Conveying shadow experience--HIPAA?

[celticsgirl17]

I have done some shadowing at different Health Care facilities that I would like to convey on my application... I have heard mixed messages as to whether I can name where I shadowed on a resume or if I need to refer to "relevant health care experiences" in my personal statement. I heard I could not cite where I shadowed due to HIPAA. Does anyone know for sure about this?

[traumaRUs, MSN, APRN]

Moving to the HIPAA forum.

[Esme12, ASN, BSN, RN]

How is this a HIPAA violation? What have you been told exactly?

[Rob72, ASN, RN]

What have you been told exactly?

Verbatim, I can't be sure, but the gist of it will be painfully stupid.

In context of stating that you, "have observational experience with Med/Surg, Oncology, ED", or whatever, yes, you may note when & where. If this was done for school (I'm assuming so), then you would have been required to sign a non-disclosure statement of some sort, which is your authorization to observe.

Obviously, stating that you observed Special Agent Jak Smith, with the Secret Service, being treated for herp, gonorrhea, syphillis and crabs, after recent indiscretions, is not appropriate.

If you have a friend/mentor that said, "follow me & keep your mouth shut...", in the future, don't take people up such offers, and don't discuss it anymore!

[Altra, BSN, RN]

You can list your shadowing experiences at XYZ facility if you wish ... you are not saying anything about any specific patient so there is no HIPAA issue.

You might want to brush up on exactly what information is protected under HIPAA.

[celticsgirl17]

Thank you. I am an undergrad now applying for direct-entry, and talked to another student who was just accepted. She said that she reflected her experience that way in her personal statement, as opposed to on her resume which is what I was inquiring about. I just wanted to be cautious, because I don't want to essentially violate HIPAA in my application - not a good start!

[Double-Helix, BSN, RN]

HIPAA violations involve the disclosure of protected health information (PIH) related to patients who are seeking medical care at a facility. You are subject to HIPAA requirements if you work at a covered facility.

Here's a link to the HIPAA website and FAQ's. I really suggest reading about it, since there seems to be some big misconceptions here about what HIPAA actually is. Understanding Health Information Privacy

In order for you to violate HIPAA, you have to share a patient/client's protected health information (such as name, address, SSN, photograph, medical record number, DOB, etc.) with a party not involved in her care. So telling your friend that Brad Pitt is a patient in X hospital would be a HIPAA violation. Telling Brad Pitt's doctor that he has been admitted is not.

If you put on your resume:

RN Shadowing Experiences:

Med-Surg unit: XYZ Hospital, 48 hours

OR: ABC Hospital, 36 hours

Pediatrics: XYZ Hospital, 60 hours

Have you shared any protected health information about patients? No. Is it a HIPAA violation? Of course not. It's no different then listing the places you have worked or done your clinical rotations.

[nurseprnRN, BSN, RN]

you can go so far as to say, "xyz hospital, april-may 2012, care of mothers and newborns; abc hospital, dec 2011-jan 2012, critical care, care of patients post open heart, tracheostomy, and multiple trauma." you have not given any information that could be traced back to an individual. there is no hipaa violation here.

and a leetle gold star for you for spelling "hipaa" correctly!:yelclap:

[celticsgirl17]

Thank you everyone. Glad I asked and did not just assume what I was told was correct.