Abandonment? What exactly is it?

[kbrn2002, ADN, RN]

Let them spout their empty threats if you stay at this job.  It's not abandonment unless and until you accept your assignment. If you left after you initiated your shift and also assumed care of the patients then it's abandonment.  Not answering a phone when they decide you are on call, without actually paying you to be on call is definitely not. Though honestly when an employer starts spouting the "I'll turn you into state" threats that's about the time to get out of Dodge. 

[Googlenurse, ASN, BSN, RN]

Haha, we have the same questions. But I thought it cannot be called abandonment since you did not take report on those patients?

I wish I could call the board on some CNAs in my building. One was two hours into her shift and decided to walk out of the building and disappear. She was an agency CNA. That IS abandonment,but I think since she was a CNA the care automatically was transferred to me. Which meant I had to provide medications and do AM care.

Did I also mention during that same shift,I ended up working 18 hours because no nurse wanted to accept report on my patients,and they had nobody else to come end and cover? I worked 7pm-7am and told them I would stay until 11am. According to state laws, 16 is the max hours you can work consecutively. I ended up leaving at 1pm. 

[JKL33]

On 12/21/2022 at 10:20 PM, ppfd said:

I mentioned that if I don't answer the phone you can't mandate me.

Number one rule when dealing with people like this is to keep your thoughts and plans to yourself. They don't need your information and while it might feel good to make the quip you did, all it does is give them information that would've been smarter to keep to yourself.

On 12/21/2022 at 10:20 PM, ppfd said:

Then again, in the 2 years I've been there I have never received the "employee handbook" I'm told to reference.

You really should get a hold of one if you're going to keep working there.

On 12/21/2022 at 10:20 PM, ppfd said:

The reply was "well that's abandonment and you will be turned into the state."

?

That's not how that works, but again, let yourself be silently entertained.

[toomuchbaloney]

I would be abandoning that job at the earliest opportunity. 

[RN1987]

It seems as though nurses are the ones who tolerate these types of threats and mistreatment. Threaten me with that nonsense, I'll be a no call, no show my next shift and sleep just fine. It actually feels good.  The sooner nurses start putting ourselves first and start demanding respect from employers, the sooner the blatant disrespect will end.  Is your employer Wellpath? They suck.

[Judy Nelson]

Many years ago the house  Supv. decided that she was going to have me work ICU for my shift. I would not have had a problem if I had worked the ICU on a regular basis. However, I had spent the previous 10 years in the OB department, labor and delivery. I was not comfortable going to ICU. I felt not only would it compromise the patient. It could cost me my license and refused to go. She informed me I would be abandoning my job, and I promptly informed her I had not accepted the assignment from anyone therefore, I had not abandoned my job. I promptly went home following our discussion and following in with nursing administration the following day. They agreed with me and was back in my dept. 

According to the CA BRN: 

Generally for patient abandonment to occur, the nurse must:

a) Have first accepted the patient assignment, thus establishing a nurse-patient relationship, and then
b) Severed that nurse-patient relationship without giving reasonable notice to the appropriate person (e.g., supervisor, patient) so that arrangements can be made for continuation of nursing care by others.

A nurse-patient relationship generally begins when responsibility for nursing care of a patient is accepted by the nurse. Failure to notify the employing agency that the nurse will not appear to work an assigned shift is not considered patient abandonment by the BRN, nor is refusal to accept an assignment considered patient abandonment. Once the nurse has accepted responsibility for nursing care of a patient, severing of the nurse- patient relationship without reasonable notice may lead to discipline of a nurse's license.
RNs must exercise critical judgment regarding their individual ability to provide safe patient care when declining or accepting requests to work overtime. A fatigued and/or sleep deprived RN may have a diminished ability to provide safe, effective patient care. Refusal to work additional hours or shifts would not be considered patient abandonment by the BRN.

[33Weeker]

Sounds like they are the ones who need to get turned in to the board.

[ppfd, BSN, EMT-P]

Are we allowed to mention employers here?

Thought I read something at one time that was a no go?

Anyway they do start with a W

[JKL33]

3 hours ago, Judy Nelson said:

She informed me I would be abandoning my job, and I promptly informed her I had not accepted the assignment from anyone therefore, I had not abandoned my job.

Just commenting because the wording ^ here brings up a point of confusion for both employers and nurses, and we've had plenty of stories here where employers throw the job abandonment thing around as if it is patient abandonment.

Job abandonment could involve patient abandonment. Example: Quitting without notice while in a patient assignment; walking off the job without handing off patient care.

Job abandonment doesn't have to involve patient abandonment. Example: No-call/No-shows may be considered "job abandonment" but are obviously not patient abandonment as no assignment or patient relationship had been established.