Employer told everyone results of my TB test!

[DA314]

I work in a small law office, and I'm taking a CNA class right now, and had to get a TB test. The test came back positive. I hada very small reaction, which wouldn't have required any further testing except that when I become a CNA and then start nursing schoool, I'lll be around people with comprimsed immune systems.

Well, I told my boss (because I have to get a chest x-ray and needed a few hours off), and he told the whole office!!! Everyone knows, and I feel like a leper!

To top it off, his father is a Dr., and today at 2:00 we are having a meeting so the whole office can ask questions about my "disease".

I feel so embarassed and violated. Normally my boss is a very nice person, but he has crossed a line. When he sent the memo about the 2:00 meeting, I had to take a break and go cry. I felt like leaving and never coming back.

What would you do in this situation?

[shelly304]

I don't know why people are being so critical of this boss. Apart from the HIPAA issue (which I doubt, we often hear so-&-so called in sick, has a bad cold), he is a lawyer, not a healthcare worker or a scientist, all he heard was a positive skin TB test, was unlikely to be familiar with PPD, so he was concerned. How many nurses may know the details of patent law for instance? And even medical/scientific professionals have misconceptions about things they may not be familiar with.

Many educated people not familiar with medical issues have misconceptions. Like cancer=death. Or vasectomy=impotence. Or antibiotics are good for any infection, bacterial or viral or fungal. And the media doesn't help either - people hear words like cloning, frankenfood, radon in the basement & often overreact. And how many times we have seen on TV coma pts. waking up & walking out, or chemo pts. vomiting incesssantly until they smoke pot (despite there being very good antiemetics these days). Is it surprising people are misinformed? Rather than calling them ignorant jerks, it is a great opportunity to educate.

Let me add even though I have a little education in biomedical science, I had my misconceptions too. Just a few examples:

I thought a little bubble in the IV line would give kill me by air embolism (I'm sure many nurses are laughing already:wink2:). Or that cancer will be symptomatic at the earliest stages (boy was I wrong!). Or that fibromyalgia is a fictitious dz (OK, I still need convincing on that one), anyway the bottom line is, ridiculing a person's understandable lack of knowledge about a rather complicated medical issue by healthcare professionals seems rather uncalled for.

Please take the time to educate yourself on Fibromyalgia.

[CT Pixie, BSN, RN]

regardless of the temp McD's had it at, coffee is normally very hot (as are all hot beverages) anyone with the sense God gave a dog would know that you put a HOT beverage between your legs while driving, you run the risk of getting burned..badly. Hot coffee at a "normal" hot temp can and does cause some serious burns.

Lets look at the people who sued McDonalds for their obesity..umm, did you not know that 5 billion calories a day at MickyD's would not cause you to gain a substantial amount of weight?? These are the people I speak of..

I understand what you are saying, but I still say, common sense in the human race seems to have gone out the window. And because of that there are too many ridicioulous and frivilous lawsuits. And the people with less common sense than the ones suing for silly, ridicioulos reasons are the jury members who award crazy amounts to these people. Just my

[MarySunshine]

Is your boss' name Michael Scott?

[CHATSDALE]

a lawyer is suppose to have ethics concerning other people rights

a postive test is not an absolute dx of tb..it is certainly an alarm for following up with other tests to determine if this is a false positive or if medication be required for 6 months

you should never have a repeat ppd if you have had a reaction to one, you may just find your self in an anaphylactic shock situation

[CoffeeRTC, BSN, RN]

Ha Ha ...and Office reference.

I would not be embarassed, but mad. A huge part of me would march into that meeting and defend myself and put the boss into his little place. What a knob.....Yeah...Michael Scott.