[TNNURSE]

Originally Posted by sjrn85

You follow the chain of command. You let the supervisor know, and let him/her act accordingly. You do not just go and call the BON, and you do not let the situation go and then call your friend and tell your friend about it.

Go back and reread my second post. I said very clearly your friend should have called the supervisor, and that she is putting her own license in jeopardy by not taking this through the chain of command at her facility.

Her co-worker has a right to privacy as well, and I doubt he'd be happy to know that not only is his condition being discussed by his co-worker with her friend, but her friend is posting his medical information on a public BB. People have been "outed" here many times for posting detailed info.; the individual being discussed could easily be ID'd by other co-workers, or he himself could be reading what's being posted about him. Not good.

SJRN85.....I have been a nurse many years.....and I dont think there is anything unusual about a 24 year old nurse...nor the events that I described that diabetics and CHF patients go thru.And no...it can not be traced by to the original nurses...bc...a few lil things are different.But kudos to you for being so HIPPA conscious....but...I already thought of that. Just to reinforce you are in the nursing Issues and how they affect patient care......however if you had read my post you would have noticed it said the Nm was aware...or so she said.

Also....I am not so sure who brought up the BON. I think this is a safety issue that should be attempted to resolved within that facility without going to the drastic extreme of going thru the BON.But...it is obviously impairing the diabetics ability to safely pratice ...bc....the staff had to spend time taking care of him...and he couldnt recall the Nipride order.
So..if that Nm is aware..where do you go? Risk management if ..if..it cant be resolved with the nurse?That would be my thought.
As I said....we are all aging...and this is an issue that will come up time and again .There arent easy answers...
As one of the other posts listed above....this is something that she has encountered too.And it was less stressful on all parties after she retired...so I feel this is an issue that we will be addressing more and more again and again and again.

[sjrn85]

If your post was so clear, you should not have needed to go back and edit it after I posted my reply. I know that we are in the "Nursing Issues/Concerns" thread, BTW, but that doesn't mean that anything goes.

In any case, it's nearly impossible for me to comment further because you have altered the contents of your original post, so I can't refer back to it. However, I will say that labeling a nurse as "impaired" carries grave consequences, and usually implies that one is considering reporting that nurse to the BON or taking other serious steps.

And yes, I am HIPAA conscious. And I think it's unprofessional for someone to be discussing this matter in such detail with a third party.

If the nurse manager is aware of the situation but not acting on it, then your friend should take it to the next level; that would depend on the institution's policy. If meds are being missed/ delayed/errors occurring, then your friend should be filling out incident reports every time it happens. Bear in mind that the NM may know more about this than your friend does, and just because your friend hasn't seen immediate action doesn't mean that things aren't in process. Your friend should also be calling the supervisor if her co-worker appears to be too ill to work.

Your friend should use caution in how much information she is disclosing to you; you might want to remind her of that. She may not be as HIPAA savvy. Regardless of what the true details are, it's inappropriate for her to be discussing it with you, and is still a violation of this nurse's privacy when she talks about it with you, whether or not you post the actual details on a BB.


Edited by fab4fan 122705 at 2312 to insert missed word "remind."

[TNNURSE]

Originally Posted by sjrn85

If your post was so clear, you should not have needed to go back and edit it after I posted my reply. I know that we are in the "Nursing Issues/Concerns" thread, BTW, but that doesn't mean that anything goes.

In any case, it's nearly impossible for me to comment further because you have altered the contents of your original post, so I can't refer back to it. However, I will say that labeling a nurse as "impaired" carries grave consequences, and usually implies that one is considering reporting that nurse to the BON or taking other serious steps.

And yes, I am HIPAA conscious. And I think it's unprofessional for someone to be discussing this matter in such detail with a third party.

If the nurse manager is aware of the situation but not acting on it, then your friend should take it to the next level; that would depend on the institution's policy. If meds are being missed/ delayed/errors occurring, then your friend should be filling out incident reports every time it happens. Bear in mind that the NM may know more about this than your friend does, and just because your friend hasn't seen immediate action doesn't mean that things aren't in process. Your friend should also be calling the supervisor if her co-worker appears to be too ill to work.

Your friend should use caution in how much information she is disclosing to you; you might want to remind her of that. She may not be as HIPAA savvy. Regardless of what the true details are, it's inappropriate for her to be discussing it with you, and is still a violation of this nurse's privacy when she talks about it with you, whether or not you post the actual details on a BB.


Edited by fab4fan 122705 at 2312 to insert missed word "remind."

