Accused of abandonement

[bell83]

During my shift, which I had not actually clocked in but had received report because I had done smething hospital ssociated prior to that day that I needed to fill out a form for, I went to go speak to a manager about an issue I was having with my preceptor. Although I did not leace the unit, because this manager's office is on the unit I was told that I had abandoned my patient assignment. This does not make sense to me because although I know I should have informed my preceptor, I was not included on the census as I am on orientation, and I did not actually leave the unit. Ultimately my preceptor is the one responsible so would it make sense for me to receive a write up for pt. abandonment? Who should I take this to?

[NRSKarenRN, BSN, RN]

Putting my detective Managers hat on..

During my shift, which I had not actually clocked in but had received report because I had done smething hospital ssociated prior to that day that I needed to fill out a form for, I went to go speak to a manager about an issue I was having with my preceptor.....

This sentence indicates to me they had previously been spoken to about issues "hospital associated" and need to fill out form... possibly incident or right up their side of story. Further having issues with preceptor = difference of opinion between staff.

I've spent 5-10 minutes looking for a nurse because of patients immediate pressing need.....and spent 30 + minutes searching/calling because staff did not alert anyone they were leaving immediate pt unit to meet with manager behind closed doors....or run over to pharmacy other side of unit door and had to wait for IV admixture cause not ready as promised.

Although I did not leace the unit, because this manager's office is on the unit I was told that I had abandoned my patient assignment

A. something hospital associated prior to that day

B. issue with preceptor

C. left patient area without telling anyone where they are going

and admitted " although I know I should have informed my preceptor"

Because of all of the above, nurse formally counselled re abandoning patient assignment.

I was not included on the census as I am on orientation, and I did not actually leave the unit. Ultimately my preceptor is the one responsible so would it make sense for me to receive a write up for pt. abandonment?

I get the sense from OP that because they are not counted as staff, should not be held responsible for assignment.....doesn't work that way. All staff on orientation are responsible for their individual actions... or lack of action. Due to above, instead of verbal counseling, it was formally written up.

As a manager I will write something up when a staff member is having multiple small problems as a way showing I addressed significant issue when prior verbal prompts on other minor issues unsuccessful getting behavior changed. Some staff take constructive criticism, learn and grow becoming productive team members while others never own up to their issues, repeatedly make mistakes and are later terminated --thankfully rarely occurs. Please view this as a learning opportunity and something that will never happen again in your career.

Angie O'Plasty gave excellent advice:

We're usually pretty flexible with the new grads. If I'm precepting and for one reason or another, the grad is having a tough day and simply can't handle it, that's my cue to step in. IMO, any preceptor needs to be able to step in and immediately take over that patient when the going gets rough. I think this is what you were presuming when you went off to your manager's office, but if you failed to tell the preceptor you were going and give an update on that patient, you could see how there could be a problem if the patient suddenly took a bad turn. Whenever someone goes bad, the first thing everyone wants to know is where is their nurse, what's happening, and then a history of the patient. However, if you're not available, no one knows who's done what and why the patient is suddenly having problems.

So yes, it can be considered abandonment if you simply up and leave your patients without telling anyone about them. I was worried about this myself one night when my rebellious ol' body had the nerve to go into Vtach on me while I was charting on my patients. I gave Report as they were whisking me to the ER.

Giving Report is one of those nursie things that is such a basic, core concept that it becomes part of our cellular structure after a few years.

Next time you might make sure you are on the clock, then ask your preceptor to take report if you need to speak with the manager first. If your hospital is like mine and you cannot transfer for six months without manager approval, keep your head down and fly under the radar for the next few months. Who knows, by then everything might work itself out.

Best wishes on your journey as a nursing professional.

[Simplepleasures]

I agree that there may have been other issues, but why address the other issues under the heading of abandomment?Are we assuming this nurse was at fault here without knowing ALL the details? I guess everyone is going to have a theory here( me included), would be helpful to have more info.Thanks given for trying to be a detective and not automatically jumping to conclusions.

