Question

A nurse manager has a staff nurse that has been absent a great deal for the past three months. A whistle blower gives some information to the manager indicating that the nurse plans to resign and return to school. Because of this new information, the nurse manager decides to do which of the following?

A. do nothing
B. immediately fire the staff nurse
C. confront the whistle blower to elicit more information
D. go to the HR department

Answer 1

The nurse manager should visit the HR department to handle the situation with the staff nurse's frequent absences and report of intent to resign professionally.

Step-by-step explanation:

A nurse manager who learns of a staff nurse's frequent absences and potential plan to resign and return to school should handle the situation professionally. Instead of immediately firing the staff nurse, which could have legal and ethical implications, the nurse manager should first visit the HR department to discuss the appropriate steps to manage the situation. The HR department can provide guidance on how to handle the situation per the hospital's policies and procedures, and in accordance with labor laws. Confronting the whistle blower may not be productive and could potentially violate confidentiality policies. Doing nothing could impact the unit's staffing and performance, so a proactive approach with HR is advisable.