If you dont want to discuss healthcare issues and things that may affect pt care/safety then please find another forum. The only edit I made...was to clarify what I was asking...which is.....when health issues....such as uncontrolled diabetes, cancer, chf, and altered cerebral flow impairs a healthcare practitioners ability to perform their job safely how do we as nurses intervene when it is coworkers that we care about. How can you ensure patient safety and not hurt your coworker that is ill?Also...When does "impaired" have to mean "drug addict"?No one mentioned that topic...we are talking about HC Issues that we will all begin to see as the baby boomers age and progress. Many things can impair our bodies ability to function as we want them to.Nursing administration ...is reluctant bc of HIPPA laws to intercede.So....since this is the Nsg Issues/Concerns and how they affect pt care forum....and since this is an issue that will either directly or indirectly affect patient care and will become more of an issue in the future I am asking for additional comments if anyone has them on any special pointers anyone can offer the nurse placed in this position. Simply knowing the Nurse manager was aware still does not absolve any nurse of responsiblity if a sentinel event occurs and risk management was NOT aware...so it could be a liability issue for the coworkers too...if the situation was bad enough....and risk management was aware.Thats just my thought.

[sjrn85]

Sigh...again, I said that the NM should be informed, and that, if necessary, concerns should be taken further up the chain of command. I also said that incidents should be documented, and that if a nurse found a co-worker to ill to be working and thus a threat to pt. safety, the supervisor should be paged to address the situation. Measures can be taken to ensure pt. safety while upholding HIPAA regulations.

As I said before, the general context of calling a nurse "impaired" implies substance abuse problems.

I don't know what other suggestions you're looking for. I hope someone else can help you.

And I still think that it is inappropriate for a nurse to discuss detailed personal information about one of her co-workers with a friend.

[sjrn85]

Also, this thread started out being about a very specific situation with very specific details such as blood glucose levels and symptoms. I'm sorry if I misunderstood your intent for it to be about illnesses in general.

[TNNURSE]

Originally Posted by sjrn85

Sigh...again, I said that the NM should be informed, and that, if necessary, concerns should be taken further up the chain of command. I also said that incidents should be documented, and that if a nurse found a co-worker to ill to be working and thus a threat to pt. safety, the supervisor should be paged to address the situation. Measures can be taken to ensure pt. safety while upholding HIPAA regulations.

As I said before, the general context of calling a nurse "impaired" implies substance abuse problems.

I don't know what other suggestions you're looking for. I hope someone else can help you.

And I still think that it is inappropriate for a nurse to discuss detailed personal information about one of her co-workers with a friend.

Calm down SJrn....lol.....this coworker...as she states...is very open about their health issues.And as far as details.....they have been altered on this BB.I always "change" mine enough to where it couldnt ever identify anyone.
I am sure...you have gone home and talked over your concerns about a coworker with a family member or friend.We all have.The nurse who came to me...is just...very concerned.As I said there is not a malicious bone in her.But ...as the baby boomers advance in age.....some dont want to leave the jobs they love...even though their bodies are begging them to.It is a bad situation...a sad situation...and with HIPPA laws in place......administration doesnt want to touch that taboo subject of addressing a HC practitioners fading health .But if scenarios were not posted on any of these sites....or narrations to fully explain a question or answer....that does include past experiences of nurses...then no one would receive any benefit from these forums. When I ask for any additional comments .....it doesnt "just" mean from the last person that posted...or anyone I have quoted.

[sjrn85]

it doesnt "just" mean from the last person that posted...or anyone I have quoted.

I realize that. I said that just to clarify that based on what you posted, I had no other ideas to offer; I didn't mean for you to infer that I thought you were addressing me specifically.

And no, I really don't go home and talk about co-workers/patients. I try to leave work at work.

Best of luck to you in your search for ways to handle this type of situation. I'm sorry I couldn't be of any help to you.

Good night.

[TNNURSE]

Originally Posted by sjrn85

Also, this thread started out being about a very specific situation with very specific details such as blood glucose levels and symptoms. I'm sorry if I misunderstood your intent for it to be about illnesses in general.

Nothing was deleted from the initial post..only additional info was added to clarify exactly what I was truly asking.This isnt so much about one health issue as much as it is about all health issues.All health issues that can rob us of the energy/tolerance to perform our jobs like CHF, cancer, uncontrolled diabetes...if it impairs our ability to safely meet all of our patients needs.BC as I said...the baby boomers are advncing...I am getting older too....it will be me someday. I will have a very difficult time....leaving nursing.But...when I get to the point where I cant safely perform my job without coworkers having to worry over my prominent health issues....someone....please....step in.Do the right thing..if administration isnt listening ...go to risk management if I wont listen to your heart to heart talk with me.

[TNNURSE]

Originally Posted by sjrn85

I realize that. I said that just to clarify that based on what you posted, I had no other ideas to offer; I didn't mean for you to infer that I thought you were addressing me specifically.

And no, I really don't go home and talk about co-workers/patients. I try to leave work at work.

Best of luck to you in your search for ways to handle this type of situation. I'm sorry I couldn't be of any help to you.

Good night.

sjrn....thank you...I really have concluded...there is no easy answer.And that if it is a patient safety issue she is concerned over....if she brings it up again...and she will....I will tell her to call the risk management dept...if she gets no where after a confidential heart to heart with the coworker.But again...thanks

[prmenrs]

I'm closing this for moderator discussion.