"Is this patient abandonment?"

[prn nurse]

I'd like to get your input. Two ICU R.N.'s at our hospital left work in the middle of their shift to go shopping at a nearby mall. They were gone for two hours. (Did not clock out..or back in.) They did not ask/tell the supervisor. One nurse had an aide "cover" her patients for her while she was gone. The other nurse had another R.N. cover her two pts. while she was gone. The remaining R.N.'s on the unit were unaware of what was taking place...the 2 nurses worked two different units...weren't really missed...simply assumed to be taking a long lunch. In your opinion, how should management handle this? What would happen in your hospital?

[SoundofMusic]

We had a nurse who left on a shift the other night. She didn't exactly explain anything to anyone but the charge nurse, and then we as nurses were asked to assume care of her patients. I was unsure as to whys he went home -- seemed more like an emotional upset than anything. She was also precepting a student at the time, also leaving her high and dry, and much of her paperwork and charting was undone.

I am waiting to see what our management does about it also. It's confusing as to how it was allowed. I was not "asked" if I agreed to taking her patients. I was just told to take them.

[jbp0529]

Aside from the obvious pt abadonment issue, leaving a CNA in charge of an ICU pt, etc... I would also think (putting myself in the role of the hospital's legal dept), that if something happened to these nurses while they were clocked in and off hospital property, performing non hospital/patient care duties, that the hospital could be held accountable financially (in the event that the nurses were in a car crash, or something). Mind you, I'm no expert on this. I just know from my current place of employment that if we leave the hospital campus, we must be clocked out and have some sort of a paper trail giving approval to be gone.

In any case, 2 hours is an extremely long time to be gone on break. Some type of disciplinary action should take place. Can you imagine if the pts coded? Heads would roll left and right.

[jbp0529]

We had a nurse who left on a shift the other night. She didn't exactly explain anything to anyone but the charge nurse, and then we as nurses were asked to assume care of her patients. I was unsure as to whys he went home -- seemed more like an emotional upset than anything. She was also precepting a student at the time, also leaving her high and dry, and much of her paperwork and charting was undone.

I am waiting to see what our management does about it also. It's confusing as to how it was allowed. I was not "asked" if I agreed to taking her patients. I was just told to take them.

That's extremely unfair to you, the rest of the unit, the pts, and the student. The involved nurse and charge nurse should be questioned by management.

[steelcityrn, RN]

Most facilities have a strict rule about leaving withour clocking out and then back in. Not sure about what was going on with the coverage, seems nurses were told to cover for the ones that left. I have a hard time believing a aide was told to be resposible for citically ill patients. Maybe the aide was told to report anything the patient called for the nurses. I have never heard of this happening in a icu unit before.

[Mommy_of_3_in_AL..RN]

In my unit, if management didnt step in, the other nurses that were left to care for more than their alloted patient load would. In leaving a CNA to care for the patients, i would be interested in seeing how the charting was covered. We have strict q2 hour assesments on each patient, so if the nurse was gone during the time that assesment was to be charted, did the CNA assess and chart on the patient, or did the nurse make it up when she came back? Also, if something went wrong with a patient, how would the other nurses be responsible for the outcome..would the blame fall on them, or the nurse that wasnt there?? I will tell you one thing..i would be one TICKED OFF employee if i was stuck with a high patient load while my coworkers were shopping. I am luckyto get to eat at a normal time, so that is unacceptable to me. Period. No excuses.

[kmruddrn]

What ever happened to integrity? Work ethic? If they are this irresponsible at lunch time, it makes me question how their care is when they are on the unit. People like this shouldn't be nurses. Any ICU I've worked pts are to be continuously monitored, otherwise they wouldn't be on ICU. These two nurse have low standards as professionals, I feel remorse for those trusting their care.