leaving clinic with Patients still in exam rooms?

Nurses Relations

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The large Hospital I work at, I transferred to an eye/plastics clinic-in interview I was told I would work clinic hours-stay over a little once in a while/in reality a Dr stays over 3 times a week and sometimes till 9pm-I questioned this and the (non medical) manager told me just to leave when I'm ready (with Pts still in exam rooms)-the only one left in this clinic is the Dr and a resident (not even a front desk person). when I asked to talk to the head nurse-they would not let me (she works at a different site). These eye patients are not optical Pts and some are in bad shape. I feel this is unethical leaving Pts.

Can I have fellow Nurse feedback?

Thanks, Beth

Specializes in EMS, ED, Trauma, CEN, CPEN, TCRN.

It's a clinic, not an ER, not an ICU... Why are you thinking they are going to code on you in a clinic? There are probably sicker folks roaming the aisles at Walmart. Leaving patients in the care of a physician shouldn't be a problem.

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Alison, sounds good, but why doesn't the nurse tell me this and not a non medical person? Should you trust this situation? The manager (a money man) is clueless and didn't even know this Dr stayed over this much

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Specializes in LTC.
Alison, sounds good, but why doesn't the nurse tell me this and not a non medical person? Should you trust this situation? The manager (a money man) is clueless and didn't even know this Dr stayed over this much

It shouldn't matter what anyone has told you, it should matter that you've done your duty and you and whatever provider you are leaving are comfortable. The provider I work with most often and I have an agreement that I stay if he's doing a procedure with a late pt, as I'm required to assist, prep, sometimes Cath, and may be needed to grab supplies while he's sterile. Otherwise I simply give a light knock on a pt room door if he's in the room and let him know I'm going. If he wants me to stay, he lets me know.

Clinic managers are billing managers, whether you stay or not is between you and providers. A clinic manager is always going to tell you to go because they dislike OT. The provider is the one who knows what needs to actually happen with each pt.

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@beth, you have been told repeatedly by experienced nurses that it's not necessary to stay late with a doctor each time the clinic runs late, if the doctor verbally agrees that you can leave, that is all that is needed. Having a judgemental attitude towards a manager, pre-conceived notions about patients and cognitive rigidity, doesn't bode well for future employment.

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Specializes in Transitional Nursing.

OP - are you a nurse?

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I have not been told by the Doctor--and , as you have read-- "I HAVE NOT TALKED TO ANY MEDICAL PEOPLE!!!" the manager and the like have never had a medical person in the many meetings. The Charge Nurse has never came to the meetings!!!

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Specializes in Emergency, Telemetry, Transplant.
OK, now I'm starting to feel like this is all a little game.:p

So I leave work and kick a pebble into the parking lot. A patient's wheelchair wheel runs over the pebble and the wheel falls off. Will I lose my license for not sweeping the parking lot before I go? For not tightening wheelchair wheel wing nuts before I go?

I am really not trying to be a jerk (I apologize if I come off that way); however, I am try to illustrate that this discussion is starting to get kinda ridiculous.

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Specializes in EMS, ED, Trauma, CEN, CPEN, TCRN.
I have not been told by the Doctor--and , as you have read-- "I HAVE NOT TALKED TO ANY MEDICAL PEOPLE!!!" the manager and the like have never had a medical person in the many meetings. The Charge Nurse has never came to the meetings!!!

Rather than yelling at a thread full of nurses who still tell you this is not an issue, you clearly need to speak to the medical people you so obviously need to hear from to settle this matter. Why don't you just ask the doctors? Still not understanding why you think these pts are about to code.

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Specializes in Transitional Nursing.
I have not been told by the Doctor--and , as you have read-- "I HAVE NOT TALKED TO ANY MEDICAL PEOPLE!!!" the manager and the like have never had a medical person in the many meetings. The Charge Nurse has never came to the meetings!!!

So, just let the doctor know you're leaving when you go home, he or she is a "medical person". If he simply can't make it without you I'm sure you would be told.

The patients are not in danger and neither is your licence, because the MD is still there. He or she is perfectly capable of finishing up with the last few patients.

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Specializes in Outpatient/Clinic, ClinDoc.

OP, I have worked outpatient for many many years. it is VERY common in clinics that if the doc is running very late, you might be told to just go home. No one wants to pay you OT to sit there and wait for a late doc in a non emergency situation.

The doctor is perfectly capable of handling an adult that got there under their own steam and will be driving themselves home, etc. Especially in a clinic not usually known for acute illness visits like an eye clinic.

I would always 'report off' to the MD who or what was in the room before leaving and make sure it was ok to leave, but I don't see why you are so worried. If you had an obviously unstable or ill patient in a room alone, I could see staying around but other than that you should just do what they said and go home. :)

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Specializes in Pediatrics, Emergency, Trauma.

Ok...

If you don't feel comfortable leaving, then stay...then when your office tells you to stop staying as late, then stop.

The End.

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Specializes in Peds/outpatient FP,derm,allergy/private duty.
And the elderly do live at home, but when are at the hospital they are our responsibility

Why do we push them from the entrance to the clinics in a wheelchair? They walk at home

Not sure why you are worried about your patients falling and hitting their head on a microscope if as you say, they are alone in an exam room with the door closed. You could certainly ask to leave the doors open when you leave. You don't mention what all their problems are, but I'm sensing the patients are there for a follow-up visit of some sort. Maybe you would feel better if you briefly give your doctors a quick run-down, on who's who, where and what before you leave, and if necessary, add your particular reason why you feel any or all of them may not be sitting on the exam table when they walk in to see the patient.

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