I am an LPN in a LTC for disabled kids. On an regular night, we have 6 nurses for the building. That includes a charge nurse who has an assignment .
One night last week I got an phone call from my daughter who was 33 weeks pregnant. She thought that she was leaking amniotic fluid. After asking her some questions, I told her to call her dr. I then went right to my charge nurse and told her what was going on, and that I needed to leave to get her to the hospital. The charge nurse told me "No you can not leave" I was floored. That night we happened to have a nurse with a new orientee, and an agency nurse and me on that one unit. Thankfully the regular nurse took my half of the assignment (12 kids) and the agency took her half. I gave her report, and counted and left to take my child to the hospital.
We spent 5 hours at the hosp, she was not leaking amniotic fluid, but was having contractions. They gave 3 shots of turbutline which worked, and told her to get to her dr the next morning. I called work updated them and called out for my shift ( i gave them 5 hrs notice). We get to the dr, and yep she is 2 cm dialated and 50% effaced. The dr put her on modified bedrest, took her off of work until delivery. That afternoon she started having contractions again, and I took her to the hosp and they admitted her overnight. She got 4 doses of Procardia to try to stop the contractions and received steroid shots to mature the babys lungs.
My question is this: can they do this to me? This is an emergency situation, I am not making this stuff up. I have all of the paperwork and drs notes for my child to prove what happened. I spoke with my boss and suggested to have at least an extra nurse in the building just in case I have to leave again midshift. I can not control when my future grandson will make his appearance!!
NicenurseLPN, Here's a hug :hug: sounds like the balance between being a good nurse (which is a job) and being a mom (which is so much more) is tough on you right now. It sounds to me like you handled the situation well, with the help of supportive co-workers.
Thankfully that night there was an extra nurse in the building so I could leave and get her to the hospital to be checked out.
If you're counting the nurse in orientation as "extra" you are mistaken.
I personally know 2 nurses who were found by the BoN to have committed abandonment for believing the same thing.
They too gave report and counted off.
Your patient assignment was not "covered" tho you may feel like it was.
The floor/facility was still short one nurse according to the staffing levels established by the facility for that shift. You manipulated the intent of the supervisor when she said you could leave if you got your assignment covered.
I'm a parent and a grandparent, including a wonderful little boy who was born premature and with a serious heart defect.
I do understand.
My job is my livelihood, without it my family would face serious financial hardship. I would have had my daughter call an ambulance or had her father take her, presumably he has a cell phone and could be "on call" from the hospital for the few hours until your shift ended.
Good luck to you and your daughter, I hope the rest of her pregnancy is uneventful.
You are in the middle of your shift with 3 other nurses. You get a call that your 12 year old dropped on the football field, is unresponsive, condition is unknown, and they are rushing him to a hospital a few miles away. WWYD?
Comparing a 12 year old and an 17 year old is apples and oranges.
I'd send the child's other (presumably) competent parent, grandparent or trusted friend. If no such person existed my 12 year old would not be playing a contact sport.
I'd ask inform my supervisor and seek permission to leave, If told no I'd make a decision on whether or not I wanted to continue to practice as a nurse with an unhindered license.
There is a difference between needing and wanting to be there.
I have been a nurse for 15 years in critical areas and have never heard of or experienced a group of nurses that would not work with their own during an emergency. I have also been in charge of a very busy ER and circumstances do occur. This woman had her daughter to go to during a very critical unforseen time. This nurse also got her patients covered. I totally agree with mjmoon and this was not just leaving for a kid sick with the flu. Patients are our main priority but family is not replaceable. I do agree with FMLA going forward but where is the compassion for an emergency? I have never in all my years of nursing heard anything so ludicrous as this. Your patients were left tended to and you followed your managers orders by getting your assignment covered. I hope your daughter is ok. I have had a very successful career so far and great work ethic. I have also been very compasionate with my staff. A good manager take all situations and distinguish which is priotity and which is not and handle each as such!!!!
I agree with the above poster, and support NiceNurse. Everyone is so stuck on "doing what's expected" that they've forgotten what it's like to be a human being and a mother. It's easy to say ask someone else to assume the role of parent, but what if you're all alone to raise your child? I have no family in this country and if an emergency befell someone I cared about I would be sure to put them first before the needs of my facility.
NiceNurse, don't beat yourself up about this, and don't listen to those who are acting holier than thou. If it happened to them they'd probably move heaven and earth to leave work too. Any manager that insists you stay at work during a family emergency is a monster, in my opinion, and not someone I'd wish to work for. This is an example of why nurses are always at the bottom of the heap. We're our own worst enemy!
If I told my charge nurse/NM/supervisor that I needed to leave for a family medical situation, was specifically told I could not do so, and went ahead and left on my own (even having arranged "coverage," which, as others have pointed out, wasn't really coverage), I would expect, at the v. least, to be fired and possibly to have issues with the BON and my license. I might choose to go ahead and do what I felt I needed to do, but I certainly wouldn't expect my superiors to think that was okay, and I wouldn't expect my choice to not have significant consequences.
I don't think many are being unduly harsh. It is a very simple circumstance in actuality. OP asked to leave, was told no, moved some people around and left anyway. Then she posted "can they do that?" Presumably meaning, can they tell her no. We answered that, yes they can. And elk park is right, OP could be fired and lose her license for what happened. I'm not saying she should, ut she certainly could and would have no recourse because the rules are clear and absolute. I dont see the rationale for the worst case scarios. Obviously everyone would want to leave if a loved one was experiencing an emergency. Nurses just don't have that luxury.
