painreliever

I have worked hurricane duty. Bring everything you need as you may be there longer than you expect. Generally, whoever is there when the hurricane hits will be there until the weather breaks and travel is safe. Also, you will not be allowed to leave until your replacement is actually on the unit. If you do not come when scheduled (outside of the time when travel is not possible), you can be charged with patient abandonment and lose your job, and potentially lose your license. Keep that in mind every time a similar situation comes up. Good luck.

When I was a new grad, many years ago, I would often follow a nurse from the previous shift that I had noticed did no assessments on her patients other than vital signs. However, when I would read her notes, she always had an assessment documented. BBS were always CTA. I pondered what to do initially, but ultimately decided to go ahead and chart my assessments, even though they were often vastly different from hers. I kept waiting for a supervisor to take note, but none did. I didn't want to say anything because I was new to the profession and she had twenty years experience. I assumed because of her experience, she would notice if something alarming was going on and would act accordingly. After eight months on med-surg, I took a permanent position in a specialty unit. I would continue through the years to give her report periodically. She never wrote down anything I said. I discussed her lack of note taking and assessments with nurses in her area. They all said she was a good nurse with experience who would notice if there were a problem. Well, long time later, I heard she was fired. When asking for details, I learned she had charted a patient was not having any issues when they actually were. The patient was in a very dire situation and ultimately passed away. When her documentation was reviewed in total, it was finally noted she had done no assessments and was documenting falsely. I can state that you are accountable in every sutuation in which you have provided care and have documented it. Only you can protect your license. I would never skip a portion of my assessment for any reason, least of all peer pressure. You can set an example. Perhaps others will confront you, which will give you an opportunity to remind them of the great risk they are taking with their license and their patient's lives.