Leaving the job before the next nurse arrives

[fluffykow]

HELP!!

I am new to management/supervision. I recently had an LVN leave her shift without having another LVN/LPT replacement. The incoming nurse did count narcotics with her and I guess she felt that she was OK to leave. Our facility currently has 78 clients (at full capacity 90). It was NOC shift but it still requires 2 licensed personnel on board. According to Title 9, administration should not pour meds or act in the capacity of LVN/LPT. Of course to make my nurse happy, I went in an assisted her. We do not use registry. I am over a barrel and exhausted. I have one nurse telling that was considered abandoment, and I cannot find anything on the BON website regarding this issue. What to do think?

[EricJRN, MSN, RN]

I don't think I'm understanding. How did the incoming nurse count narcs with the offgoing nurse if the incoming nurse wasn't there when the offgoing nurse left?

[spydercadet]

If a nurse leaves her patients without reporting off to another nurse then who cares for and is responsible for those patients? I would look at your states nurse practice act, but here in Illinois, it would be considered abandonment. You really need to find out if she had asked another nurse to "cover" her patients until the next shift came in, if she did then she is basically in the clear, and the nurse she asked to cover her should have counted with the oncoming shift.

[fluffykow]

Let me re-explain this scenario. In this facility we have two stations. The oncoming nurse went to station 2 and counted with this out going nurse. The nurse on station 1 was waiting for the second nurse to arrive. She called the oncoming nurse from station 2 and asked her to do the narcotic count with her. Since things were pretty "quiet" on station 2, she did this out of kindness thinking the station 1 nurse who had not arrived yet was on her way. Unfortunately, the outgoing PM nurse on station 1 took advantage and said ok, we counted so I'm leaving now. She led this nurse to believe that the other nurse who had not arrived yet was coming late. So now this NOC shift nurse was left with 78 patients, two different stations. Wasn't very nice for her.

[ranxerox]

so your saying that there was not going to be a replacement for this LVN. She was going to be required to work a double?

[Agnus]

Sounds like abandonment to me. She counted narcs but was not relieved. That is like saying I gave my meds so I am going home now.

You stated you are management. Is it not your responsibility to report this? Let the Board sort this out. If you are off base they will let you know and no harm done. If they do view it as abandoment then you did the right thing.