I'm not holier then thou, and I did share the story about my mothers life or death emergency, including my being HCPOA. I did try to move heaven and earth to get coverage, it just wasn't to be found so no, I did not go, and I never spoke to my mother again. I wouldn't do anything differently, b/c I couldn't have done anything differently. I could not leave during my shift, period. A coworker got there early the next morning, at about 5am, but the hospital was 2 hours away, and I didn't make it in time. That's just one of those things.
In the OPs case, worst case she misses the birth. I simply do not see the justification for what she did, and the suggestion of an extra nurse just in case is ludicrous. I've been a NM, and if she were my staff I'd just turn he over to HR and let them deal with it, but I think at most anyplace I've worked, she'd lose here job at the very least. I'd hate to see that happen to the OP, so I suggest coming up with plan B, or taking a LOA.
She was not left alone with an assignment to herself. The nurse precepting her just switched sides that is all. There was no comprimising her orientation at all. As this was the orientees first night, she was just watching the regular nurse, not taking patients.
NiceNurse LPN
I think some posters aren't fully reading this thread. The OP clearly stated that the orientee was only observing. The staff nurse and agency nurse switched sides to help provide the coverage needed, so the orientee's experience was not affected. I believe the OP is referring to the agency nurse as being the "extra nurse." She also received permission to go once coverage was obtained.
As health care providers, we have an obligation to our patients so we can't just pick up and leave...as some have stated ad nauseum. So yes, the charge nurse can decline your request to leave. However, you obtained coverage and permission leave. Best wishes Nice Nurse...hope your daughter is doing well.:hug:
The point is there was coverage for my end of the unit. On the unit I was working on, there was myself, a regular staff nurse, her orientee, and an agency nurse (who was worked there many many shifts). I didnt have the orientee take my end of the unit. The regular nurse took my end of the assignment, and the agency nurse took the other half. On this particular unit there are 24 kids and always 2 nurses so each nurse gets 12 kids. When you have a new staff nurse, there is one nurse for half the unit, the regular nurse with the orientee, and another nurse. The regular nurse and orientee take 4 kids (one room) the first night, the "backup" nurse if you will takes the other 2 rooms on that end of the assignment, and the other nurse takes 12 kids. On the first night, the orientee nurse is only doing assessments on the room with the regular nurse and watching the regular nurse pass meds and do txs etc. I know it sounds kinda confusing but that is how my facility trains new employees. At no time was the orientee left alone, or took a full assignment. The regular nurse took my half, and the experienced agency nurse took the other half. When I got my end covered my charge said I could go at that time.
I am in the process of planning a backup plan to my "back up plan". Unfortunately I live over 1000 miles from family who could help me in this time. I appreciate everyones thoughts and replies on this sensitive subject.
At first she said no b/c there wasnt coverage. I got coverage, gave report, counted narcs, handed keys over to the nurse that took my assignment. After I let the charge nurse know that there was coverage, she said fine. There is a fine line that we all walk in our jobs. I knew when I became a nurse I knew full well what constitutes abandonment. There have been several instances when I have come into work to cover shifts when a nurse had to leave due to an emergency or illness at work. I have no problem being a team player at all. It is just saddening to know, that sometimes things happen out of our control.
NiceNurse LPN
Just pointing out where she received permission...
I don't think many are being unduly harsh. It is a very simple circumstance in actuality. OP asked to leave, was told no, moved some people around and left anyway. Then she posted "can they do that?" Presumably meaning, can they tell her no. We answered that, yes they can. And elk park is right, OP could be fired and lose her license for what happened. I'm not saying she should, ut she certainly could and would have no recourse because the rules are clear and absolute. I dont see the rationale for the worst case scarios. Obviously everyone would want to leave if a loved one was experiencing an emergency. Nurses just don't have that luxury.
I'm not holier then thou, and I did share the story about my mothers life or death emergency, including my being HCPOA. I did try to move heaven and earth to get coverage, it just wasn't to be found so no, I did not go, and I never spoke to my mother again. I wouldn't do anything differently, b/c I couldn't have done anything differently. I could not leave during my shift, period. A coworker got there early the next morning, at about 5am, but the hospital was 2 hours away, and I didn't make it in time. That's just one of those things.
In the OPs case, worst case she misses the birth. I simply do not see the justification for what she did, and the suggestion of an extra nurse just in case is ludicrous. I've been a NM, and if she were my staff I'd just turn he over to HR and let them deal with it, but I think at most anyplace I've worked, she'd lose here job at the very least. I'd hate to see that happen to the OP, so I suggest coming up with plan B, or taking a LOA.
I am very very sorry about your mother. If I wasnt able to get coverage for my assignment, I would have had to stay or risk losing my nursing license. Although I dont know how good of a job I could have done with my mind being elsewhere. I know as nurses we just cant drop everything and run. But where does the line get drawn? Yes I need my job. That is how I pay my bills and survive. But on the other hand, my daughter needs me too. Thankfully with the dr ordered bedrest, she is doing better, and hasnt had anymore contractions. We are just taking things day by day and trying to keep "Little Peanut" in to "bake" a couple of more weeks. I guess I never thought where as nurses we would be put in the position to choose our jobs over our immediate families in emergency situtations.
Well part of my point was it doesn't matter if the OP felt there was adequate coverage. I don't care if there were 20 nurses, the person in charge said no. It's pretty straight forward. I get that she changed her mind later, but the OP was asking us, could the person on charge tell her she HAD to stay. We were all simply answering the question she originally put forth.
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pyrazen
27 Posts
NicenurseLPN, Here's a hug :hug: sounds like the balance between being a good nurse (which is a job) and being a mom (which is so much more) is tough on you right now. It sounds to me like you handled the situation well, with the help of supportive co-workers.