So within the last few days, a nurse who works in an critical care setting went to break, which is suppose to be 45 mintues and was gone over 3 and 1/2 hours.
After about 2 hours, the nurse supervisor was called, security was called and no one could find her. They looked everywhere......... other floors, outside.......... no RN.
About 1 and 1/2 hours later the RN comes strolling back into the unit, and looked suprised that people had been searching for her....... she had NO IDEA what time she went on break- states she fell alseep and had no idea what time it was then.
She changed her story twice about where she was, since the first place she stated she was had been seached many times by many people.
The manager has been notified. Her charting is a nightmare- I have not seen it, but have been told it is almost impossible to read, words scratched out, not making sense.
Her pt is OK (covered by her partner RN) however the partner RN was very busy with her own critically ill pt..........and believe me, I would not want one of my family member to have her as a nurse.
In my 2nd year of nursing schooll (last year) I was assigned a patient fresh out of ICU . This patient had been kept in the hallway by the nurses station all night because he was having some serious GI bleeds (esophageal, pancreatic and bowel cancer) When I came on the ward with my fellow students this patietns nurse and 2 others disappeared on a 2 hour break. My teacher was supervising students on 2 different wards so she was not readilly available for assistance. Sure enough this guy started to crash. All vital signs indicated hemorrhage. DO you think there was anyone around? Sure enough he had a massive esophageal bleed. I notified all staff but they took there sweet time (Kept telling me to tell my nurse-she wasnt around) My teacher later informed me that the patient was literally minutes away from death before they got around to cauterizing his bleed. What do you guys think of that? I was completely freaked.
i'm sorry but if she worked for me she would be drug tested immediately and the suspended until further notice and then the state boards would be notified of the incident...
there is no excuse for such behavior, where the he@@ did she think she was at the beach? and to say that she fell asleep well that alone would get you canned in my area....
she needs to have her license revoked. no question about it...
but that's just my opinion
zoe
my first thought was that this person has to be on drugs....no doubt about it!!! my second thought was: how many times did this go on before she actually got caught??? people just don't behave this way without there being a pattern. my next thought was: how are the assignments given out??? does the nursing staff work in groups or teams??? just want to know because if the covering nurse was a partner in a care team...then the patient wasn't abandoned...however, the co-worker was. she was taken advantage of for sure!!! this person should be filing charges with the state board of nursing stating that their license was compromised by this individual. otherwise, she may be charge with reckless endangerment of patients for not being adequately able to care for her own patients & that of the nurse she was covering for. i strongly believe that is individual has had this particular nurse cover for her in the past & knew a "good thing" when she saw it. like mike stated, if there was no documentation which states that one nurse has turned the patient over to the covering nurse or no documentation about the patient made by the covering nurse, there could be a case of neglect, endangerment, patient abuse, & abandonment.
having prior hx of substance abuse, this individual should've at the very least, be tested. and i agree with everyone else when they say that using the excuse: "i fell asleep" doesn't fly either...that's bull sh*t!!! most hospitals doesn't allow for "sleeping on the job" during breaks with a few exceptions; i.e. the 11pm-7am shift (most times, the cafeteria is closed & there isn't any place to "go", so folks often times will take naps during their breaks), or for an employee with documented conditions such as illness or pregnancy.
another question that i have is: do you have to clock-off during your breaks or are the breaks included as a perk??? some facilities require nurses to clock-out, especially if they intend to leave the premises, to say, go to a restaurant or store. they don't want the responsibility should something happen while the employee is off the premises. some will argue that it's none of the employer's business what the nursing staff is during on their breaks, especially if they have to clock-out for breaks. i say that is true, but up to a certain point. it's understood that what you do on your break is your business; however, if & when it compromises the patients & staff, then that person has cross a line of no return & then opens themselves up to be scrutinized.
i personally believe that this individual does have some personal issues that they have to work-out & just firing her & removing her license is a bit strong, but she has prior substance abuse hx & depending on the results of any test, if any where conducted, would settle any questions whether or not if she was on something during this incident...even if she only had a glass of wine during lunch & wasn't legally impaired. if it turns out that the nurse in question was substance free, then she still should be disciplined for "taking advantage" of her partner & be given some time-off. people have to be responsible for their actions...this person is an adult & should know better!!! yes, there are people with seizure disorders, sleep apnea, or other condition in which they're able to work...but they know that they can't do certain jobs that require 100% of their attention; i.e., a school bus driver or a truck driver aren't allowed to be hired, if they have seizure disorders...yes, it doesn't seem fair or right, but the safety of others out-weigh the discomfort of a few. if it should turn-out that this person have a physical problem or illness that require an extended break time, then the nm should consider moving out of the critical care unit.
but, my gut feeling is that this person only was thinking about herself & the hell with everyone else, including the patient!!!
I would call it abandonment in my book. I would not have let it go for 2 hours either. I expect my co-workers to show up for shift ontime, take breaks as assigned and DO THEIR JOBS! Yes all of their job, not just the party that they want to do. IMO a drug test should have been run. Also where was she "sleeping" that no one could find her?? Well I guess that is why they call me NURSE HAG!!!!
suzielee
38 Posts
In my 2nd year of nursing schooll (last year) I was assigned a patient fresh out of ICU . This patient had been kept in the hallway by the nurses station all night because he was having some serious GI bleeds (esophageal, pancreatic and bowel cancer) When I came on the ward with my fellow students this patietns nurse and 2 others disappeared on a 2 hour break. My teacher was supervising students on 2 different wards so she was not readilly available for assistance. Sure enough this guy started to crash. All vital signs indicated hemorrhage. DO you think there was anyone around? Sure enough he had a massive esophageal bleed. I notified all staff but they took there sweet time (Kept telling me to tell my nurse-she wasnt around) My teacher later informed me that the patient was literally minutes away from death before they got around to cauterizing his bleed. What do you guys think of that? I was completely freaked.