[LydiaNN]

I agree that there may have been other issues, but why address the other issues under the heading of abandomment?Are we assuming this nurse was at fault here without knowing ALL the details? I guess everyone is going to have a theory here( me included), would be helpful to have more info.

There are always at least 2 sides to a story and usually more than that, but I can't respond to the "other side" when I don't know what it is. I don't see the wisdom of pointing out to everyone else that "we don't know the whole story" and then proceeding to pass judgment on the OP as if I, personally, am privy to the "other side", just because I happen to be a manager myself (which I am).

I'm not saying that you did that- I'm agreeing with you that it is inappropriate for us to assume the OP is at fault when we just don't know. Of course it is the OP's version of the story to which I responded because that's the one I was given! When I feel so strongly that the OP's story is missing some critical information, I keep my opinion to myself or ask for clarification.

[DutchgirlRN, ASN, RN]

I think that writing you up for abandonment is a little harsh, but you did make a mistake and I sincerely hope that the write-up made it's point.

You can't just go off to talk to your manager about some issue you have and not notify your preceptor or anyone else on the unit where you are going to be!!!! What if one of your patient's needed something? I don't care that you are in orientation and you think your preceptor is responsible. The staff needs to know your location on the unit at all times, including potty and lunch breaks. You are in training and supposed to conduct yourself like a staff nurse. You did something very irresponsible. And, I'll bet if you read your employee manual or your RN job description this is also clearly stated somewhere in there.

Respectfully, I think that's a bit harsh. I tell the charge nurse, or if I'm in charge I tell the NM, whenever I leave the unit but not for a potty break... do you honestly tell the charge nurse everytime you use the bathroom? I think the preceptor is making a mountain out of a mole hill. When I was a preceptor I was still the nurse responsible for the patients.

If you can't be found, then, yes, in the broadest sense you are guilty of abandonment from your employer's point of view and if something serious happens to one of your patients while you are off galavanting around

Being in the NM's office, which is on the unit, is not "off galavanting around". Lighten up

Additional advice: Never ever take report on your patients without clocking in.

[UM Review RN, ASN, RN]

Being in the NM's office, which is on the unit, is not "off galavanting around". Lighten up

Additional advice: Never ever take report on your patients without clocking in.

We just had a problem with a tech who "disappeared" for a couple of hours during an insanely busy shift. Even though his whereabouts were later accounted for, he was written up because he had turned off his cell phone and had failed to tell anyone that he was going to be unavailable for a time.

To me, it doesn't matter where you're going; if you're not available for more than ten minutes, we need to know where you can be found. It's more than a simple courtesy; it's a patient safety issue.

And thanks for the reminder to clock in before taking report, Dutchie, because we're told at my hospital that if you didn't clock in, you weren't there, and legally the hospital insurance doesn't have to cover you for anything. So it's very important to clock in. Taking report is the signal that you are ready to take care of your patients.

[DutchgirlRN, ASN, RN]

And thanks for the reminder to clock in before taking report, Dutchie, because we're told at my hospital that if you didn't clock in, you weren't there, and legally the hospital insurance doesn't have to cover you for anything. So it's very important to clock in. Taking report is the signal that you are ready to take care of your patients.

And thank you Angie for explaining that. I probably should have, but didn't, but you did it much better than I could have anyway. Thanks!

[DutchgirlRN, ASN, RN]

We just had a problem with a tech who "disappeared" for a couple of hours during an insanely busy shift. Even though his whereabouts were later accounted for, he was written up because he had turned off his cell phone and had failed to tell anyone that he was going to be unavailable for a time.

I hope they in the ER with a concussion, valid amnesia, or whatever could account for doing what they did, leaving the unit for several hours with no means of contact. They would have been fired at my place of employment. Just curious...how did they account for such a disappearance?

[UM Review RN, ASN, RN]

I'd rather not go into great detail but suffice to say, the tech was written up for abandonment.

So you don't need a license to get into trouble for that at my workplace.

[nursemike, ASN, RN]

Actually, I was talking about the tone of some of the responding posts here.

