Comments on: Refusing an Unsafe Patient Assignment https://www.aureusmedical.com/blog/refusing-an-unsafe-assignment/ Aureus Medical Group’s healthcare blog provides articles and information regarding careers in travel nursing, travel therapy, allied health and more. Mon, 06 Apr 2020 15:57:15 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.5 By: Betsy Martin, RN, BSN https://www.aureusmedical.com/blog/refusing-an-unsafe-assignment/#comment-48147 Mon, 06 Apr 2020 15:57:15 +0000 https://www.aureusmedical.com/blog/?p=168634#comment-48147 Thank you for your question! You are not required legally or ethically to work in a unit you’re not clinically qualified to work in. One day of orientation is not enough to make you a fully competent nurse in that area, caring for your own patient assignments. One option would be to help by “tasking” which means you provide assistance and support to the nurses on those units who are the primary nurses for patients. This means you could perform tasks by placing foleys, getting vital signs, measuring I’s and O’s, checking blood with another nurse, doing blood sugar checks, getting supplies, etc.

To avoid confusion, have a conversation with your supervisor regarding what you feel comfortable doing BEFORE you show up to any shifts. If you report to your shift and decide to refuse an assignment, make sure you do that before getting report or accepting the assignment to avoid patient abandonment. It’s possible that your employer might require you to take PTO or not receive pay if you’re not working. That depends on the facility’s own policies. Good luck and stay safe!

]]> By: MARTIN sison https://www.aureusmedical.com/blog/refusing-an-unsafe-assignment/#comment-48146 Fri, 03 Apr 2020 03:18:20 +0000 https://www.aureusmedical.com/blog/?p=168634#comment-48146 I am an OR NURSE, because Of the Coronavirus Covid-19 our surgical schedules has been just emergency cases or no surgery at all. So, we were told that we will be assigned to Medsurg & ICU. Oriented just a day and inexperienced as Medsurg or ICU NURSE. My question: are we mandated or do we have a legal & ethical obligation to refuse such unsafe assignment considering our being inexperience & compromising the patients safety?

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