Leaving an agency, giving report

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Specializes in Cardiac.

I left an agency that I was working for last week. I gave them 2 weeks notice and last week, my last week, I told the nursing supervisor that I would give her report on Friday (my last day).. I got a call Wednesday from the office stating that Friday would not be good and that the nurse that would be taking my patients wanted to meet with me to get report... So, I called the office and spoke with that nurse (she was in the office at that time) and she said she was off Thursday but could meet. Remind you, I would take time out of my schedule that day to meet with her... I had quite a few patients to see that day. I called her that AM cuz I had a person with a PEG tube that needed a lot of help and I was at their house for an hour and a half. WHen I called the nurse it was aorund 10 and she said I could come to her home and we could go over patients, but she had to leave at 10:30... I went over there. When I did go there I gave report on patients with last names A-H and she had no paper, wrote nothing down, and then after 15 minutes said "I have to leave to meet a loan guy" and she left. SHe never called me Friday and that was my last day. I did send a spreadsheet to my administrator and brought copies of this week's schedule for her (which would have been mine), the nursing supervisor, and the scheduler... So, her work was cut out for this week.. The spreadsheet has all my patient's last visit date, next visit date, frequencies... What else do you need? Now, she calls yesterday and today saying she wants report and I Legally have to give it... I told her my last day was Friday... Anyways.... I need advice on this situation...

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Specializes in Home Health CM.

This isn't advice but I know I have been to several hospitals where report was taped for the next nurse coming on duty. I have also seen on several occasions where a nurse had to leave but left written report with the oncoming nurse. Wouldn't that qualify as giving report?

You offered report and she refused to take the information from you. It seems that the responsibility now lies in her lap. She refused to take report on the very report she requested in the first place. She sounds unprofessional to me, asking you to go out of your way, and then when you do, doesn't jot anything down and then states she must cut it short. Wouldn't speaking with your administrator regarding the situation suffice? Afterall, you gave someone who is a representative of the company the vital information to care for the patient, which is what any prudent nurse would do. Good luck!

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Your last day was Friday. Too bad, so sad. The other nurse wasn't interested when she was required to be interested, so why should you be now? You are no longer an employee of that agency and have no legal responsibility toward that nurse. She can get report from the nursing supervisor.

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Transfer of Responsibility Form

This should be filled out when a patient is transferred from one staff to another.

You and the agency have proof that a transfer report was given and it can be read by those who need to know.

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Just one comment and this is something that has served me well in all areas of my life, professional and personal. That is to never burn a bridge behind you. I find if I do go the extra mile, whether the other person deserves it or not, it always benefits me in the long run. Even though you are in the right here and are under no obligation to do as they are asking, if you graciously comply, it will only make you look good. If you don't, it could burn you in the end. As the supervisor of a home health agency now, I often don't hire people who burned their bridges, no matter what the reason.

My 26 year old daughter recently faced a similar dilema. She was laid off from her PR job at a well known non-profit organization. It was a raw deal. The new director hired her friend to replace several people. She inadvertently found out she was being laid off by a misdirected email, so she was very hurt. But the director didn't think it through very well. My daughter was the only person who knew the software for their website which went out to almost the entire state. Dah! So they had to call her ask her to come and teach her replacement how to do it. After several sessions, they decided that they would contract her to do it and this has launched a new career for her as other non for profit agencies have heard about her and have hired her for contract work. She could have rightfully said, 'too bad for you, should've thought of that before you let me go'. But she took the higher road and it showed her true character. She still even volunteers for the organization.

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Specializes in COS-C, Risk Management.

I totally agree with Kyasi. When I took over at my last agency for another nurse, neither of us was truly available for a long report process. She wrote out all the report info for me, gave me all the patients' 485s, schedules, etc. I had a huge envelope waiting for me the day I started which made everything easier. When I had to give up those same patients when I was laid off, I passed on all that information, as well as what I had done in the months afterwards, and that nurse didn't bother to keep any of it. She called me several times a day for the first week until I told her that I'd already given her that info verbally as well as the hard copy and that I no longer had the information.

Write down what you can, send it to the old agency and never burn a bridge, you will live to regret it.

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But the OP more than complied with the requests of the agency. She went out of her way to orient the new person. It is the oncoming nurse who was not receptive. It is unreasonable to expect her to make time yet again to deal with an individual who has no interest in the information imparted. Furthermore, the day she was no longer an employee of that agency is the day she no longer should be involved with the PHI of those clients. The nurse can get the information, now that she acts like she wants it, from someone who is responsible for discussing the PHI of these clients.

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Specializes in COS-C, Risk Management.

But the ultimate question is what is in the best interest of the patients. Keep that vision and you will rarely be steered wrong.

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Specializes in Cardiac.

Well, we got into an argument last night and that nurse hung up on me. I told her that I was legally done Friday and she said "legally it is your responsibility to give report". I told her that I told the office the week before I left that I needed to know who was taking my patients and they didn't know. I told the office last Monday that I would meet with the clinical supervisor Friday afternoon (my last day) to do report... they ended up giving me 2 admits that I should not have taken but did... So, the office called Wednesday and said "you can arrange to give report to so and so, she will be taking your area"... So, she said "I am off Thursday but we can meet". So, I went to her house, out of the way, and really not a part of my day seeing patients on Thursday and was going to give report. She said she had to leave at 10:30 and I arrived at her house at 10:15... It was not my fault that she had to leave... I got from A-H and she did NOT EVEN SO MUCH AS WRITE ANYTHING ON PAPER... So, my feeling was, "she doesn't care".. So, when Friday came I turned all my paperwork in with my bag and sent a spreadsheet to the boss via email... She worked the weekend but did not even call all weekend (even though she had daily visits for my patients on the weekend...???).. But, then she calls Monday night after 5PM to get a report??? Please!!! So, last night she called me on my way home and I said "I really don't have info on the patients as my last day was Friday." We got into an argument and she hung up on me. She did send me her email in a text message before we talked and she hung up on me. So, I went home and sent the spreadsheet to her.. and I also sent an email with a written report on patients with last names H-Z... So, I am done. Oh yeah, I made sure I blind cc'd my boss on the emails as well.. I hope I am covered. And I hope the boss doesn't give a bad reference.. She said she wouldn't, but I know how that goes.

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I would follow up with a short, factual, written statement sent to the nursing director at the agency. You can bet your bottom bippy that the other nurse will be running her mouth about the situation and she will not be telling the story the way it happened. And you should also mention that you are following the requirements of HIPAA by not discussing the clients now that you are no longer involved in their care. It would have been a different situation had you not made yourself available to provide the information to someone who does not care.

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Specializes in Cardiac.

Thanks!!!

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Transfer of Responsibility Form

This should be filled out when a patient is transferred from one staff to another.

You and the agency have proof that a transfer report was given and it can be read by those who need to know.

At my agency we have a form called "Internal Communication Form" which does not become part of the client's clinical record. Whenever I do a patient handoff, for example when I go on vacation, I fill out that form with client's name, ID#, date, my name, and the name of the nurse who will be filling in for me. I give a very short summary of the client's diagnosis, care plan, frequency and attach a 485 and current med list. I keep a copy for myself, give one copy to the nurse, and one copy to the agency so they can see what was communicated.

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