Patient Abandonment FAQ

The Nurse Practice Act (NPA) does not define patient abandonment, nor is it a specific ground for disciplinary action. Therefore, the behavior which may be considered by an employer as patient abandonment must be interpreted from, rather than defined by, the law.

Generally, the Board identifies that patient abandonment results when a nurse has accepted responsibility for an assignment within the scheduled work shift, but the nurse does not either fulfill that responsibility or transfer it to another qualified person. This failure to fulfill a nursing responsibility may result in unsafe nursing care. Failure to practice with reasonable skill and safety is a ground for disciplinary action by the Board.

Only the Board of Nursing may take disciplinary action on a nurses license. A supervisor may not take a license away. The decision to take disciplinary action is based on the facts of the individual case and their application to grounds for disciplinary action in the NPA. The decision is not based on the recommendation of a supervisor.

The minimum standard of care to which the Board holds a nurse accountable requires the nurse to fulfill a patient care assignment or transfer responsibility for that care to another qualified person once a nurse has accepted an assignment.

1. Facility policy requires a nurse who will be absent from a shift to report the absence two hours before the start of the shift. The nurse calls the facility one hour before the start of her shift and reports she is ill and unable to work. Another nurse is required to work a double shift but the usual nurse-patient ratios are achieved.

The Board encourages nurses and employers to be aware of the Nurse Practice Act, including the grounds for discipline, and to make appropriate reports to the Board when necessary. Conduct which is not actionable by the Board is most appropriately addressed by the employer, consistent with employment laws, rules and policies.