Need to quit my horrible job!

[TexasRN89]

I work in psych and I just started working at a facility about 6 weeks ago. They are going through some major mangement issues and changes (a lot of top dogs are leaving or have already quit). As a result, staffing is so incredibly disorganized and messed up. Several people have picked up extra shifts and then on their days to work, management tells them to go home because they have too many hours. This makes no sense to me whatsoever but then again they act like they have no idea what they're doing! I've spoken to several nurses and found out that they are notorious for putting nurses on units to care for up to 30 patients by themselves. The difference is that they are seasoned nurses with 5-20 years of experience and I'm a new grad and have only been a nurse for 2 months! Yesterday I was left on a unit by myself to care for 20 patients. I wanted and should have invoked safe harbor but I got a supervisor's help for most of the day so it made the workload for me a little lighter and it was manageable for half of the day. I refuse to be put in that situation again. I'm supposed to work again today but I called in this morning. My manager gave me a long speech about how irresponsible it is to call in this close to the time I'm supposed to work and that because of it I'm going to get written up. Yes. I agree. I should have called in earlier and that is irresponsible of me to let them know at the last minute. But in a way, they did it to me yesterday. They didn't let ME know until the last minute that I would be alone on the unit. That I would be short of a nurse. If I don't show up today, the nurse on the unit that I was supposed to work with will have to be alone just like I was yesterday. They didn't care that I was alone. Why do they care that the nurse that'll be there today will be alone? She's been a psych nurse for many years and has been left on a the unit several times before. I talked to her to let her know that I wouldn't be there today and she said she would manage without me if they don't get someone to help.

I want to quit because I don't ever want to be put in that situation again and I know for a fact that it will happen again. It might be a stupid question but here it is: would anything happen to me or my license if I were to just quit without a 2 week notice? I'm not quitting and abandoning my patients on the spot like I wanted to yesterday but I had no one to cover for me and stayed. I'm scheduled off for the next couple of days so I'm planning to go up there and do it on one of those days so that I give them plenty of time to get someone to cover my position if need be. Any help would be appreciated!

[cleback]

I get that the place is disorganized and you have every right to want to quit...

However, it was kind of crappy of you to call in and leave your coworker in the same tight spot you were... only justifying it with "management did it to me!" That seems vindictive, not professional.

Do it right. Put in your two weeks but actually make an effort to show up those two weeks. If you're asked to work unsafely again, then speak up to management.

[Rose_Queen, BSN, MSN, RN]

You also don't want to be burning bridges. Quitting without notice tends to land one on a do not hire list. You never know when your current employer will merge with another system, and then you may have issues getting employment. I would really really love to run down the hallway screaming take this job and shove it at my current employer, but I'll work out my 4 week notice when I give it (gotta get another job lined up first) just because they keep merging with other hospitals/systems and now pretty much have a monopoly in the three surrounding counties.

[Been there,done that, ASN, RN]

You have been there 6 weeks. How much orientation did you get?

I have feeling this a privately owned facility.. that put you to work to fill holes brought on by their scramble to remain afloat. It is something a new grad should not be involved in.

I would have NO problem with walking away.. and leaving that fiasco off of my resume.