Did you ever "neglect" a patient???

Marie_LPN, RN, LPN, RN · Feb 5, 2005

Yes, that's true, although i've always heard it would be because of 'abandonment'.

UM Review RN, ASN, RN · Feb 5, 2005

While we were in nursing school, our instructor informed us one day that if you are working at a current job and quit without giving a notice or walk off a shift, it is considered neglect and they can report you to the boards.

Quitting without notice doesn't necessarily fall under this category. This rule, as I understand it, applies only after you've received report on a group of patients. Once you even accept report, you're now legally responsible for them, so this is why you need to refuse to float to a specialty area in which you've received no orientation or training, otherwise you'll be held liable.

As always, check with your state BON for more details.

bellehill, RN · Feb 5, 2005

I was always told once you clock in you can't leave without it being abandonment...that is why you check assignments and then clock in.

Tweety, BSN, RN · Feb 5, 2005

I have to say, I've never seen a nurse leave her patients in the middle of a shift, except during extreme illness or family emergency.

If whatever "issues" we have with a job/assignment, after we've accepted that assignment, they can wait until the end of a shift.

CoffeeRTC, BSN, RN · Feb 5, 2005

I have to say, I've never seen a nurse leave her patients in the middle of a shift, except during extreme illness or family emergency.

I've seen this. In LTC. She just couldn't take the CNAs bickering about assignments! Nothing was done. :uhoh3:

Ruby Vee, BSN · Feb 6, 2005

i have to say, i've never seen a nurse leave her patients in the middle of a shift, except during extreme illness or family emergency.
if whatever "issues" we have with a job/assignment, after we've accepted that assignment, they can wait until the end of a shift.

[color=olive]i've seen it -- the nurse in question had a substance abuse problem. she'd just disappear. twice that i'm aware of, she disappeared about midway through her shift and never came back. another time, a nurse we worked with that was married to one of the radiologists used to disappear for a 1 - 2 hour lunch with a male who was not her husband. the third time this happened, she was fired. she was fired a whole lot quicker than the substance abusing nurse!

**canoehead, BSN, RN** · Feb 6, 2005

I had a dispute with my employer and left before taking report. I was fired, and reported to the board of nursing and they dismissed the complaint. In my case I was able to demonstrate that they had adequate staff to care for patients without me, but as I understand it so long as you have not taken report you have not taken responsibility.

DelightRN · Feb 6, 2005

That's the understanding I have too, canoehead. And there's always 'assignment under objection' to try to give yourself legal protection if you have taken report and accepted the assignment, or if you just can't bring yourself to walk off your job.

I've used that on more than one occasion.

NYCRN16 · Feb 6, 2005

We all know that leaving in the middle of your shift or something after taking report with nobody to take over your assignment is considered abandonment. However, the OP isn't totally incorrect, according to NYS law there are some cases where they can charge the nurse with "employer abandonment" if he/she does not given enough notice to the employer. I would think though that it would be really hard to actually get a "conviction" for lack of a better word by the BON for something like that unless the nurse quits right on the spot shortly before a shift.

http://www.op.nysed.gov/nurseabandonment.htm

PMHNP10 · Feb 6, 2005

Abandonment certainly varies in each state. Now something I have heard, but am certainly not endorsing is that if you give report to another individual (like a supervisor) you have legally not abandoned anyone. Again, this most certainly wouldn't be the case everywhere, if at all.

noki74 · Jun 19, 2005

Hi I have seen that Ic nurse have left a patietns without any reason she just disepeard and the family mambers of the patients informed a nursing directory so after that she was fired without any right to get employed in any of the other hospital