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

Julius Seizure said:
I agree. I didn't sign up to be an RN to martyr myself, and I don't think that I am obligated to put my job above my personal life.

I guess I was asking it more in an abstract/hypothetical (?) way. As in, there is no perfect solution, so then what SHOULD we/Florida/the community do?

This may be utterly naieve, I admit, but I wonder if there would be any chance of success in attacking this from the angle of first asking for volunteers. It seems like there are numerous people who, for our own various reasons, end up being eager to help. Some want extra money, some thrive on the feeling of altruism, some just want to experience it, some enjoy opportunities to be leaders and team players and would see it from that standpoint, still others just feel a moral/ethical obligation to use their time and skills in this way. I feel as if extra wages/OT/"hazard pay" would sweeten this deal even more for those who were already thinking about volunteering. Now you have a team of people who is at peace with the idea of being locked away in these conditions and who feels they are being fairly compensated. It seems to me like folks with this mindset will be the ones who perform best in difficult circumstances, anyway. They have no grudge; they are joyfully/willingly there to help...

Second thought - is there any reason not to pre-plan for volunteers from other areas/out-of-state? If a huge disaster is expected, then a massive-disaster-sized plan should be formulated. Why wait until it's a confirmed disaster before instituting a process to issue temporary licenses for help and getting additional workers on the scene, for example? I'm no disaster planner and am not critiquing what has or hasn't been done. Just thinking...

1 Votes
Specializes in Urgent Care, Oncology.

I saw on the news that they relocated a bunch of prisoners last night, about 500 of them. I wonder if that is where the OP's husband worked. Sure hope they evacuated her place of business as well!

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Julius Seizure said:
Unfortunately, people are finding that flights are either canceled or costs thousands of dollars. I read somewhere that some tourists who are trying to get home are stuck at the airport and unable to get flights and don't know where else to go. Can't confirm, but I believe it.

Yes, obviously flying to Atlanta now is not an option -- but, again, with just a little, reasonable, advance planning ...

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CNAbutLPN2be2017, CNA, LPN

Report this employer to both the State Board of Health (or equivalent), the State or County office of Emergency Planning and the State Board of Nursing. The first two because lack of/poor planning for the safe evacuation of patients the other for unreasonable, possibly illegal, threats.

As a shift supervisor, I sent coworkers home rather than have them make bad decisions because of family issues. Like most people, nurses take positions to support their families not replace them.

Having staff quit short can be a real pain. As a DNS, it really annoyed me, but I had to deal with it even if it meant my picking up their shifts until adjustments could be made.

elkpark

I would do my best not to have such an unfeeling professional” as a coworker”. Nurses are people, too not just a cog in the machine. Have you faced a similar situation?

1 Votes
Specializes in All areas of Critical Care, ED, PACU, Pre-Op, BH,.
Kyrshamarks said:
Show me a list of those states. The government CANNOT compell a person no matter what thier job is as a civilian to put their life or property in danger.

Every single hospital has a Disaster List. I don't know if this is what they are thinking of. Florida is a pretty Employee centered state. Right to Work States like Florida and Arizona are pretty backwards.

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Specializes in All areas of Critical Care, ED, PACU, Pre-Op, BH,.
suzil said:
Every single hospital has a Disaster List. I don't know if this is what they are thinking of. Florida is a pretty Employee centered state. Right to Work States like Florida and Arizona are pretty backwards.

I meant to say EMPLOYER centered state, with their Right to Work laws!

1 Votes
Specializes in All areas of Critical Care, ED, PACU, Pre-Op, BH,.
NotAllWhoWandeRN said:
Some careers involve an inherent risk to life and limb, and so asking those people to risk life and limb is not a big change. Nursing is not one of those professions. I can certainly understand the thought that hurricanes are part of life in Florida and SOMEBODY needs to help keep patients safe during disasters, but I don't believe being an RN (or LPN) inherently obligates one to place patients' safety above their own.

Well once you are there, with the patients, you are there. You cannot abandon them.

