Patient Abandonment???

[Kitty The Dog]

I am a new LPN working my first job in a nursing home. I want to know if this is considered patient abandonment. I had 3 days of training... I went to work last night, my 4th night employed, they assigned me 2 different units. One unit has 25 patients and a QMA, the other unit had 55 patients and a CNA. I am brand new with a very limited skill set. I refused the assignment stating unsafe practices. They refused to change my assignment so I clocked out and went home. I did not accept any keys, count any meds or even talk to the person with whom I was to relieve.

The staffing nurse called me about 10 minutes after I got home and begged me to come back and told me they would change my assignment to 40 patients and 2 CNA's. I did go back because I was worried about patient abandonment. I decided today that I am not going back to this nursing home because I was told they will keep doing this. By the way, they did not bring in any more staff to correct this problem, just that another nurse accepted the assignment and I worked in her place. This ratio happens every night.

Did I do the right thing by going back? Could they have reported me for patient abandonment if I didn't go back? I am just curious.

As you can imagine I am upset by this. My poor patients are the ones who suffer. If I don't have to pass a med to them, I never see them. What kind of nursing is that?

Thanks for any feed back given...

[NurseKatie08, MSN]

I am a new LPN working my first job in a nursing home. I want to know if this is considered patient abandonment. I had 3 days of training... I went to work last night, my 4th night employed, they assigned me 2 different units. One unit has 25 patients and a QMA, the other unit had 55 patients and a CNA. I am brand new with a very limited skill set. I refused the assignment stating unsafe practices. They refused to change my assignment so I clocked out and went home. I did not accept any keys, count any meds or even talk to the person with whom I was to relieve.

The staffing nurse called me about 10 minutes after I got home and begged me to come back and told me they would change my assignment to 40 patients and 2 CNA's. I did go back because I was worried about patient abandonment. I decided today that I am not going back to this nursing home because I was told they will keep doing this. By the way, they did not bring in any more staff to correct this problem, just that another nurse accepted the assignment and I worked in her place. This ratio happens every night.

Did I do the right thing by going back? Could they have reported me for patient abandonment if I didn't go back? I am just curious.

As you can imagine I am upset by this. My poor patients are the ones who suffer. If I don't have to pass a med to them, I never see them. What kind of nursing is that?

Thanks for any feed back given...

I don't see how you could be reported for abandonment. You didn't take keys, do count or take report at all. Kudos to you for refusing the assignment. You did the right thing for your patients, and you protected your license.

[LovingNurse, BSN, RN]

Could they have reported me for patient abandonment if I didn't go back?

I vividly remember it being stressed during a legal lecture by an RN, JD ... that walking out d/t unsafe practices is *not* abandonment *if* you didn't accept the assignment to begin with. You didn't accept the assignment, so I think you were probably fine. So sorry you were in such a situation.

Perhaps a call to your BON will help set your mind at ease for future reference.

[NewCanadianNurse12]

I am fairly certain that as long as you didn't initiate any care or accept your assignment it doesn't count as abandonment...I can't believe that they would make you work in such crappy circumstances...good for you for sticking up for yourself!

[Kitty The Dog]

Your responses make me feel better. I will call the BON on monday just to clarify for future reference.