bunnynurse 69

dearest new nurse. I was very lucky as years ago my mentor told me you can never be faulted if what you did was the safest thing for the patient. I also bet no one ever told you, you can refuse to accept an assignment , if you do not believe it to be safe. I can tell you . DO NOT let some one bully you into a situation like this again. Politely excuse yourself from report. politely go to charge nurse, house manger on up the chain. Do not become tearful or angry. explain just as you have so eloquently to whomever is you next level supervisor, If no changes are made. Let the nurse giving you report you will not accept this assignment until you speak to the supervisor. If no solution can be resolved, Decline the assignment and leave! Document in your own nursing ledger and ask whoever you spoke to to sign it. If they refuse, again politely and respectfully document their names and names of any witness and Leave. This is not abandonment as you have not accepted the assignment I had a similar issue happen to me many years ago. They will try and bargain with, guilt you and remind you of the lurch you are leaving your fellow nurses in. This hospital, supervisor will not be sitting in the courtroom when you are asked if you felt this assignment was safe. Personal nursing ledger? Whenever an incident occurs, good or bad, write down your honest recollections. I left the night of my incident. I was called into HR and a letter of reprimand was placed in my file. until I read into the HR minutes exactly what had happened. It was later removed. I also heard the outright lies entered by the house supervisor. When the assignment was outside my expertice. Any employer will suck you dry if you allow them to. I don't know what state you live in, check all laws and practice acts. but there is not an administrator that will have your back when it come to the issue of negligence or loss of your license. And while I abhor committes, do ask to see the policy of having an orientee. Every nurse know if an orientee is to have any chance to learn something, you as the staff nurse should have fewer patients, not more. I leave this long winded answer with a "core" truism there is not a shortage of nurses. There are only nurses who find they are unwilling to be treated like disposable chattel anymore and working someplace else. signed 30+ years in nursing