reject work, and earn higher hourly wages when working PRN shifts. Floatpool nurses might work PRN shifts to pick up higher-paying jobs.
If you would like to learn more about PRN jobs, remember to check out our articles on the advantages of PRN nursing here.
Gain the Experience You Need to Become a Float Pool Nurse
The answer to gaining more experience is through PRN jobs. Yes! With PRN jobs, you can choose which shifts to work and obtain as much variety and experience as possible. That way, you might have the skills needed to be a float pool nurse, depending on the areas in which you specialize. With Nursa, you can pick up PRN jobs in different areas and units at your convenience while selecting your desired schedule.
