Critical question, please advise ASAP

Nurses General Nursing

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Hi, I am giving my resignation to my current employer this evening which is to be effective immediately. I cannot give them 2 weeks notice due to concerns about protecting my license. I work in dementia care assisted living and due to some shady actions by the owner, we have been losing staff at a high rate. Particularly she decided to cut staffing to a dangerously low level given the acuity of our residents. Out of 21 employees, including cooks and housekeeping, she is looking at losing at least 13 of us by the end of next week. The mass exodus started last week with my supervisor, who was great to work for and it has been a domino effect since then.

The owner has been moving cooks and housekeeping staff into the CNA role to help with ADLs. We have 3 or 4 who are a strict 2-assist and these girls, while doing their best, simply aren't appropriately trained or licensed.

My question is this: What I am understanding is that if any of them handle a resident incorrectly or do something negligent that results in an injury, then it is me and my license who will be blamed and scrutinized if anything legal came about. Is this correct?

Because this is my primary reason for justifying immediate resignation, though I could easily name several other reasons, like not paying owed holiday pay and overtime.

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Specializes in Ambulatory Care-Family Medicine.

You do not have to give a reason for quitting. Just type a quick letter stating I resign effective this date and sign it (keep a copy for your records) and turn it in. No reason needed and if they ask you just state that you wish to pursue other opportunities. Do not put anything negative about the employer writing for them because they could hold it against you later on.

Be aware since you are not giving proper notice (2 weeks typically) then you will most likely be non-rehirable and the employer can tell future potential employers that you left without proper notice if they call for a reference.

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I'm not worried about ever reapplying there and I'm frankly not worried about what she might say about me. My work history prior to her is rock solid. The bottom line is that I feel my license is in undue jeopardy under current conditions and that is my reason for leaving immediately. Any employer worth their salt will understand that. In fact, I do already have another job lined up. My references have already been called and background check started today. But I think I will do as you suggest and just keep the letter generic and brief.

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I think you need an understanding of what it would take to lose your license.

If you hate the job and are upset with the company and what they are doing, then quit.

Stop with the I have to protect my license crap. It's an excuse. I don't understand why people feel the need to justify quitting a job. You're unhappy? Quit. Understand there can be ramifications of quitting without notice or another job lined up. But that's on you.

Unless you are diverting or grossly negligent, your license is safe.

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Specializes in ICU.

Unless you are diverting or grossly negligent, your license is safe.

I disagree. I think the OP is completely correct. She is being asked to delegate tasks to people who aren't properly trained or qualified. I think that is pretty negligent if she does so willingly.

Regardless OP, even if your license itself wasn't in jeopardy, I can 100% guarantee you that if you were to be sued for an incident that happened under your command, your employer wouldn't do anything to help you out of the situation.

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Since the OP gave notice this evening, chances are very high that no license-threatening action has been taken up to this point, so, their license is most likely, safe. That was the purpose of resigning immediately. Time will tell if mission was accomplished successfully (safe license).

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I disagree. I think the OP is completely correct. She is being asked to delegate tasks to people who aren't properly trained or qualified. I think that is pretty negligent if she does so willingly.

Regardless OP, even if your license itself wasn't in jeopardy, I can 100% guarantee you that if you were to be sued for an incident that happened under your command, your employer wouldn't do anything to help you out of the situation.

I didn't pick that up from her post. When was she asked to delegate a task to to an unqualified person?

I saw that her boss had house keeping assist with ADLs.

In what way would the RN license be in jeopardy?

Are there some good examples of this?

There are many good reasons to leave a bad job.

Where does all the fear of losing licenses come from?

Here is an AN thread about losing licenses

There are no mentions of any nurse ever losing a license for working in a facility in which a housekeeper helped somebody get dressed.

In fact, in each and every case, the nurse who lost a license lost it for what he, or she, decided to do. Never, ever, ever, for what somebody else did.

Some things I picked up from reading the thread:

  • Don't divert drugs.
  • Don't commit felonies.
  • Don't lie to the BON. Or on your documentation for that matter.
  • Don't host a Mediao site.
  • Don't fake cancer.
  • Don't inject your own child with feces. Though it hasn't been tested, you probably should avoid injecting anybody with feces, as that could also be problematic.

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I think your license is safe and you are doing the right thing to leave an unsafe situation that you are powerless to improve. You will most likely be a no rehire but I doubt you would want to go back anyway, if they are still in business. Do not put anything snarky on your resignation. I agree with the other post that you "are pursuing other opportunities". I think you are doing the right thing. Good Luck.

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Specializes in MDS/ UR.

A complaint to DHS may be in order...

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I think you need an understanding of what it would take to lose your license.

If you hate the job and are upset with the company and what they are doing, then quit.

Stop with the I have to protect my license crap. It's an excuse. I don't understand why people feel the need to justify quitting a job. You're unhappy? Quit. Understand there can be ramifications of quitting without notice or another job lined up. But that's on you.

Unless you are diverting or grossly negligent, your license is safe.

Then you clearly have not worked in a facility such as OP and I and many others have. I had to quit without notice because the disasters of staffing happened SO quickly. There was no time for notice. Yes, my license was absolutely in jeopardy. I literally did not have time to give a post hospital DKA pt with a BG of 500 insulin for a few HOURS once. I had other URGENT needs as well that definitely could have lead to disastrous outcomes as well if I had not attended to them 1st. I was doing CPR, then my life vest pt actually gave him a shock and had to send him out, and at the same time someone fell and split their head and I had to get them out. The other nurses were just as busy. We FINALLY got one of our ADONs to come in afterward to answer call lights, but that was like pulling teeth.

My cousin's best friend just died from a diabetic coma with a BG in the 580's. After that night, I was outta there.

It wasn't like that the first 1.5 years of working there. The change came very suddenly. And you bet that place would have thrown me under the bus covering themselves.

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I disagree. I think the OP is completely correct. She is being asked to delegate tasks to people who aren't properly trained or qualified. I think that is pretty negligent if she does so willingly.

Regardless OP, even if your license itself wasn't in jeopardy, I can 100% guarantee you that if you were to be sued for an incident that happened under your command, your employer wouldn't do anything to help you out of the situation.

Yes, being sued is a better example in my answer. Sorry but the "knock it off comment" from PP kind of ticked me off thinking of the situations I have been forced to be in. And I say forced because I had already accepted the assignment not knowing the dangers these poor patients were in.

Ok, Breathe Orion. In. Out.

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Could we please.

Licenses are probably very rarely in jeopardy (of revocation) when people imagine they might be.

Just the same, stressed-out nurses didn't come up with the license-snatching boogey-man all on their own. It is a product of real things said (and threats made and incorrect information taught) to real students and real nurses, by instructors, managers, DoNs/CNOs, business people, lawyers, etc.

There's "This patient became so angry about not getting his turkey sandwich on time, he swore at me and called me the most vile names and reported me and my manager was not happy and I got written up. I'm not putting my license at risk for stuff like this, I'm outta there!!!"

...and then there are situations where things seem to skirt legal or ethical rules to the point that one would be stupid to not take into consideration their own professional well-being.

That's what we're talking about.

Nurses should know what kind of things put their license at risk because that is empowering.

Nurses should not feel obligated to remain in situations where there is a reasonable likelihood they won't come out professionally unscathed. And when they say, "my license is at risk" it'd be perfectly fine to say, "You know, it's probably not, but since this portends other badness your overall concern about remaining in that position is reasonable."

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