I Quit!

You certainly did the right thing. If more would do this then things may actually change so that patients can actually get safe care. It just seems that management is just cutting corners way too much and more nurses will have no choice but to walk out. I, too, have been there, done that.

Do take the other posters advise regarding getting references; and, sign up for agency work until you find something else. Unemployment is an option because you were put into a position of an unsafe assignment & had no choice but to leave because of hospital policy-there is a chance that you could win under a rule called constructive termination.

Wishing you well. You will eventually find something that allows you to practice nursing the right way. It may take a while; but, it WILL happen.

My. God.

I am so proud of you!!

Don't ever let someone make you feel that you are the answer to the hospital's staffing problems. That creates false guilt and allows this under- staffing nightmare to continue.

steph

I don't think you can be charged with abandonment since you didn't clock in and take report.

I agreed to come in and work 8 hours of OT not long ago, and was given two patients, both of whom "will transfer out of ICU today." At 3PM, my 8 hours was up and neither patient had transferred because "the discharge is waiting for a ride," "the room isn't clean," "the nurse is at lunch" and finally "the nurse is too busy to take report." I told my charge I needed to be in the elevator on the way out in one hour and suggested that the nurse manager come in and pick up my patients.

The nurse manager came to pick up my patients at 5 PM. The minute she found out she was getting report on two patients waiting to transfer to the floor, she excused herself and made a quick phone call. Before I had even finished giving her report, there were two nurses from the floor standing there with wheelchairs to take the patients down! Now if it was that easy to get two beds when the NM might have to take two patients, why was it that difficult to get them out any earlier?

And this is what happens when the NM is asked to pick up an assignment! Suddenly our census dips and our staffing issues are resolved!

Could be a little sticky there. Some BONs have the nerve to charge nurses with abandoment just for showing up in the buildling, (whether they've clocked in or not, whether they've taken report or not) they've announced an intention to care for patients that day and leaving is abandonment. I'm not sure how often it's enforced, but one should look carefully at the rules of their state.

To the OP....ROCK ON DUDE! That's awesome. That took guts and sent a message that was hopefully heard and understood.

I had to do that appx. 3 months ago. It's a little different for me, but the reasons were the same. I'm a LPN and was working at a LTC facility. My unit had 32 residents (10 hoyers, 7 diabetics, 3 tubefeeders, and almost everyone was incontinent and needed total care). I was working a 2-10 shift. I had just sent a resident out for a severe hypoglycemic reaction and had one resident who fell and one resident who was having seizure after seizure. I actually had one of the only alert residents monitor the seizure resident and yell for me when he had one so I could see how long they lasted. He hardly ever major ones and had been sent out numerous times, so that wasn't really an option. I had already given him Ativan. We are supposed to call the Administrator everytime someone is sent to the hospital. It was a Sunday night around like 7pm when I called her to tell her that I had sent a resident out and that I was unable to get a hold of the family, but did leave messages as to where he was and what was going on. She proceeded to tell me that I needed to sit there until I got a hold of a real person. I then told her exactly what I thought of her, what exactly was going on on my unit, and what I thought of the facility and that at the end of my shift or when my work was finished, "I QUIT". I'd never done anything like that before. My last job I held for 16 years. But I figured I love being a nurse and if I lose my license I can't help anyone, so I had to quit. I don't know why some places seem to think that the word nurse means superhuman. I'm not and I'm glad I left that place. Be proud of what you did and honesty is a good policy, even at a future interview. I interviewed with another facility and due to my old facilities reputation, they knew exactly what I was talking about and I got the job. Actually, one of the people who interviewed me was a DON at my old facility for 4 months and never showed up on her next scheduled day, so she knew exactly what I was talking about. Good luck in your search for a new job in a facility that atlease makes an effort to appropriately staff. Sorry so long....I not only type a lot, I talk a lot.....

Tons and I mean tons of nursing jobs are out there. I don't think you will have a problem finding employment. Best wishes!

sorry to hear this, but just to say there is life after nursing. I changed my career from nursing into psychology and love it. Better pay and conditions, but most of all I am so much happier. Now I am a firm beleiver in looking after myself, and its really worth trying out new things, because you never know how life can turn out. Hope it does for you and good luck.

Good for you!!, that staffing should be reported to the state. You do should not feel one ounce of regret or guilt for refusing to work under those conditions. The truth is, the shift went on without you, and will continue.
When I was a young nurse I use to think it was soooo important to my patients and the unit that I be there, sick, whatever I was disillusioned to think I was such a valuable/indispensible member of the unit.
The truth of the matter is, if you dropped dead, they would barely kick you to the side (maybe so they wouldn't trip on you), they (management) would probably just step over my dead body and keep going.
Here's the deal...
The shift will go on, the unit will go on, the patient's will get taken care of, just without one doormat there--- you. Good luck, G-d speed, Grumpy