I told a friend of mine I would share her dilemma on AN since there's so many wise souls here that can maybe offer some words of wisdom.
She works at a sprawling 225 bed privately-owned LTC facility which staffs two nurses at night - one RN and one LPN, in addition to 14 HCA's. She is a staff LPN working with a variety of agency RNs who take on the charge nurse role. This facility is unable to retain staff d/t various insurmountable issues too numerous to name which I won't get into here, but suffice it to say... I was once staff there and ran - not walked - away after the full realization of what a toxic work environment it is... but alas, I've digressed...
She often works with a particular agency RN whose work ethic is, let's just say, pretty deplorable. At any given point in a shift she will - for lack of better term - eff off to sleep thus being unreachable, leaving the LPN to cover the entire facility on her own. The two nurses each carry a portable phone so HCAs can reach them with the charge nurse phone being diverted to the LPN phone should that phone go unanswered. So... the agency RN simply turns off her phone, hides away somewhere (it's a massive facility spanning two 3-story buildings) for, at first, a couple hours and, most recently, up to FIVE hours of an 8 hour night shift while the poor LPN runs her a$$ off doing her duties, and the charge nurse duties.
The RN has been reported several times to various levels of management including the mighty Administrator, whose response has been nothing more than "we'll speak to her agency" meanwhile this long-standing issue (we're talking years) continues to escalate. Her agency keeps sending her back, and management keeps accepting her back.
When confronted, the RN has made it clear she sees nothing wrong with her actions. The LPN is now at her wit's end feeling the safety of residents and staff are compromised, not to mention the unfairness of it all.... and is refusing to work with this RN either calling in "sick" when she knows the RN is working or threatening to walk out should she report for her shift and the RN is booked.
To my knowledge, the "walking out" hasn't happened yet but I advised her to be very careful with this as she could be accused of abandoning the residents thus putting her own license in jeopardy.
So... should she take the path of least resistance and follow the lead of many before her and hightail it as fast as her little legs can carry her, or, should she fight-the-good-fight in hopes of making the world a better place for future staff?
Sidebar: The economy here is excellent, she could find work tomorrow but would have to start at the bottom of the seniority ladder - loss of benefits, paid sick time, yadda, yadda.
Thoughts, advice, plans of action, I could pass along to her so she can keep her sanity?
How about call the state? Or send a letter the to management of the facility informing them of the incredible liability they are exposed to without knowing?
Be careful with the 911 suggestion. You wouldn't want your friend to be charged with a false report and get in trouble while the offending nurse goes scot free, as usual. Public safety departments do not take kindly to prank and unnecessary calls to 911. And BTW, one time when one of our residents disappeared at night, the charge nurse called the police for assistance. They told her to find the resident herself. So much for help from that source.
Specializes in Clinical Research, Outpt Women's Health.
I would simply give my notice with some BS reason for leaving. Management knows what is going on. Find another job. Then, a little while later, report away. Cell phone pics would be good......
Specializes in Nurse Leader specializing in Labor & Delivery.
Actually, I'd tell your friend she needs to make a report to the BON where she works. In most states I've worked in, nurses can lose their licenses for sleeping on duty...at the very least, they may have it suspended.
I wouldn't think something like that is governed by the BON, but rather each facility's policy.
I've worked at a few places where a 30-minute nap was okay, as long as you had someone else watching your patients. I've also worked at places where they had one nurse without an assignment, but there just in case L&D got slammed, and it was pretty much accepted that if you didn't have an assignment and no other nurses needed help, you could nap.
nurse2033, MSN, RN
3 Articles; 2,133 Posts
How about call the state? Or send a letter the to management of the facility informing them of the incredible liability they are exposed to without knowing?