Is leaving before hurricane abandonment?

Nurses General Nursing

Updated:   Published

Hello all, so I am located at the very end of south Florida near the keys! My question is simply this, I'm supposed to work weekend during this hurricane which some are saying could be deadly. I have a small child and his safety is my priority. I want to evacuate but my job is saying that they could report me for abandonment. I really don't understand how because if I leave from my house, how have I abandoned their residents?? I am an LPN btw

kbrn2002 said:
The fact is you don't have a solid plan in place. At this point being a parent comes way before being an employee. Get your child to safety and if you get fired for that so be it, you can replace your job but you can't replace your kid.

But have a plan for the next time!

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Specializes in Critical Care, Med-Surg, Psych, Geri, LTC, Tele,.
greenerpastures said:
Check with your facility. Ours has a policy that if one parent is "law enforcement" and the other is hospital personnel, you can be considered exempt because there isn't anyone to care for your children.

That's beautiful. On a more serious note, I have great empathy for the OP. I'm a single parent RN. I do have an ex husband I could rely on if need be. If not him, I call his parents in a heart beat, if an urgent need for child care arises. It has once or twice when I needed to be at work or school. (My ex and his parents are *not* my favorite people to call in an emergency, BTW) My other back up child care is my best friend.

I suppose I'm saying that all parents, single or otherwise, must have back up to back up child care available.

This is not to say that I don't understand the dilemma the OP is facing.

I hope all works out well for you.

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Hope this helps, in the nursing policy statement the ANA states:

Duties under extreme conditions

Healthcare professionals provide care under extreme conditions, thereby weighing their obligation to provide care with their own health and that of their families during emergencies.

Take care of your family first.

God bless.

praying for all of you

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Specializes in Psychiatry, Community, Nurse Manager, hospice.
MunoRN said:
Some states do actually have laws that require nurses to report to work in a declared disaster or prior to an predicted event or risk losing their license. It depends on your role, and there is usually some sort of requirement that you be notified of this in a certain time frame, but yes, depending on the state you could lose your license.

I'd like to know how many people have lost their licenses for failing to report to work during a disaster. My guess is that number is somewhere between 0 and 0.

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If you are a HEALTH CARE worker then you know the dangers going in. Do what you want but you are not very good at your job if you want to flee when there could be danger. We are there to help those in need, imo, you are selfish and need not be in health care if your first instinct isnt to stay. get your family out or bring them to the hospital with you. People like OP are in it for the money, plain and simple. If you truly care about what you do as an RN, Dr. etc. then you wouldnt be TRYING to run. you would be trying to stay. I say all this as someone that sent my wife north a few days ago and without hesitation stayed to work through the storm here in Florida. if the medical field in the worst of times isnt for you, then you need to find another career.

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I do agree with the others, you really should have planned better! Your son should already be with family outside the path of Irma! And I understand that you and many people were probably hoping that Irma would miss the mainland as many have before, but as we all found out this week, that is not going to happen!!! That is part of being a responsible adult and parent! Hell it is part of being a somewhat smart human being!!!

But I get it, sh*t happens, things get in the way, life gets carried away! The safety of your family is ultimately number one in the grand scheme of things!

So here are my suggestions and thoughts.... take them however you want.... sorry if I repeat other comments, I thought I read them all!

So here goes;

Are you part of a union??? If you are, speak to them.... there has to be policies in place to help you!??

I mean if your home is in an unsafe place and you are actually being evacuated, there must be stipulations where you are safe if you leave and not go to work!?

And if you are on evacuation, whether it is an alert or order, is your place of employment not in the same area? They should have been evacuated long before now?! I live in BC Canada and we are currently on fire, a good chunk of our province has already burned down or is in the process of burning. In my health authority as soon as a place was on alert they evacuated all the patients and residents to the closest (and safest) city until the orders and alerts are lifted! We have some patients in my hospital who have been evacuated for weeks!! All staff were not expected to be at work if their home or family were in imminent danger! We had plenty of other staff members who stepped up, whether paid or not to help! Is your area not the same!?

If this is not the case then:

I would sit down with my husband and figure out which job is the one that you cannot live without at this time. Which has not only better pay. But benefits, seniority, vacation & sick times, advancement ability, pensionable years built up, a pension, etc! There is more to a job then just money! Then from there the person who you decide has the job that is critical to your home life stays and the other takes the child to safety!

Now on another angle, do you not have someone who could swap You and allow you the extra time to take your child to safety? Does your husband? Could you not speak to a manager, make sure baseline has been filled and shown up for the shift, then leave and take your son? If it has not been met then you stay until baseline is met? Could your husband not ask the the!? I know hour husband probably shouldn't take your child to his work, but, could you not just bring your son to work? Have him stay in the staff room with things to keep him occupied so at least he is close if things go bad in your works area? Then when you had the adequate time off you could take him to safety!?

When you and your husband work, who takes care of your son? Daycare? Nanny? Could they not take him with them until it is safe? Being that it is a crisis and you both are essential services, wouldn't the person you trust to watch your child be a good option?

Your family in Atlanta, could they not come to You and pick up your son!? Could they not meet you half way to cut down on the time needed to take him out of the danger zone!? Is there really no one!?

Then if all options are exhausted call in sick..... I mean they technically cannot fire you for being sick!?? I know in my job they cannot, no matter how much they want to.... even if you're caught off on sick time, but out having fun! They have to go through the proper procedures before they can, and you would need warnings, verbal and written. They would need proof you're a bad employee!! And you could always gwt your family doctor or a walk in clinic doctor to write you a sick not! So I mean that is an option! And due to privacy laws, they are not even allowed to ask you why you were sick or anything .... so they don't need to know it was to take your child to family !

Ultimately, I do believe unless you signed a contract stating, and it would have to be pretty darn specific, you HAVE to be there.... they cannot really fire you for being sick!

Good luck and be safe!!!

xoxo

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It amazes me how unprepared people are in general. I live in an earthquake zone so the best I can prepare for is to make sure my family has food, water, and defense. But given how cheap the building I work in is it's likely that it'll be gone when I show up for work.

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Specializes in NICU, Trauma, Oncology.

Our hospital policy only exempts per diems if they are on storm duty at another facility, if you have a child under 2, are primary caregiver for children or elderly, etc.

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Emjay274 said:
If you're under a mandatory evacuation order, how can they fault you? The hospital in the Keys is air-transporting patients to another state, by cargo plane, so I'm sure this is resolved by now.

However, your son is not required to work, and you are legally required to protect him by following state and federal orders. Failing to follow an evac order seems to mean you'd be prioritizing them over him. That just isn't an option for me.

I would go, and if I had to find another job, I'd say I was in an evac zone and my son was unsafe if I worked because he needed to be evacuated.

And the hospital should evacuate too so we don't find the patients in the news waist deep in water.

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Specializes in Transition nursing and couplet care.

They most certainly can let you go. We just went through this in Houston and we had to work - either during the storm or after. We were locked in for 96 hours. Everyone is expected to work.

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Specializes in Transition nursing and couplet care.

Exactly. None of us wanted to be at the hospital for 96 hours during Harvey and most were not scheduled to work, but sometimes we have to change our plans.

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I thought southern Florida hospitals moved their patients to other hospitals.....unless this isn't a hospital. Screw them.....your child's safety is more important to you...but I'd quit before getting fired. As far as it being the employees responsibility to show up and do their job.....that was an ignorant thing to say because this isn't a normal circumstance. People going to their job in this can get killed. What kind of job would she do and safely at that, if she is always worried about her child. It sounds like you don't have local family like many others don't have. Remember, get it straight.....your family is first, regardless of your job.

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