""Is this a state board issue?"" Here's a riddle for you....

Nurses General Nursing

Published

Here is the problem. Two on-duty day nurses decide to go shopping at the mall. For more than two hours... An off duty co-worker sees them. The on duty nurses' work in two different critical care units..One leaves her 2 patients with a nurses' aide "keeping an eye on them". The other nurse leaves her two patients' in the care of another nurse. All of the nurses involved are mature, experienced , staff R.N.'s. The shopping twins do not clock out...or back in.. The nurse who observed them and talked with them while they were shopping reported it to the nursing CNO. So, what is the next step? In your opinion, how should management handle this?....UPDATE: Rumor is that one of the 4 patients went into respiratory distress and was intubated while the shoppers were out. Also, they were gone > two hours. Also, at least 6 nurses were aware of what was going on and "covered" for them. And the CNO is their "friend." They are back at work after being "reprimanded." What's your opinion?

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Everything except surgery.

I M H O.....they should be fired and reported to the board for desertion of their pts. They have NO business in nursing...period.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Ditto! Bye bye license!!

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Wow! Well the one that left the patient with an unlicensed personnel would get charged with abandoment. If those 2 patients went critical and nurses aide w/their scope would not be able to do anything. Plus the abuse of company time they would be terminated on the spot reporting one to the board of nursing.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

"not to fire them." What would you make of that?

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in ER.

Were they on a lunch break, and are they required to clock in and out if they are on a break?

Up Vote Up Vote ×

If they were not on a break and just decided they needed some time away I would be sure to go over the chief nursing officers head and see that they get fired or else make their life a living hell so that they would just resign. Every patients deserves the best care possible and shouldn't be left with a less qualified person to care for them just so you can have time away.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in CV-ICU.

1. Depending on where you live, there could be charges of patient abandonment against the one who left her patients in the charge of a nursing assistant; but that would depend on whether you work in a state that uses those terms. Otherwise "unethical" or "unprofessional" are 2 other charges that could be used against them.

2. Being fired is an employers' decision, not the Board of Nursings'.

3. If they were on their lunch break, the one nurse still did not provide adequate coverage for her CRITICAL CARE patients when she had an aide covering for her.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I agree they should be terminated. I can't imagine doing this. Even if they were on a lunch break, who the hell gets 90min or 2 hrs. I'm lucky I can even take a food break. Nothing against CNA's but what kind of nurse in a critical care unit would leave a CNA in charge of her pts? They would be gone at my facility!!!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Home Health.

ITA they should be terminated immediately. I have never heard of any hospital giving any employee a 90 minute break!!

What do I think of them not being fired? I think it is a sad testiment to how severe the nursing shortage is, esp to lose two, I presume experienced, critical care nurses. This is going to send a very strong message to the other staff. To me it says, all we want is warm bodies, and the fact that you bust your a$$ for us means nothing, or whether you shop in the mall while on duty, if you are a warm body, the qulaity of your work and commitment mean nothing! What if this gets around the hospital, will other nurses and personnel get the idea it's OK to leave the unit for extended periods of time??

Those nurses will do this again, since they now know there are no consequences for their unprofessional behavior. This is SAD!!

Up Vote Up Vote ×

termimated? One should have her license revoked, the other should be placed on suspension! Gee I hope they received at least a warning stating should this happen again, they would be terminated and license revocation...How sad is this. God forbid I was a pt in critical care and wanted to know where my nurse was after an hour and she didn't show up for another hour ....what the.....heck were you doing for 2 hours??? Very very lucky there were no serious events occurring while they were shopping!...Still should have been major ramifications.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

the only thing I can say is: und Tschüss!

(meaning: and Goodbye, or: that was it)

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Add a Comment