working where you get your own medical care?

[OrangeSN]

I'm curious to know how nurses feel about working in the same hospital network where they get their own medical care. Any reason to avoid?

[nurseprnRN, BSN, RN]

Sometimes there's nowhere else to go. When I was on clear liqs postop I asked the dietician if I could have red and green jello, not that disgusting yellow or orange, and have extra instead of the chicken bouillon. It was wonderful. :)

Otherwise, if you don't want visitors and don't want anyone to know you're a nurse, go somewhere else.

[BrandonLPN, LPN]

Many towns don't have more than one hospital.

Are you talking about a HIPAA/privacy thing?

To some extent you just have to trust that integrity (or the threat of being canned) will be enough to prevent coworkers from looking up intimate info about you in the EMR or whatever.

I live in a not-so-big city, and once I took a job in the local hospital it became quickly apparent to me that all of my medical records were a few clicks away to anyone with a log-in to the hospital documentation system. It was a small town. It was the only place to go when you needed hospitalization. Anyone who had ever been an inpatient there had extensive medical records in the system. Easy as doing a google search. My records where there, so were my mom's. And my neighbor's. And former classmates. And many co-workers.

Once you're in the system, that info's accessible to anyone who can log into that system. That's why hospitals have to be so strict about these things. They can track who's info you're pulling up. I saw a few coworkers get fired for being too curious.

[Anna Flaxis, BSN, RN]

I would never go to my ED for a GYN complaint, as it's too personal and I'd rather have some distance from the folks treating me. Otherwise, I feel that for emergency care, my hospital is excellent and that's where I'd like to go if I suffered a trauma, MI, or stroke.

[loriangel14, RN]

I haven;t been a patient but I have cared for a few coworkers. It didn't present any problem.I would have no problem going to my own hospital for care. I am Canadian so I can go where ever I want for care and I would still choose my hospital.

[Mulan]

I don't like to be naked where I work.

[BlueDevil,DNP, DNP, RN]

From a primary care perspective, I would prefer my colleagues and the office staff with whom I am personally acquainted did not see me for their health care. I do not want to be privy to their personal lives in that detail. I don't want to know who takes viagra, who takes antipsychotics or antifungals. I don't want to hear about your lady partsl dryness, your PTSD, your sleepless nights, or your trigger finger. I really really don't want to have to treat your new case of the clap just to have you swear me to secrecy about your recent indiscretion, and then have to make small talk sitting next to your wife at the company dinner. It is about drawing a line and keeping professional relationships professional. That's hard to do once I've seen you naked, which is why I wouldn't have sex with a coworker either, lol. Let's all just agree to keep our clothes on if we work together. Keeps things simpler. Boundaries, people, boundaries.

[Rose_Queen, BSN, MSN, RN]

I kind of don't really have a choice. The insurance covers much much less for any other facility. 70% minus deductibles, copays and 10% of provider bills compared to 100% minus deductibles, copays, and 10% of provider bills. So my egd I had done a few years ago cost me about $250 out of pocket versus the quote of $875 I got if I'd had it done in the GI's office.

[Racer15, BSN, RN]

I work in my hospital's ED and my insurance only covers care through my hospital network. You better believe I will have to be dead before I go to the ER for anything.

[Rhi007]

I don't mind going where I work mostly because they know my history which means I don't have to sit there and explain to a bunch of people I don't know what my condition is, how I'm affected, SS etc! Plus I get treated really well.

[classicdame, MSN, EdD]

not an issue for me since my hospital stays are free. That is motivation enough

[dudette10, MSN, RN]

I have no issues getting care where I work. I prefer it. I've had extensive care over the past year, and my docs and nurses have gone above and beyond for me. One of my docs has personally chosen the anesthesiologist on my surgical cases, even when he wasn't my surgeon. A personal friend arranged to be my circulator on two of my surgeries, at my request. Their professionalism is the only boundary I need, and they maintain it very well.