Question about Safe Harbor

[turnforthenurse, MSN, NP]

I work on a floor that is mainly adults but we also take pediatric patients, if there is an available bed. Right before we started taking peds, our director wanted to know who was interested in taking them, and we all got a pretty good list, but now we have some peds nurses who are refusing to take them and are trying to force myself and some of the other nurses (who do not take peds nor have had any sort of training) to take them. Some nights we don't even have a pedi nurse scheduled - so who will take them?

Management states that we will never have an "unstable" ped. Anyone unstable will automatically get shipped to the children's hospital about 20-30 minutes away. That's a bunch of bull because like adults, a ped can become unstable at any time. Management also states that we shouldn't have to worry because all of our supervisors are PALS-certified so we can always use them as a resource if we need to.

Peds is so specialized and unless you have had proper training, I think it's a big risk to your license to be taking them. The TX BON states that unless you have had proper training, you are not practicing within your scope. Would I be able to invoke safe harbor in a situation like this? Myself and the other nurses on my floor are all outraged by this.

I will take peds ONLY if my hospital properly trains me to instead of just trying to throw me in there. And no one has offered any sort of training. So until then I am putt my foot down and refusing.