blackmail by hospital

[poppyrn]

Hello, everyone, I'm new to this forum but I'm hoping someone can help me. I've been working in ER for about a year and have been unhappy with it for several months. One of the reasons I went staff was because we have self scheduling and therefore a lot of freedom. For the past 2 months, my manager has been changing our schedules after we completed them to fill holes in the ER at our other campus. This current schedule has me working 5 12's and overtime after she plugged me in to cover a hole . I told her I did not want overtime or 5 12's. I know some nurses schedule that, but I dont. 3 12's is my limit and I get fairly loopy on my 3rd one. Basically was told "too bad". She has also taken away our float nurse and we are already overburdened with going into winter. To make a long story short, I decided to either quit or go back prn. I also work prn in another dept. in the same hospital and was going to increase my hours there. (I work 2 12's in ER and 1 12 in other dept.) Icing on the cake was that I found out I was scheduled 7a-7p Dec 24 and Dec. 25 in ER. We're supposed to work 8's-one day and a eve. So I gave my notice. Then receive a call from ER mgr saying she was not going to allow me to transfer to other dept unless I fullfill my holiday obligation. I fill I have given adequate notice ( until 12/14) and should not have to do this. ER mgr says do this or I want your resignation from the hospital. Did I mention I just had my merit and received excellent rating? She even told me she hated to lose such a good employee. I called VP of nursing who said she was backing up ER mgr and Ihad to work Holiday shift or I would have to resign from hosp. and would not be eligible for rehire. I explained to her this was not about holidays and told her what was going on. She is having a meeting today with ER mgr and will callme. Also, asked me not to resign yet as I was such a valuable employee! So here I sit waiting. I feel I'm going to have to leave hospital regardless of outcome b/c I will have to constantly be having to watch my back now. I just don't want this black mark on my record. I feel I did nothing wrong. i have given adequate notice and should be able to move on with a good reference. I even thought of going to our CEO with this and sign a formal grievance. This just seems like blackmail to me! I'm sorry this is so long. I just want all the facts out there. I would really appreciate any input. No one understands this quite like other nurses. Thanks, poppyrn

[Wolfbeareagle]

I know that we had issues at the hosp. I work at where a nurse refused to take on 15 patients. At the time, this was the norm for the 11-7a shift. They told the nurse that she would have to work it or they would file patient abandonment charges against her? I don't know if they can do this, but I do know that she thought they could. They are not very nice people there, and they are under the misconception that I will work for them as an RN when I get out of school. lol I won't do it, not after the way I see them treat my nurses there, they are horrible. I used to be the unit clerk there and have switched over to patient care tech, b/c it is so flexible. They tried to stop me from transferring, and when they finally allowed me to transfer, they cut my hours. They knew that I HAD to work decent hours and they have tried to use it to their advantage by cutting me to 12 hours a wk, to make me go back to the unit clerk position. Anyway, I was just wondering though about the abandonment issues?? That particular nurse ended up quitting, but they treated her so badly when she tried to stand up about the patient load. She didn't want to lose her license, and 15 patients is a lot especially on a post/op floor. Any thoughts about them being able to charge a nurse with abandonment? Sorry about the tangent about my work schedule. Makes no sense though to not work with someone who is in nursing school and they won't provide a good environment for the nurses to work in when they can, but won't.

[Jenny P]

Wolf, there are a couple of threads here about patient abandonment; do a search for threads titled like that. A nurse can be charged with patient abandonment; but there are certain requirements to do so and the nurse should check with their own State Board of Nursing for more information. On the whole, Boards of nursing are on the nurses' side in cases such as this IF the nurse folows the rules properly.

[Anaclaire]

I've known several nurses who have left busy critical care units and ER settings for the joys of Home Health and are incredibly happy now!!! I hope you will be too!!!

We never know why things happen as they do in life--- maybe this was one of those "meant to be" things for you!!!? Sure hope so!

Very, very proud of you!!!!!

[sjoe]

Wolf--If you refuse to accept an assignment you have NOT committed patient abandonment. If you DO accept an assignment and then leave before reporting off, etc., then you HAVE committed patient abandonment.

In other words, you can't abandon what you don't have. As usual, the supervisors took advantage of a nurse's lack of knowledge about her own practice.

If you don't know the rules of the game, don't expect the other team to help you.

[Riseupandnurse]

Right, you can't be charged with abandoning a patient until you have agreed to at least hear report on that patient. After that, if you leave your patient before another nurse accepts care, you have abandoned your patient and can lose your license. But refusing to accept an assignment, before you have listened to report, although it can get you fired, is not abandoning your patient.

So many states have legislation in the works to regulate mandatory overtime and guarantee staffing ratios now. It's sad that hospitals will lose flexibility, but our health care system has brought this on itself. And if the state can require that day care systems must have proper staffing ratios, I guess it can require the same for sick people, who are often just as helpless as children. The patient really must come first, but nurses are only human too, and management must realize there is a limit to what we can do, especially as so many of us get older. :imbar

[sjoe]

"The patient really must come first, but nurses are only human too, and management must realize there is a limit to what we can do, especially as so many of us get older."

and wiser.

[DLL84]

Life is too short...pick your battles carefully. Competent Nurses are in demand. Will you be happy if you stay there?