Vanderbilt Nursing

Hello,
I’m Kenneth Myers, MSN, RN.  I am the manager of the Pediatric Nursing Float Pool located in Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt.

To work in the Pediatric Nursing Float Pool, our staff needs to enjoy a challenge, love the unknown, and have a desire to care for our patient population in every unit throughout the Children's Hospital.

Kenneth Myers, MSN, RN
Manager
Pediatric Nursing Float Pool
Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt

Unit Highlights:

Service to entire Children's Hospital		Pediatric (birth to18 years old)		BLS PEARS PALS	NRP ACLS
				certifications depending on Tier Level of Float RN

About Us:

A typical shift for our staff includes working with a vast array of patient populations.  One shift may be in the Newborn Nursery caring for healthy infants, while the next shift could be in our Myelosuppression Unit caring for a child who has recently undergone a Bone Marrow Transplant.  Our staff has a diversity of experience and are always willing to share their knowledge with others. 

Although the staff in the Pediatric Float Pool work throughout the hospital, they are considered full-time, benefited employees, not PRN. 

We have three separate tiers for Float Pool RN’s.

• Tier One RN’s float to all acute care, and overflow areas of the hospital. 
• Tier Two RN’s float to all acute, and critical care areas of the hospital.
• Tier Three RN’s float to all acute care areas and two additional critical care, or specialty areas.

In addition to our staff nurses, we have champ nurses, who work four hour blocks of time.  They work to assist staff with lunch break relief, transport patients, assist with procedures, etc. 

Our care partners float to all areas of the hospital and most are cross-trained as medical receptionists and can cover either job.  In addition to their regular duties our care partners maintain a competency to perform EKG’s after hours and cover this function throughout the hospital. 

Our Philosophy:

The Float Pool is comprised of experienced registered nurses and care partners with a variety of pediatric experience. We are a distinct entity within Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt in that we provide staffing support to many areas of nursing. The Float Pool possesses a unique ability to provide high quality care to our patients and families in a variety of settings. Our goal is to serve the various nursing departments in Children's Hospital in the following ways:

• Provide excellent care to all patients and families
• Provide a comprehensive skill mix ranging from acute care to critical care
• Demonstrate flexibility in patient assignments
• Supplement staffing needs