Facebook

Nurses General Nursing

Published

I just wondered... Has anyone out there been in trouble due to anything on facebook? On my old unit we took care of VAD (ventricular assist device) pts, and they are in and out all the time so you really get to know them in and out of the hospital in some cases. I was taking care of a pt who I was also friends with out side of work. My mom worked with me on the same unit as a secretary and he wanted to get a picture with us after I had discharged him. So we all took the picture and he said to make sure we tagged him on facebook, which we did. Someone that we were friends with on fb and worked with took it to management. We both got suspended with pay for a week pending the investigation and eventually fired. During the investigation they never contacted the patient, and when he found out he was very upset. I just wondered if anyone else had been through this. It has opened a new door for me though b/c I am going to do some travel nursing.

Sorry but didn't the OP say that she was friends with the patient before they were a patient? Wouldn't that mean that there is nothing to it. Or once they are a patient you have to cut your ties with your friends?

To reply-we did post the picture, with the pts consent. It just wasn't written consent. We are still friends and he was VERY upset about what happened. He is in and out of the hospital frequently, so I am sure it will come up next time he is there. I did have him write a letter on my behalf about the situation and he stated in no way did we violate his HIPPA. I have learned a valuable lesson, and I promptly deleted my coworkers who I belived were friends and they really weren't. We did speak to a lawyer and he said nothing could be done b/c my state is a no fault state meaning they can fire you for no reason at all. Thanks for all the responses! It has all been in God's plan and really has opened new doors!

Specializes in NICU, Post-partum.
I just wondered... Has anyone out there been in trouble due to anything on facebook? On my old unit we took care of VAD (ventricular assist device) pts, and they are in and out all the time so you really get to know them in and out of the hospital in some cases. I was taking care of a pt who I was also friends with out side of work. My mom worked with me on the same unit as a secretary and he wanted to get a picture with us after I had discharged him. So we all took the picture and he said to make sure we tagged him on facebook, which we did. Someone that we were friends with on fb and worked with took it to management. We both got suspended with pay for a week pending the investigation and eventually fired. During the investigation they never contacted the patient, and when he found out he was very upset. I just wondered if anyone else had been through this. It has opened a new door for me though b/c I am going to do some travel nursing.

I float down to an adult floor and more than once they have assigned me a patient that when I walked into the door, I knew them.

I ask for these assignments to be changed.

I have had parents of babies to ask me if I was on Facebook and I tell them I could not accept a friend request until after discharge...I have 4 parents on my Facebook account so even the date/timestamp on my Facebook account will prove that it was AFTER discharge. Our facility has no problem with this.

Specializes in Clinical Research, Outpt Women's Health.

I think it is just totally unreasonable that employers can reach this far into our persoanl lives. Where will it stop? It becomes worse every day.

That said, I never ever friend coworkers, and I never ever talk about work on FB.

But it's not just employers, it's anybody. Anybody with accessible internet and good computer knowledge, which is probably about 80% of the population. People think just because they have privacy settings, they have control over who sees what. Think about it for a second. You are putting information out there on the internet - the most widely available venue for information distribution and exchange on the entire planet. And you are putting it out there willingly. If gov't agencies can get scammed or banks can be hacked into or IDs can be stolen, what the heck are you thinking if you believe anything is private or protected?

Seriously people need to get their head out of the sand. Wake up and smell the information technology.

+ Add a Comment