Did you ever get turned in for neglect after being given too many patients?

Nurses General Nursing

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Specializes in retired from healthcare.

I typed in "abuse and neglect" once on Google and found a news report stating that a nurse was in trouble because on her shift, "the meds were not given."

I could see through it right away before I even heard what the lawyer said about his client.

The nurse had about 50 patients or more. I have known some charge nurses who work on more than one floor each shift because they are understaffed. In some cases they seem to think nothing of it.

I was wondering how many times people have been written up or got in trouble with the state board because of having too many patients and not being able to take care of them all .

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Specializes in LTC, assisted living, med-surg, psych.

A word to the wise: it's never a good idea for a nurse to disclose such information, even on a relatively anonymous forum such as Allnurses. It's all too easy to be identified online---a few clicks is all it takes to find out your name, where you work, even the status of your license. In fact, I wouldn't recommend anyone share such private matters with strangers on an online message board....there are just too many potential repercussions to make it worth the risk, IMO.

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Specializes in Peds Medical Floor.

I don't think the OP was talking about themselves....

No I haven't heard of anyone getting in trouble for it. I wish the state surveyors would have to try to do the med pass/tx's the way they expect us to!

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Specializes in Critical Care, Education.

This is exactly why my state (and man others) have "safe harbor" regulations that provide a nurse with immunity from prosecution due to situations that arise from unsafe conditions that the nurse reported prior ​to assuming the assignment. My heart goes out to anyone caught in this type of situation.

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and this is the very reason why nurses have a right to refuse dangerous assignments.

leslie

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Specializes in Certified Med/Surg tele, and other stuff.

I wouldn't think the charge nurse would be held liable for what another nurse does. They work under their own license.

But I have never heard of anyone losing their license over unsafe assignements. Probably because the nurse misses her lunch and breaks to keep it as safe as possible!

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I have seen a nurse refuse to take an assignment for having too many patients. (In retrospect, what he refused for is laughable in some states. Now that I have been traveling to places like Florida, I realize how spoiled we were at that facility. Anyway...)

That nurse got in trouble and got sent home for the day.

During that time I was in a nurse residency program and in one of our sessions I asked my nurse educator about this and she said that in our state, you were not supposed to refuse an assignment because it is unsafe because you shouldn't leave the patients. But, that you are supposed to submit in writing that this is unsafe and why, and give the documentation to your manager, and the nursing administrator. This supposedly covers you. I don't know, really. You have to check out your state's regulations regarding the issue. But that's my experience.

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