Negligence???

[Epona]

I am a new nursing student and we are reading about nursings laws and ethics.

I have two questions. I understand you cannot abandon a patient. It can be punishable by law. WHAT IF though, YOU yourself have an emergency while you are caring for a patient?? Say you get really dizzy, feel like you are going to faint and need to lay down right away... or say you have a heart condition and for some reason it starts to act up... tachycardia, PAC's, etc. and you need to take some medicine or lay down... what about situations that arise?? What if you get a call that your Dad has been in a terrible car accident and you have to go immediately... help... what does one do when you have to leave suddenly and you are trying to take care of a patient??

Other question...I know nurses CANNOT diagnose medical diseases or prescribe meds. What if we feel we have an idea as to what it MAY be though?? And we know of meds. that MAY help the patient. Can we collaborate with the attending doctor?? Can we make a suggestion??

Yikes.. so much to learn... good info. to know. Thank you! Epona

[leslie :-D]

one night at work, i was the only hospice nurse on the unit.

i received a call from the hospital that my mother was actively dying.

i immediately called the charge nurse to see if she would cover for me, so i could catch the quickest flight.

not only did she not cover, she went through the 'list' of nurses available to work.

i was there around a half hour.

and i clearly remember her reminding me of pt abandonment if i decided to leave.

so sometimes it's not sufficient to get someone to cover for you.

i'd tread carefully with that.

and sure you're good to share your opinions with md's.

some may listen; some may not.

leslie

[SuesquatchRN, BSN, RN]

Also, you will find which doctors are open to collaboration and which aren't. Some will do the exact opposite just b/c it was suggested by a nurse. But usually if you are open to learn they are willing to teach why they are going a certain way or another, depending on how you approach the situation.

I sure wouldn't start out trying to collaborate. Right or wrong, you'll be viewed as an arrogant know-it-all. Hang out for awhile and let them get to trust you. Oh, I am also referring to the other nurses.

:)

[PANurseRN1]

one night at work, i was the only hospice nurse on the unit.

i received a call from the hospital that my mother was actively dying.

i immediately called the charge nurse to see if she would cover for me, so i could catch the quickest flight.

not only did she not cover, she went through the 'list' of nurses available to work.

i was there around a half hour.

and i clearly remember her reminding me of pt abandonment if i decided to leave.

so sometimes it's not sufficient to get someone to cover for you.

i'd tread carefully with that.

and sure you're good to share your opinions with md's.

some may listen; some may not.

leslie

Let me see if I understood this. You were working for a hospice. You got a call that your mother was actively dying. Your charge nurse refused to cover for you, and made you stay there while your mother was actively dying and wait until she could find a co-worker to come in. (Please tell me someone had the compassion to come in for you.) She then saw fit to threaten you with pt. abandonment to make sure you didn't leave before she found coverage.

I truly hope that you ran that up the flagpole. That was just so, so wrong.

[Epona]

Earle58... what did you end up doing? Did you leave to be with your loved one??

I can't believe the charge nurse was that awful. If it had been me, I would have been like "I'm on my way... be there as soon as I can.. I am sorry to hear of your bad news." Wow. I can't believe that. Hope you were able to leave to be with your mom. That is astonishing to me.

Hi Suesquath.. no.. no collaborating at first, but once I have been an RN for a while, then I will offer suggestions if I believe they may help the patient. That is a LONG way off though.

Well have a good night everyone! E :behindpc:

[Cattitude]

one night at work, i was the only hospice nurse on the unit.

i received a call from the hospital that my mother was actively dying.

i immediately called the charge nurse to see if she would cover for me, so i could catch the quickest flight.

not only did she not cover, she went through the 'list' of nurses available to work.

i was there around a half hour.

and i clearly remember her reminding me of pt abandonment if i decided to leave.

so sometimes it's not sufficient to get someone to cover for you.

i'd tread carefully with that.

and sure you're good to share your opinions with md's.

some may listen; some may not.

leslie

People stink! I can't believe that some of these souless ones are nurses. Just amazing. :angryfire That supvr. had no heart to go along with the absence of soul.

[withasmilelpn]

Not only did someone cover for me when I got a 911 call that I had to go the ER for my son, another coworker drove me because I was too upset to drive. I wouldn't have made it without them. I don't know how they managed without us, but they all were truly nurses and good friends.

[rita359]

Ok. Thanks all. So if the nurse herself has to leave for an emergency, whether her own or a family members, she will not be held for abandonment as long as a co-worker can cover, correct? What is there is no co-worker?

THANKS!

You make your nurse manager aware of the problem. If it is some emergency where you have to leave and would not be expecting to return any more for your shift you would have to stay until you reported off to another nurse who would take over your assignment.

[leslie :-D]

Earle58... what did you end up doing? Did you leave to be with your loved one??

I can't believe the charge nurse was that awful. If it had been me, I would have been like "I'm on my way... be there as soon as I can.. I am sorry to hear of your bad news." Wow. I can't believe that. Hope you were able to leave to be with your mom. That is astonishing to me.

hi epona,

my instinct was to flee- just give the charge the heads up and go. but even in such an emotional state, i knew better. i was calling her q 5 min asking if she found coverage, telling her i had to go NOW. that's when she reminded me of pt abandonment, had i chosen to leave w/o giving report or doing count.

and it's true- you really cannot leave unless you have counted and turned over the keys.

in a dire emergency, obviously concessions must be made.

but one must carefully differentiate been urgent and emergent.

anyway, i finally got out of there and made it to my mother's bedside. she died an hr after my arrival. she must have known i was hurrying to be with her and so, she waited for my arrival.

but when i returned to work, i had a talk with the DON about having to wait and from that day forth, anyone doing charge has to take cover for such a situation.

leslie

[PANurseRN1]

If a call that your parent is actively dying doesn't constitute a dire emergency, I don't know what would. I still think the charge should have stopped what she was doing right then and there and gotten report, taken the keys and let you go.

I hope she never has to know what it's like to depend on the compassion of others.