..about how serious pt. confidentiality and access to their chart info is. (this was unbelievable)
On a med-surg floor a group of students were assigned. A patient on that floor just happened to be the brother of one of those students and happened to be admitted on that floor. He was not assigned to any of the students (he was there for a kidney stone).
Well after clinical was over and all of the students signed off, the sister of the patient (we'll call her "April") went in to visit her brother. He evidently mentioned something about being in pain, and April came out in the hall and said to the nurse "are you just stupid or are you AWARE that he is in pain?". The nurse replied "he had not rang his bell and had not said anything, i was just about to go in there and ask about his pain level". April: "Well i wanna know WHEN he is scheduled for pain meds again, WHAT he is taking, and how OFTEN he's supposed to get it, GOT IT?". Nurse: "I will go in there and speak to him now, but i cannot discuss his medication with you." (How did i know this conversation? April yelled at the nurse so loud, i could hear it 35 ft down the hall.)
So she did, he rated his pain at a 2, and the nurse went to look to see when his next dose was due. Another 45 minutes had to pass before he could get it. The nurse told him this and he said "oh i wouldn't call this pain, if it gets any worse, i'll let you know". The nurse told him that she could make a call to the doctor if he needed an adjustment on pain medicine. He said "I'm OK, but i will let you know if i'm not" and smiled. And the nurse closed the door.
And during all of that conversation, April had gone to the med cart, pulled out the MARs for her brother, went up to the desk, grabbed the CHART, called the doctor at HOME, and started in on him, saying "i know what's best for him, he needs something ELSE, instead of being played off the way you're doing him." Meanwhile the charge nurse made two phone calls, one to security, the other to the clinical instructor, who was one floor down in an education meeting.
So the instructor came on the floor at the same time the charge nurse said "this information is private, and you cannot see this without his consent and the doctor's consent" and grabbed the chart and the MARs. April started screaming a bunch of cuss words about "the incompetent ******es on this floor!" and saying "I'M more aware of how to do things that you idiots are, for God's sake". Right about then two security guards came up and asked her to leave, and she refused. The had to physically carry her to the NM's office, where the clinical instructor said "you're out. You broke the rules, i'm filing the paperwork TONIGHT for your dismissal".
So she was kicked out of school, and was overheard the other day making calls on the payphone to every nursing school around here trying find a way to finish school. All evidently said no, as soon as she'd explained what happened that she wasn't in her program anymore. I'm guessing that she pretty much just shot her career as a nurse, when this goes on her permanent record.
I think the majority of her problem was anger and stress with the long hours and so much time.
It's a shame though. Two months from graduating, to be kicked out and barred from returning because of violating pt. confidentiality. And after all the preaching and lecturing we've all gotten in class where it's concerned, i cannot believe someone would lose their cool like that and blow it.
