Patient Abandonment

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I had a situation this morning with an agency nurse. Two weeks ago I had to write her up with 4 med errors. To make a long story short, she's been out to get me since. This morning she started yelling at me and berating me as a new nurse etc. "I know nothing!" Anyway, I told her I was calling my supervisor in to take my place and she could give report to her. I did not take report. She threatened my license saying I was abandoning my patients. I did not take the keys or get report. Is this "patient abandonment"? I did not leave until my supervisor was there. Tell me what you guys think. I am a new nurse and am scared as heck now. Does she have any basis to call state? Please help!:uhoh21:

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Specializes in Med/Surge.
I had a situation this morning with an agency nurse. Two weeks ago I had to write her up with 4 med errors. To make a long story short, she's been out to get me since. This morning she started yelling at me and berating me as a new nurse etc. "I know nothing!" Anyway, I told her I was calling my supervisor in to take my place and she could give report to her. I did not take report. She threatened my license saying I was abandoning my patients. I did not take the keys or get report. Is this "patient abandonment"? I did not leave until my supervisor was there. Tell me what you guys think. I am a new nurse and am scared as heck now. Does she have any basis to call state? Please help!:uhoh21:

If you didn't take report and "control" of the patients then this is not patient abandonment IMO and I think it would be in the boards opinion as well. Sounds to me like she is just mad that you called her on her errors and knows that you will probably "freak" out by being told something like that. You can always look in your BON handbook to see what constitutes patient abandonment and then I would make a copy of that page and politely give it to her just to get her up to speed on what patient abandonment really is!! But of course, I am kind of a smart a** too!!

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Specializes in Rural Health.

I'm about 99.9% sure you actually have to accept the assignment and take report before you can abandon your patient regardless of the state you work in.......

What did your supervisor say?

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Specializes in Med-Surg.

Some states, all you have to do is show up for work and it's presumed you accept the patient load, doesn't matter if you take report or not.

However, I'm not understanding. Did your supervisor take responsibility for your patients? If the supervisor took the patients, then you have nothing to worry about.

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Specializes in Rural Health.

According to the KS SBON

•Patient abandonment-leaving an assignment that has been accepted, without notifying the appropriate authority and allowing reasonable time for replacement, whereby such departure endangers the health, safety and welfare of those patients entrusted to the licensee’s care.

Since you didn't accept the assignment - you should be fine.

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Specializes in Med-Surg.
Since you didn't accept the assignment - you should be fine.

Still it's best to define what "accept the assignment" means, because some BON's call it showing up on a unit and reporting for duty. Most of us think it means taking report.

Since the nurse hear did notify her supervisor and the supervisor showed up, we might be able to presume the supervisor took responsiblity for the patients.

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