Can I refuse an infant patient??

Nurses General Nursing

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I am a home health nurse with 2 years experience in cardiac step down and 2 years in my current home health job. I take care of older people mostly geriatric. I have an admission scheduled this week for a 6 month old with a feeding tube. I'm absolutely freaking out. I've never done peds patients and definitely never done baby patients. I have zero training with kids and infants. I spoke directly with my boss in my interview and she said we never do pediatric patients. Now here two years later I've got one and I'm not okay. Do I have any right to refuse?? I feel like this is very obviously outside my level of training, but they don't seem to see a problem with it?? Peds is practically its own advanced practice in my opinion.

On 2/7/2020 at 12:03 PM, Wuzzie said:

Seems like a solid plan what could possibly go wrong??‍♀️?

Is boss a nurse too? Maybe she should do the admission with you shadowing so that you May feel comfortable doing the next one. Otherwise, hell no. You have no experience with this population and their needs. There are tons of other home health companies out there if this one wants to just throw their nurse out there to figure it out for themselves

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On 2/6/2020 at 9:11 PM, knoelle30 said:

I am a home health nurse with 2 years experience in cardiac step down and 2 years in my current home health job. I take care of older people mostly geriatric. I have an admission scheduled this week for a 6 month old with a feeding tube. I'm absolutely freaking out. I've never done peds patients and definitely never done baby patients. I have zero training with kids and infants. I spoke directly with my boss in my interview and she said we never do pediatric patients. Now here two years later I've got one and I'm not okay. Do I have any right to refuse?? I feel like this is very obviously outside my level of training, but they don't seem to see a problem with it?? Peds is practically its own advanced practice in my opinion.

If your job description for a visiting RN does not include caring for infants or your employer did not provide you with training to care for peds in the home setting then, ethically and professionally you can refuse.

I agree with the other posts that PALS have very little clinical utility in the home care setting. ( Always required in the hospital setting and ambulatory care setting where peds are cared for).

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Specializes in NICU.

Please do not take that assignment ,you are walking into a trap.Worried about getting fired if you refuse,...you might end up being fired anyway because Parents of chronically ill children or those who are getting better after much medical intervention, like a long icu stay...they are angry,frustrated,think they know more than you (which they do),it is sad but not every nurse is suited with armour to deal with parents of a sick child.Not all are difficult but many are ,and they are t-i-r-e-d of dealing with medical personnel.

Good luck to you,and remember they can sue until the child is an adult.

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Perhaps any other agency has dealt with them, and refuses to take them back?

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