I am curious about the response I will get from this situation.
I am a Nursing Supervisor. We recently hired an LPN who was an inter-facility transfer from another state practicing under an out-of-state compact license. She called out sick for 1 shift (Day 1), stating she was in the hospital. Missed her next 2 shifts (Day 2, Day 3) without calling (but we marked her as sick assuming she was still in the hospital as we had not heard anything). The next 2 shifts after that ( Day 4, Day 5) she was "No Call, No Show". My DON contacted her, and I'm not certain what her excuse was for not calling out for those last 4 shifts but my DON agreed to put her back on the schedule stating that the LPN told her she had a return to work note. The note indicated she was cleared to return to work prior to the NCNS shifts (Day 4, Day 5). So now, she was scheduled for 2 more shifts and AGAIN - "No Call, No Show" for both shifts (Day 6, Day 7).
As the employee in question is a NURSE (LPN) and not just a CNA/MHT I feel that this presents a professional and ethical dereliction of duty that should be actionable from a Nursing Board point of view. Though it isn't exactly "Patient Abandonment" I feel that such an untimely (and chronic) absence without the courtesy of notice presents a patient care issue. It is difficult to replace a nurse on short notice, especially when you don't know if the missing nursing is going to show up late without calling (She has arrived as late as 9pm for her 7pm shift without calling to state she would be late).
In total she has missed 7 shifts in a row, even after calling our DON and assuring us she would work. I just don't like it and besides termination I feel that she should be held accountable by a nursing board from an ethical point of view. Nurses are held to a higher standard because we are one of the most trusted professions. Therefor, a nurse should be held accountable, and her license disciplined, in the face of chronic "No Call, No Show" absences.
