Worried About Getting Sued—Traveler

[Newtraveller]

I’m a new ER travel nurse and just started my first day of assignment this week. Transported a patient with vapotherm to the floor with RT and gave heads up of finally transporting to floor beforehand since there was a delay of 1.5 hrs after phone report. Patient was transported with zoll monitor and was awake and oriented when dropped off; was left in the room. Got a call morning after from management patient suffered a poor outcome and said floor nurse came into the room 3 hrs after transport, was not aware patient was there, and something happed to patient. Basically hospital is throwing me under the bus for it.  Thoughts?

TLDR: transported tele patient to floor; floor nurse came in 3 hrs after transport without knowing pt was there/was not hooked in telepack and pt suffered a poor outcome. Hospital is throwing me under the bus

[NedRN]

I cannot even imagine dropping off any patient, much less a monitored patient without an in-person report to receiving nurse. Why would you think so?

Phone reports might be acceptable for shift change per facility, but not after a unit change. Heads up is a good courtesy practice, but hardly sufficient.

This is really not a travel issue, this is basic nursing. Perhaps a staff nurse could be disciplined and educated, but sure, not a traveler.

[11blade, RN]

Unfortunately, YOU threw yourself under the bus. Even though you gave report to the receiving nurse, and, called again before you left your unit, dropping the patient off in the room, monitored or un monitored, and leaving is a BIG problem for YOU, not the receiving nurse. You have a duty to the patient to transfer their care to another equally licensed or higher level of care provider, not just leave them with an RT at bedside.

I have transported patients from the OR to the floor, after phone report, and waited, used the call bell, and waited more time until the nurse arrives in the room BEFORE I leave the patient's bedside. Sometimes, I have my OR mgr. on my comm device squawking about WHY aren't you back in the OR yet? Legally, I cannot leave the patient until I've transferred care...period...no matter what state you are working as a traveler.

Years ago, a hospital I worked per diem at decided that the nurses on the floor were delaying us too much, so the managers in the OR came up with the brilliant idea to 'fax written report' to the unit secretary, who would take the paper to the RN receiving, freeing us to drop and run...WAIT...WHAT?! When I confirmed their paper was 1. not part of the legal chart, just a worksheet to be thrown away, and, 2. the form had not been authorized by the hospital forms committe, I politely informed the manager I would NOT be doing that. Everything that comes out of a manager's mouth isn't kosher with the nurse practice act....

[NedRN]

Sometimes the title goes unread and unanswered. Being sued is probably not a problem. Both the hospital and agency carry significant Liability Insurance and it is unlikely you would even be involved even if a court case without fast settlement happens. 

The hospital may decide to report you to the BON and that carries significant career risks going forward. Reporting really depends on the hospital culture and the DON there and patient outcome. Not much you can do about it really, but don't make it worse by being defensive with any employee of the hospital.

Leave quietly, and do risk management stuff for the hospital and agency as required - keeping it a completely objective. It would also be prudent to make an objective account of what happened now for your own record should you need to refresh your memory of the events and what you thought the expectations were should you have to attend a hearing.

[speedynurse, ADN, BSN, RN, EMT-P]

I am not a travel nurse. I am a former ER nurse though and any patient I transported I waited for the nurse to come in. Maybe med surg patients, I would just wait for a tech. Any patient that needed a monitor, I would wait for the nurse. It was hospital policy but also just basic safe nursing care. 
 

And trust me - it was very frustrating to wait for the receiving nurse to come in! I remember the stress of hearing a charge nurse wanting to know when I was coming back to the ER or a squad being placed in my room.....etc.