Would You do the same thing I did?

[vnsam]

would you do the same thing i did? was it really a crime and ground for termination? or i am missing something?

i am a lvn here in san diego working in a small hospital which am employed for more than five years now.

i've been lvn for more than a decade now and was never in trouble but only now. this really hurts me.

i work 12 hrs a day and mainly taking graveyard shift. i just got terminated today for job abandonment when i left work early due to family emergency which i think was the right thing for me to do as a father.

my wife on the other hand (also working that night) called me on my cellphone at 0400, telling me that our son called her and telling her that his sister has a temperature of 104.2f:nono: orally with severe headache and with occational nausea and vomitting. my wife also told me that she took the liberty of calling our supervisor that night at 0330 and was told that i can not leave until 0600 and was surprised to know that for 30 min past, the supervisor did'nt even bother telling me about it. my wife don't know how to drive and gets to work only by carpooling with co workers and she has no means of getting home without a car. my kids 3 kids (17, 15 and 14 years old) are hopeless at this time and so, i told my charge nurse in icu about this and hearing without reply i took that as a "no problem" with them. i did my 0400 duties and when i was done at 0445 (with no word yet from the supervisor) i went straight to her office and told her that i am done helping my charge nurses and i have to leave.

to my surprise instead of relieving my post she replied "well sam, you can not leave until six o'clock and i am busy with staffing". :trout: i was begging and told her that i really have to go since my wife is at work and don't drive but to no avail. by then, it was already 0449 when i clocked out and that was all. i left my work in a hurry knowing they would understand. but i guess i was wrong.. maybe, if it was someone else with the same problem; they could be sent home right away without problem.. it just so happened that it was me...

[CyndieRN2007]

So, Sam......how are things turning out?

[Daytonite, BSN, RN]

She was diagnosed with dehydration, stomach flu and with fatigue eyes (needing to wear her eye glasses which we thought she is using when reading).

She was given iv for dehydration and few other instructions before sending home...She missed 2 days off school but she is fine now..

thanks

And, this is what you lost your job over. Looking back, would you have done things differently based on this knowledge?

[CyndieRN2007]

And, this is what you lost your job over. Looking back, would you have done things differently based on this knowledge?

He already lost his job.......but his daughter was ok. I'm sure he feels bad enough. Give him a break.

I would have done the same thing. But thank god I dont have a heartless nurse manager like he did. I bet he/she would have covered the floor really quick if it was her/his kids.

[Weeping Willow]

Ummm.........a fever is not a legitimate reason to call 911. A call to 911 for a teenager with a fever will result in a very ticked off paramedic and a disgusted ER nurse.

I would not want to upset or anger anyone or inconvenience anyone but I might use 911 if I feared for my loved one's wellbeing or very life and I was absolutely stuck at work and couldn't get to his side myself.

I see 911 called for anything and everything. An AIDS patient who is feeling ill calls 911 instead of a friend, neighbor, or cab, despite not being seriously ill enough to truly warrant the paramedics. And Medicaid had to foot the unnecessary bill.

Just one example. I'm sure we can all cite plenty of these.

I think the OP's situation is a good commentary on what life is like for relatively poor, working people. We work, we strive to be good workers, responsible citizens, good citizens, and good parents, as well as take care of our aging family and help our community and church. Despite paying our bills and trying not to be troublemakers, when we need help, we can't always get it.

I think the OP was likely exhausted and not thinking all that clearly because of that and due to fear about his child. I think he is trying to be a good person but his boss would not help him. I wonder if he made his plight known to the other nurses and if he asked them to cover for him for an hour. Did they turn him down? Did he have a history of problems like this? Do they have no compassion for him or his children? If nothing else, he and his wife really need to work opposite shifts so that it is more likely that one or the other of them will, if not always, then at least will more often be available to their children. It's really hard when you have full time work, 1 car, children, perhaps no neighbor, friend, or family to call upon for back-up, and you have to carry the whole load. It really does take a village. No, I do not like Hillary Clinton but she was right about that. No man is an island and all.

[Weeping Willow]

I'm sorry for you situation, but I have to agree with Zookeeper- a fever is not something that warrants a 911 call- you could have called a cab for your teenager to get to the hospital. OR, better yet, since you really only ended up leaving about an hour early, just have your teenager take some Tylenol, & then brought them in when you got done at 0600. Would their medical condition really have changed at all if they had waited one more hour for you to get done with work???

The whole problem is that he didn't know how his child would be if he didn't get her some help. And the problem was seriously compounded by his cruel supervisor and her selfish disregard for the wellbeing of him and his daughter. Your answer is perfectly logical and I do not disagree with the advice of Tylenol and recheck her in a short while, take her to be seen in an hour. I think he was beside himself, though, and his supervisor was an absolute monster not to help him out.

[Tweety, BSN, RN]

The whole problem is that he didn't know how his child would be if he didn't get her some help. And the problem was seriously compounded by his cruel supervisor and her selfish disregard for the wellbeing of him and his daughter. Your answer is perfectly logical and I do not disagree with the advice of Tylenol and recheck her in a short while, take her to be seen in an hour. I think he was beside himself, though, and his supervisor was an absolute monster not to help him out.

I agree. I'm not saying the op was correct in what he did or why, but the super probably could have worked with this guy. As a charge nurse the staff I work with has had to leave on numerous occasions for many reasons, some are practically out the door saying "I have to leave...blah blah blah.........". They know I'm going to handle their patients, end of discussion. It's what we do for each other.

[jnrsmommy]

If that would have been one of my girls, I would've been out the door as well. What boggles my mind is that the OP, who was working in the ICU basically as an aide (I don't mean that in a derogatory way, just saying that he did not have a pt load and was assisting w/ 6 pts), finished his work, then told his charge that he was leaving. I don't see that as either job or pt abandonment. Insubordination because the super said no, sure, I could see that. Possible suspension, disciplinary action... defnintely. But not being fired, I think that's over the top.

[Gauge]

I'm currently a BSN student and when we had our lecture on client abandonment we were told that it is abandonment whenever you leave without proper notice. The OP did not leave immediately without warning. He made constant, consistent attempts warranted both the supervisor and charge nurse of knowing the situation. I personally believe that because they were both aware and adequate time had elapsed for someone to come cover for them that it would not be abandonment. Just my 2 cents.

[scattycarrot, BSN, RN]

The more I read about the way nurses are treated here in the US, the less I feel like getting my US licence. Does no-one support nurses over here? I can't believe that someone would get sacked over this! A warning maybe but sacked!

[Rexie68]

i also gotta say though, leaving three teenagers home alone unsupervised at night?

i supervised my babies for safety, i supervise my primary school aged children for safety, when they are teenagers i will continue to supervise them - for safety.

yep, it means my work hours and my pay packet are heavily sacrificed but it's still a small price to pay for four healthy safe children reaching adulthood.

definitely wouldnt want teenagers unsupervised in the hours of darkness! my teenage years are just too clear in my mind still

cheers,

jo

i worked nights for quite a while. i'm a single mom of four, and yes, i left my teens home alone at night. they are responsible, intelligent young adults who have made good choices. could there be a problem? sure, but there could be if i were home fast asleep, too. we all have choices to make and try to do our best. i would never vilify someone for leaving responsible teens in charge...no matter what hour of the day or night. in this day and age, with families living far away at times, and divorces on the rise.....our children grow up quickly. my older ones have learned responsibilty and the bond with them and the younger children is amazing.