I Quit!

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

I know I'm just repeating from above, but kudos to you for this! And thank you so much for posting this! As a new nurse it is nice to hear that you had the guts to stand up for what was right in that situation (because we definitely are not taught that what you did is ok in nursing school). While I don't see anything like that happening on the floor I am on now, I fear that it may happen to me someday, and now I will have this story to think back and hopefully give me the courage to do the same if it is necessary. Thank you again for sharing!

Good for you for standing up for yourself. I once refused an assignment, though it was nowhere near as bad as the assignment you've written about. I'm kinda embarressed to admit it, but I refused an 8 patient asssignment on a post surgical care floor. This was a busy unit with nearly all fresh post-ops, lots of surgical drains to keep track of, several PCA's, and nearly all of the patients required at least moderate assist and needed to be ambulated. This situation still pales in comparisson to you're situation, but I did refuse to take 8 patients by myself and miraculously, before I could gather my things to leave, they found another nurse. This actually worked in their favor because we ended up getting three admits that shift, which was fine with me since we had the staffing to handle it.

I quit my job yesterday. They were going to try and staff my acute med/surg floor with me (1 rn), 1 lpn and 2 aids for 28. I told the floor no thank you, I quit, and I left the building. (I had not clocked in or took report). For several months 2 nurses (R/L or R/R) has been becoming the normal staffing pattern for my floor regardless of the number or acuity of the patients.( I believe the increase of code blues, rapid responses, and overall failure to rescue rate would speak to the complications the patients are experiencing from this).

I've worked at this hospital for 5 years, almost 2 as an RN. I'm kind of disappointed it ended this way, but at the same time I feel so much relief from not having to go back. I had been feeling burned out for the last several months and was dreading going in anyways (I had started thinking about calling in but than realized it was too late to call in and I would have received insuffecient notice from my hospital). I have been trying to transfer off this floor for a couple of months now and was told no one could leave my floor because we are so short staffed. I didn't even confirm the staffing for the floor that day until after I left the hospital and was calling Nursing Staffing office from my cell phone to inform them I was refusing to clock in or accept responsibility for that many patients. I have learned if things ever start to get this bad where ever I work in the future, I'm going to turn in a 2 week notice pronto so it doesn't come down to this.

Any support, advice, or critics?

You were really smart to not clock in. I always clock in at the start of shift, prior to receiving an assignment.

Well, if it's one thing I learned from this thread, it's not to clock in right when I enter the hosptial like I would normally do.