nurse terminated

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Specializes in Tele, Acute.

I work at an LTAC in La. The other day my DON fired one of the daytime nurses because of a med error (at 2pm. )The nurse packed her stuff, gave report to the charge nurse and was walking off the unit when the DON started telling this nurse that if she leaves, the board would be notifed because it is patient abandonment. The nurse was extremely upset and crying! How can this DON expect this nurse to finish shift after she got fired? Can she do this?:nono:

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Specializes in Assisted Living, Med-Surg/CVA specialty.

She gave report and delegated her patients to the charge nurse. I wouldn't think it would be abandonment unless she just walked out.

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It is also unreasonable to expect an employee to finish out the shift after learning that she's been terminated. She gave report, she handed off her pts. She did nothing wrong. Even if she hadn't reported off, I don't think the BON would have seen this as abandonment.

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The DON has no grounds to report abandonment in this case. What if a nurse gets a call and finds out that a family member was in a wreck or something else and the nurse needed to leave ASAP? They would follow the same procedure, delegate their patients to another nurse, give report, and then leave. I see no harm done to the patients in this case, and no reason to report anything to the BON.

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Sounds to me like the DON has the problem here. I think she's just blowing smoke, so the terminated nurse would stay untul 3 and they'd have the "hours" they're required to by the state.

I just got terminated also, and they at least had the decency to do it at 3:15, the end of my shift. They fired me for NOT falsifying documentation, as I refused to write a nurses note as printed out for me by the Unit Manager, and then sign another nurses name, who happens to be on sick leave after major surgery. Of course they gave me other reasons, which would have amounted to a write-up or verbal warning at best. believe me when I say I called the state BON and reported the Unit Manager from my cell phone in my truck before I even pulled out of the parking lot. Now the facility has "visitors", and the whole unit is in an uproar trying to fix things before they see it.

On a good note tho, they fired me on Friday, and I had a new job on Saturday, so I'm VERY happy to be gone from there, but I miss my residents terribly.

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believe me when I say I called the state BON and reported the Unit Manager from my cell phone in my truck before I even pulled out of the parking lot. Now the facility has "visitors", and the whole unit is in an uproar trying to fix things before they see it.

Good for you, John!!!

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Sounds to me like the DON has the problem here. I think she's just blowing smoke, so the terminated nurse would stay untul 3 and they'd have the "hours" they're required to by the state.

I just got terminated also, and they at least had the decency to do it at 3:15, the end of my shift. They fired me for NOT falsifying documentation, as I refused to write a nurses note as printed out for me by the Unit Manager, and then sign another nurses name, who happens to be on sick leave after major surgery. Of course they gave me other reasons, which would have amounted to a write-up or verbal warning at best. believe me when I say I called the state BON and reported the Unit Manager from my cell phone in my truck before I even pulled out of the parking lot. Now the facility has "visitors", and the whole unit is in an uproar trying to fix things before they see it.

On a good note tho, they fired me on Friday, and I had a new job on Saturday, so I'm VERY happy to be gone from there, but I miss my residents terribly.

That's so awful! At least the blood isn't on your hands!!

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Specializes in Med-Surg.

Every good manager knows you fire a person and then escort them off the premises at that time and don't let them out of your eyesight.

It does not sound like abandonment to me if the charge nurse accepted the assignment.

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It is also unreasonable to expect an employee to finish out the shift after learning that she's been terminated. She gave report, she handed off her pts. She did nothing wrong. Even if she hadn't reported off, I don't think the BON would have seen this as abandonment.

If anything, for security reasons, I would think that the BON would side with the nurse and think the facility was off it's rocker.

I know that your friend, I'm sure was a wonderful person....but what a liability case you would have if something happened to a patient right after they fired someone and they were permitted to work the remainder of their shift.

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Geri, Ortho, Telemetry, Psych.

I don't know if it's even legal for them to fire you and then expect you to work for 3 more hours. What if you make a huge mistake in those 3 hours; can you say, I'm not responsible- they fired me. Or what if you (not you personally, but anyone in this position) were to divert some narcotics in those 3 hours; or forget to run an IV abt? Are you responsible for anything that happens in that facility once you are fired? Whole situation just sounds a bit fishy to me.

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Sounds to me like the DON has the problem here. I think she's just blowing smoke, so the terminated nurse would stay untul 3 and they'd have the "hours" they're required to by the state.

I just got terminated also, and they at least had the decency to do it at 3:15, the end of my shift. They fired me for NOT falsifying documentation, as I refused to write a nurses note as printed out for me by the Unit Manager, and then sign another nurses name, who happens to be on sick leave after major surgery. Of course they gave me other reasons, which would have amounted to a write-up or verbal warning at best. believe me when I say I called the state BON and reported the Unit Manager from my cell phone in my truck before I even pulled out of the parking lot. Now the facility has "visitors", and the whole unit is in an uproar trying to fix things before they see it.

On a good note tho, they fired me on Friday, and I had a new job on Saturday, so I'm VERY happy to be gone from there, but I miss my residents terribly.

I guess it works both ways!!

MyGod, they actually told you what to say and wanted you to sign someone else's name????? If they wanted it done so much, why didn't they do it themselves. Nt saying it's right by any means, just why did they want to have YOU do it? That's nuts!

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Firing someone and then expecting them to finish their shift is insane and is cruel. If I were on the Board, I'd say the fired party took it well and acted professionally, as she finished her work and reported off. Some people do not know how to manage.

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