Instances of nurses "eating their young" on these boards should be reported to staff. But I've looked the thread over, again, and I don't see any. There appears to be a general concensus that what was done a.) wasn't good and b.)wasn't patient abandonment. There does appear to be a range of opinions as to the seriousness of the error, but based on the original post, I think a pretty reasonable argument can be made for any of the posted opinions. It would be interesting, I think, if the OP cared to clarify exactly who wrote exactly what, and what, if any, action management took on it. But it's up to the OP whether they want to go into that much detail.

It's normal, I think, that our views are influenced by our past experience. As a fairly new nurse who still makes mistakes from time to time, I don't find it hard at all to empathize with the OP. But I have also seen an occassional bad nurse who is always looking to lay the responsibility anywhere but on themselves. I don't think that's the case, here. But I don't think it's bad advice to anyone to take ownership of your actions and learn from them. As someone else observed, we are all adults here, and part of that is being able to take criticism. Criticism, on these boards or in real life, should be civil, but civil doesn't necessarily mean sugar-coated.

If the OP is being formally charged with abandonment, by all means, she should fight it. If the term is being bandied by her preceptor, or her manager, I can certainly see some value in stepping up and saying, "I agree, it was inappropriate, but it wasn't abandonment." In any case, it would seem prudent to clarify the situation with the manager, but I'd recommend a less defensive approach than some of what was said in the original post. The OP has an opportunity, here, to make a very good impression by reacting appropriately.

[Simplepleasures]

We just had a problem with a tech who "disappeared" for a couple of hours during an insanely busy shift. Even though his whereabouts were later accounted for, he was written up because he had turned off his cell phone and had failed to tell anyone that he was going to be unavailable for a time.

To me, it doesn't matter where you're going; if you're not available for more than ten minutes, we need to know where you can be found. It's more than a simple courtesy; it's a patient safety issue.

I wish the OP would say how long she was in the NM office, would clarify alot of things.

[LydiaNN]

Instances of nurses "eating their young" on these boards should be reported to staff. But I've looked the thread over, again, and I don't see any. There appears to be a general concensus that what was done a.) wasn't good and b.)wasn't patient abandonment. There does appear to be a range of opinions as to the seriousness of the error, but based on the original post, I think a pretty reasonable argument can be made for any of the posted opinions. It would be interesting, I think, if the OP cared to clarify exactly who wrote exactly what, and what, if any, action management took on it. But it's up to the OP whether they want to go into that much detail.

It's normal, I think, that our views are influenced by our past experience. As a fairly new nurse who still makes mistakes from time to time, I don't find it hard at all to empathize with the OP. But I have also seen an occassional bad nurse who is always looking to lay the responsibility anywhere but on themselves. I don't think that's the case, here. But I don't think it's bad advice to anyone to take ownership of your actions and learn from them. As someone else observed, we are all adults here, and part of that is being able to take criticism. Criticism, on these boards or in real life, should be civil, but civil doesn't necessarily mean sugar-coated.

If the OP is being formally charged with abandonment, by all means, she should fight it. If the term is being bandied by her preceptor, or her manager, I can certainly see some value in stepping up and saying, "I agree, it was inappropriate, but it wasn't abandonment." In any case, it would seem prudent to clarify the situation with the manager, but I'd recommend a less defensive approach than some of what was said in the original post. The OP has an opportunity, here, to make a very good impression by reacting appropriately.

Being able to take criticism is indeed a fine skill to develop, but I think we should keep in mind that this is a new grad who came here to vent, not to have a lecture delivered about how irresponsible she was and to have her veracity questioned (as in the post that stated "I don't believe you"). I'm sorry, but IMHO, that's not a polite way to disagree with someone; it is a sanctimonious way to lecture them and it is not at all civil.

[marie-francoise]

Being able to take criticism is indeed a fine skill to develop, but I think we should keep in mind that this is a new grad who came here to vent, not to have a lecture delivered about how irresponsible she was and to have her veracity questioned (as in the post that stated "I don't believe you"). I'm sorry, but IMHO, that's not a polite way to disagree with someone; it is a sanctimonious way to lecture them and it is not at all civil.

Agreed - it's about respectfully disagreeing.