I Quit!

Re: I Quit!

Inquiries have been received by the Board regarding which actions by a nurse constitute patient abandonment and thus may lead to discipline against a nurse’s license.
For patient abandonment to occur, the nurse must have:
• Accepted the patient assignment, thus establishing a nurse-patient relationship.
• Severed that nurse-patient relationship without giving reasonable notice to the appropriate person (e.g., supervisor, patient) so that arrangements could be made for continuation of nursing care by others.
Once the nurse has accepted responsibility for the nursing care of a patient, severing the nurse-patient relationship without giving reasonable notice to the appropriate person may lead to discipline for unprofessional conduct pursuant to ASBN rules Chapter 7, Section XV.A.6.i

Refusal to accept an assignment is not considered patient abandonment nor is refusal to work additional hours or shifts. It should be noted that the Board has no jurisdiction over employment and contract issues. While nurses who may refuse certain assignments may not be violating the Nurse Practice Act, While nurses who refuse to accept certain patient assignments may not be violating the Nurse Practice Act, the nurse must be willing to accept the consequences of such a decision on the employer/employee relationship.