Hello all. Just hoping to get some advice/input on a situation that happened recently. So I’m an LPN working through agency. When I arrived at the facility I received report on my assignment which consisted of Covid positive and negative patients and 2 carts. Some time after beginning my med pass I began experiencing chest and leg pain. I tried pushing through the pain and took a moment to go to the bathroom to gather my emotions as I went inside my leg immediately gave out, I began seeing yellow and white spots. I contacted my agency to inform them I’m doing my best to finish the morning meds but I need to leave afterwards to go to the hospital.
My agency contacted the supervisor on duty who stated they didn’t care what was going on with me if I leave I will be reported for abandonment. I asked my agency if it was clarified to the supervisor that although I did have a few issues with the nature of the assignment I was leaving because I needed to go to the ER. I was told that this was made clear to the supervisor but that they were adamant that they didn’t care and if I walk out the door I will be reported. I made my agency aware that I’d be calling 911 to go to the hospital.
The other nurse on the unit was already informed on the situation but I personally made her aware I’d be leaving the unit to go the ER and asked if she could please count with me, she refused. As emergency services were en route I went to the supervisor to hand over keys. The supervisor ignored me multiple times. I then demanded their attention and was asked if I came to a decision “keep your job or go play pretend” I informed the supervisor I was not pretending I was struggling to stand, the chest pain was now stabbing me and I decided to go to the ER.
I handed the keys directly to the supervisor and informed them I left the report sheet atop the cart. The supervisor then laughed and said they hope I’ve enjoyed my time as a nurse as they’ll personally ensure I lose my license. I then got into the ambulance and went to the ER. I understand I already accepted responsibility and began care however I left due to a medical emergency does that still constitute abandonment? Thank you for any input or advice.
That's dreadful. We had a nurse have a stroke at work. Thankfully she's fine but had to leave bedside nursing. We're human too.
We are taught "pain is what the patient says it is" but when a nurse is having chest pain she's faking it to get out of work?
She was going through a series of problems. Divorce and one of the parents died. Ex to be, I heard, was unemployed for life. Her babies were going to be given to him. We didn't know this until she was deceased. No support from work.
* I began experiencing chest and leg pain.
* The supervisor on duty stated they didn’t care what was going on with me.
*keep your job or go play pretend
This may be one of the most outrageous things I have read lately. Can any one of us imagine what would happen to any RN or LPN that spoke this way to a patient experiencing Chest Pain. We would be crucified and rightly so.
We are people too! We also have health emergencies that are every bit as important as the health of the patients we happen to be caring for.
If I were you I would write myself a report of all the details of what happen including exactly who you spoke to, when and their responses. Keep a copy of this and a copy of the Ambulance report and all the ER paperwork in case the facility has the audacity to take this any further.
It goes without saying that your agency should be informed you are never ever available to work as this horrible place again. I realize that last sentence may seem redundant but I’m going to guess that a facility with a manager with such gross lack of respect for their staff will be chronically short staffed and always in need of agency staff who haven’t as yet refused to ever set foot there again.
Specializes in Psych, Addictions, SOL (Student of Life).
Can I play Devil's advocate for a minute. In your initial post you stated that you arrived at work to be assigned an understandably heavy assignment.
"When I arrived at the facility I received report on my assignment which consisted of Covid positive and negative patients and 2 carts. "
You don't say if you mentioned the unusually heavy nature of your assignment. However later in your post you state.
"I asked my agency if it was clarified to the supervisor that although I did have a few issues with the nature of the assignment I was leaving because I needed to go to the ER"
I do believe you were having some type of medical problem but am not sure why you activated EMS by calling 911. With ER's absolutely saturated due to COVID I believe that it might have been better to drive or Uber to Urgent care, Rather than calling 911 which appears on it's face to be a tactic for leaving due to a medical emergency and the facility having no recourse but to let you leave as 911 and an ambulance was on their way to take you to the hospital.
If the facility does report you to the BON make sure you have your ER documents and that the diagnosis indicates that whatever was wrong constituted a genuine medical emergency, If you have Liability Insurance (Which every nurse should have) then call them for advice. While the manager at the facility was clearly unprofessional the BON will not get involved with that. This has the potential to go badly for you if the facility can demonstrate that your medical problem was not emergent (They can Subpoena your ER records) and that a patient may have suffered an adverse outcome related to your leaving early. The BON's only mandate is to ensure patient safety - everything else they do is just fluff.
It's possible that the threats from the facility are just posturing to scare you and you may never hear anything from them again but if they do report you and win this can affect your ability to work agency in the future.
Good luck to you and I hope this all turns out well.
Specializes in Progressive Care, Med-Surg, Geriatrics.
Nope this would not be job abandonment. There was a supervisor in the facility and that person can take the keys. This is an emergency situation and technically someone has to actually relieve you. You also left the report sheet and the supervisor had been notified multiple times. The supervisor is the one who will actually be in trouble.
iNurs5, CNA
471 Posts
She was going through a series of problems. Divorce and one of the parents died. Ex to be, I heard, was unemployed for life. Her babies were going to be given to him. We didn't know this until she was deceased. No support from work.