When a relief is late and you must leave your shift, which action best supports safety?

When a relief is late and you must leave your shift, which action best supports safety?

• A. Ask the nurse to call another nursing assistant to help
• B. Work until relief arrives
• C. Leave without notifying anyone
• D. Discuss the situation with the hospital administrator

Answer: (A)

The main concept here is ensuring patient safety when relief staff are late. When your relief hasn’t arrived, the safest course is to involve the nurse in charge and request additional help from another nursing assistant. This keeps patients from being left without coverage and prevents you from becoming overextended, which could lead to mistakes or missed care. It also uses the proper channel to arrange for coverage and to communicate the staffing need so care continues smoothly. Why this works best: it maintains supervision for all patients, ensures urgent needs can be met, and follows expected procedures for handling staffing gaps. It shows responsibility by safeguarding patient care and using the appropriate person to arrange help. Why the other options aren’t ideal: staying on and working until relief arrives can push you beyond safe limits and delay care tasks; leaving without notifying anyone leaves patients without supervision and violates safety and communication standards; discussing with the hospital administrator might be appropriate in some contexts, but the immediate, practical step to maintain safety is to inform the nurse in charge and get another aide to help.

The main concept here is ensuring patient safety when relief staff are late. When your relief hasn’t arrived, the safest course is to involve the nurse in charge and request additional help from another nursing assistant. This keeps patients from being left without coverage and prevents you from becoming overextended, which could lead to mistakes or missed care. It also uses the proper channel to arrange for coverage and to communicate the staffing need so care continues smoothly.

Why this works best: it maintains supervision for all patients, ensures urgent needs can be met, and follows expected procedures for handling staffing gaps. It shows responsibility by safeguarding patient care and using the appropriate person to arrange help.

Why the other options aren’t ideal: staying on and working until relief arrives can push you beyond safe limits and delay care tasks; leaving without notifying anyone leaves patients without supervision and violates safety and communication standards; discussing with the hospital administrator might be appropriate in some contexts, but the immediate, practical step to maintain safety is to inform the nurse in charge and get another aide to help.