Abandonment

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Hi everyone. I quit my job today at an Assisted Living complex. I am an LPN and have only worked their 3 weeks. I am a new grad and just passed boards in Sept of this year. My Director of Nursing has given me little if no orientation on the dementia unit at the complex and insisted I work on the unit because another nurse recently quit. She is trying to fill in the gap left by the other nurse who quit, but I didn't and still don't fell comfortable giving meds to dementia patients that I do not know by face and I surely don't know their names (and they can't tell me their names because these are severely demented patients). I called and quit this morning because she has me down to work the unit today and I have told her and told her that I needed more orientation with another nurse who is familiar with the patients and she wouldn't hear of it. I have only worked on the dementia unit 3 days and still only know maybe 5 patients by name. She is saying that she is turning me into the Board of Nursing for "abandonment". Well, when I go on to my state's nursing website, it says that abandonment is only when you have established a patient-nurse relationship and then you leave in the middle of your shift.....it says they do not address job abandonment. My arguement is that I did not feel comfortable with the assignment given and wanted to keep the patients safe from possibly getting the wrong meds or something. God knows, I surely don't want to lose my license just because I don't know a patient and accidently give them the wrong meds, you know?? I just don't know what to do. I have been telling her for about a week and a half that I didn't feel comfortable on the unit and that I needed more orientation but she is only thinking of herself. Anybody got any opinions or been through this before??? Any thoughts are appreciated. Have a nice day.

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Specializes in FNP, Peds, Epilepsy, Mgt., Occ. Ed.

I think she's trying to scare you into working. If you can be accused of abandonment, so can anyone who calls in sick!!

I doubt seriously that she'll do any such thing, but you might want to have your own private documentation of your whole experience there, just in case you need to refresh your memory later.

I think your license was in a lot more danger working there than quitting.

Good luck in finding something better!

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Thank you so much for your reply. That's a great way to put it..."If you can be accused of abandonment, so can anyone who calls in sick!!". That is exactly how I feel. I left work upset last night because I just don't feel like I have had enough orientation with ANY floor to be honest...it has just been a bad week. Happy Thanksgiving and thanks again for your words of encouragement.

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Specializes in Med-Surg, Trauma, Ortho, Neuro, Cardiac.

If you didn't show up for work then it's not abandoment. In some states if you're in the building, refuse the assignment and leave that could still be abandonment. But quitting over the phone prior to arriving I don't think would be considered abandonment. Given the reasons you quit, then I think you should be o.k. with the BON.

Good luck in finding something that fits.

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Specializes in gerintology.

I was told by Nursing Supervisor/director that if you clocked in and then left qith no one to cover your shift it was abandonment, but if you went to your job and found you were the only one working and hadn't clocked in it WAS NOT abandonment b/c you hadn't accepted the floor- resisdents b/c you hadn't clocked in. NOW, if you are ready to leave at say, 11pm and your replacement dosesn't show up you CANNOT leave until you/ your manager finds someone to cover the shift......Gennavieve

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A lot of employers use this as a scare tactic to get you to change your mind and come to work -- resigning without notice is not abandonment (unless, as others have noted, you do it in the middle of a shift! :))

You've burned your bridges with your former employer, and the fact that you resigned without notice may make it harder for you to find another job (obviously, this facility is not going to give you a good reference), but you won't get into trouble with the BON.

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Specializes in Gyn Onc, OB, L&D, HH/Hospice/Palliative.

You definitely did the right thing, don't be intimidated by her scare tactics, don't go back and just keep it off your resume and you will be fine, good Luck!

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I think she's trying to scare you into working. If you can be accused of abandonment, so can anyone who calls in sick!!

I doubt seriously that she'll do any such thing, but you might want to have your own private documentation of your whole experience there, just in case you need to refresh your memory later.

I think your license was in a lot more danger working there than quitting.

Good luck in finding something better!

I agree.

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Specializes in Women's Specialty, Post-Part, Scrub(cs).

My understanding of abandonment is the same as those above. You must have clocked in, and accepted your floor, unit, res, ect. By taking report, keys, ect. You must find someone to take your keys, report and responsibility if you decide to leave in the middle of a shift and that being a DON, ADON, ect. Not sure about most states, but mine is "at will employment" meaning they can fire me at anytime without notice and I can quit anytime without notice. Most employers like to put that in their handbooks but still want to require a 2wk notice. And you will give one if not burning bridges. However, look into your state laws, too. If "at will"....you cannot be threatened for quitting BEFORE your shift. You will be better off finding a new job. I gave wrong meds in my first 3 wks of licensure. To pt with same last name and similar first name. Did not know their faces that well. Everything worked out for me and the res but my DON was supportive and didn't threaten me. Leave this job off your resume, if asked, say yes...I did have a nightmare that I worked there!!!!! This early in the game, it should not be a problem. Good Luck

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Specializes in Community Health, Med-Surg, Home Health.

I think that the DON was desperate and grimy, therefore she tried to intimidate you. How dare she?? Really!! She should get it together before she tries to recruit more nurses. I see no reason why she can report you to the BON...you were not in the building (the main point) and you did call to say that you will not return. Now, it may be her disaster to discover another person to work in your place, but she did get fair warning that you would not be returning. Now, if she had a policy stating that you are to be terminated because you were on orientation and you called in at the last minute, heck, she can do that. But there is no reason to threaten your license. PERIOD. The nerve of that #$%!!!

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Specializes in Did the job hop, now in MS. Not Bad!!!!!.

hi confused,

i think i'm confused as well. did you say that they expected you to pass meds to pts without knowing the information on the pts because the pts were confused? isn't that ignoring every little ol right for med administration starting with the very first, #1- right patient?!?!?

yes, i agree, you should have run, not walked away from that place!

hope you're feeling better today.

chloe

:nurse:

rn-bsn, ba

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Specializes in med/surg.
Thank you so much for your reply. That's a great way to put it..."If you can be accused of abandonment, so can anyone who calls in sick!!". That is exactly how I feel. I left work upset last night because I just don't feel like I have had enough orientation with ANY floor to be honest...it has just been a bad week. Happy Thanksgiving and thanks again for your words of encouragement.

Thank God you are taking this so seriously and being smart enough not to be led around by the nose.

Red

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