Help, nurse in distress!

[Nurselife808]

I have been a nurse for 2 years now. I spent 1.5 years working at a rural med surg hospital. 3 months ago I transfered to the city hospital in the critical care PCU. The thought is to transition from PCU to CCU. I have many concerns about the unit, and have addressed them to my supervisor and nothing has changed or been said. I am very unhappy with where I am at, feel unsafe, and feel my patients are unsafe. To transfer within the system I am in, I need to get a written release from my supervisor, so I am allowed to apply for other jobs. What is a good way to bring this up to him? And what if he says NO? Could use some good words of advice on how to go about this.

[guest769224]

I thought Safe Harbor only existed in Texas?

This is my understanding as well. It is unique to Texas. Unless Wuzzie has proof otherwise.

[Wuzzie]

This is my understanding as well. It is unique to Texas. Unless Wuzzie has proof otherwise.

We have it where I work. We are unionized. It is called by another name. I used the term "safe harbor" as it seems to be universally understood. I am disinclined to reveal where that is as I value my anonymity here. Sorry I will not be able to provide you the "proof". Regardless, whether you officially have "safe harbor" or not an unsafe assignment should not be accepted.

[guest769224]

I am disinclined to reveal where that is as I value my anonymity here. Sorry I will not be able to provide you the "proof".

I didn't ask you to reveal where you work. Chill out, sheesh.

[Wuzzie]

I didn't ask you to reveal where you work. Chill out, sheesh.

I'm pretty chill. Just explaining to you why I can't provide you with the proof you requested. Not sure why the hostility but whatever.

[Ruby Vee, BSN]

So, let me get this straight. You've been there for 3 months and have informed your direct supervisor of all the things that are wrong with the unit. Did he ask you your opinion or did you just offer it up? If you offered it up I can see this going one of two ways. He'll sign your transfer paper just to get rid of you because I'm going out on a limb here to say I doubt he was very appreciative of your unsolicited advice. Or he will refuse and enjoy riding you hard until eventually getting you to quit or outright firing you. As the new kid on the block I'm fairly certain you have dug yourself quite a hole while simultaneously shooting yourself in both feet. You might want to start looking elsewhere for employment. I'm honestly not trying to be mean but I literally cringed when I read your post. There's a way to do things and going in with guns blazing just isn't it. Especially in the nursing world. And new to the unit. Frankly I think your best bet is to try to fly under the radar for awhile.

I'm sure someone is going to attack this post for being "mean to the OP." Let me just say, before I read further, that this is honest and helpful advice for the future . . . I'm betting the OP has already burned her bridges in this institution.

[Wuzzie]

I'm sure someone is going to attack this post for being "mean to the OP." Let me just say, before I read further, that this is honest and helpful advice for the future . . . I'm betting the OP has already burned her bridges in this institution.

Already happened.

[Nurse SMS, MSN, RN]

Just for the sake of clarity and interesting things I have learned recently, Safe Harbor in Texas does not allow you to refuse an assignment. It is a means to communicate "on the record" that the assignment is unsafe and to invite your institution to do something about it. You still have to take the assignment and care for the patients - you are not released from patient care. However, you are legally noting that you are doing so at a disadvantage and delineating what that disadvantage is, whether staffing, training, etc and that it is likely to place the patients at risk. This then puts the onus on the institution in terms of liability, not the nurse.

[DowntheRiver]

Already happened.

I'm not attacking you for being mean. I am just responding. Safe Harbor and nothing like it exists in my state (Florida). I just read through our NPA and no such language exists. And nothing like this exists at my job, either.

[pedi_nurse]

. You still have to take the assignment and care for the patients - you are not released from patient care.... This then puts the onus on the institution in terms of liability, not the nurse.

Fortunately, at most institutions, this will cause them to go scrambling to change your assignment. Admin certainly doesn't like being left liable when they can no longer put the blame on the nurse.

[Wuzzie]

I'm not attacking you for being mean. I am just responding. Safe Harbor and nothing like it exists in my state (Florida). I just read through our NPA and no such language exists. And nothing like this exists at my job, either.

Wasn't referring to you.

[Twinmom06, ASN, APN]

wait wait wait, lemme get this straight - you're the only employee on this unit on nightshift - no other nurses or aides? How is that possible? At least in the hospital system I work in, even if there is only one patient on the unit there has to be 2 staff members - one to call for help and one to do compressions if the patient goes bad. How can you be the only staff member on a step down unit? I'd run SCREAMING from that job

[Julius Seizure]

I'm not attacking you for being mean. I am just responding. Safe Harbor and nothing like it exists in my state (Florida). I just read through our NPA and no such language exists. And nothing like this exists at my job, either.

I wonder, in the absence of an actual "safe harbor" law/policy/etc., what would happen if one still sent an email to TPTB (Unit director, Director of nursing, and on up) that they were accepting this assignment with great reservations over the safety and appropriateness of said assignment.