1 Votes
Specializes in All areas of Critical Care, ED, PACU, Pre-Op, BH,.
CoffeeYogaNurse said:
Good for you! Want a cookie? I'm not sure I could reach you on that high high horse though.

OP knows what she can handle and doesn't need you to say what her limits are, or decide she's "selfish" and "just in it for the money" for prioritizing her family over her patients.

Nurses are humans, not robots. Some will leave, some will stay and quietly care for their patients, some will loudly proclaim that they stayed and condemn anyone who doesn't. We aren't all going to make the choice you would have made and that does not make anyone a selfish or bad nurse. Ease up on the judgement.

Who exactly do you suggest care for the patients? Or help evacuate the patients? It seems it is all about 'ME" "ME" "ME" isn't it? I bet the OP's hospital has a plan that will allow the children to stay there and be safe. That would make the most sense. The hospital's in Houston required their staff to still report during Harvey. Again, who else would care for the patients?

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Flights were all booked. I know many couldn't get flights at all

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Specializes in ER.
Julius Seizure said:
But then who SHOULD stay and evacuate patients or care for them if they can't be evacuated? Should they just be left to fend for themselves? Its not an easy question....

A related question - should all law enforcement and fire personnel also leave? What would happen if no emergency workers stayed? I am particularly thinking about what that would mean for immediately after the storm when people may need help...and nobody who evacuated can get back right away. So what happens if everyone who could help left? It's easy to say "well those people should have evacuated, so its their problem", but there are always some that can't or won't. So then...what should we do?

That's exactly what's been said to people who choose to stay, "If you stay, we can't help you."

Hurricane Irma: Some Florida trailer home residents will stay | Bradenton Herald

I assume that includes hospitals. I would not expect police or EHS to endanger their lives to save mine, especially after an evacuation order.

1 Votes

I'm sorry you are in this position and I think that issues regarding this hurricane and work vs family are going to continue long after this devastating storm passes. However, as has been mentioned, if you don't show up at work it is not abandonment and I don't know any job that fires after a family emergency (which this most certainly applies), but I guess it's possible. There is no way that the admins of the hospital don't know that many people will be evacuating their homes and jobs. I don't know of any facility, especially hospitals, that don't have a natural disaster plan in place, especially Florida. My first advice would be to speak to the hospital and find out what the plan is. Some staff may have the ability and family dynamics to pull a 3 or 4 day live in stint. It IS the facilities responsibility to plan for resource management, staffing, evacuation procedures, power, sanitation, food, water, etc. NOT yours. When push comes to shove, this is a job, not your life and family. I wish you and your family safety. Annette RN

1 Votes
Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
Annette413 said:
I'm sorry you are in this position and I think that issues regarding this hurricane and work vs family are going to continue long after this devastating storm passes. However, as has been mentioned, if you don't show up at work it is not abandonment and I don't know any job that fires after a family emergency (which this most certainly applies), but I guess it's possible. There is no way that the admins of the hospital don't know that many people will be evacuating their homes and jobs. I don't know of any facility, especially hospitals, that don't have a natural disaster plan in place, especially Florida. My first advice would be to speak to the hospital and find out what the plan is. Some staff may have the ability and family dynamics to pull a 3 or 4 day live in stint. It IS the facilities responsibility to plan for resource management, staffing, evacuation procedures, power, sanitation, food, water, etc. NOT yours. When push comes to shove, this is a job, not your life and family. I wish you and your family safety. Annette RN

This isn't a family emergency. It is failure to plan ahead for a known community emergency.

It isn't patient abandonment. It is job abandonment and the facility may well fire the OP. It would be justified. Employers have emergency plans and those plans depend upon employees having the personal integrity to show up for an emergency rather than waiting until the last minute and then hiding behind a small child. It is the employees' responsibility to plan ahead for such an emergency. Or would you rather have your hospitalized mother left to fend for herself because all the nurses with children decided to not show up like the OP?

2 Votes
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