Do you think I could get kicked out?

Nurses HIPAA

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So I went to clinical prep yesterday and my husband accompanied me up to the unit. As I did my prep he sat by me playing on his iPhone. Anyway someone(s) told my instructor that he was there and that I was supposedly showing him stuff on the chart ( which I was not, I repeat I WAS NOT!!!!) I did not know that I was not allowed to have someone with me. So I now have to go in front of the professional conduct board and I am terrified they will kick me out of the program. I have been an AB nursing student And have never done anything unprofessional!! I am freaking out...and crying a lot because I didnt know I was Breaking the rules. Any advice or anything would help!!

Our clinical area is open to the public it is the area out side of our patients room. Anyone can walk up and somebody and stand over their shoulder without anyones knowledge. It is a local hospital with pods that the rooms are in. Everyone and anyone has access to this area. I wasn't in the nurses station or in the break room. I was in a common area that anyone could walk and see what I was doing. We don't have a choice to work anywhere else. I'm not defending my decision but it's not like I took him somewhere restricted.

It is not appropriate to bring family members or friends to work or school. It doesn't matter if you work at MacDonald's or a hospital or the Taj Mahal, it is simply not appropriate.

There is a concern about patient privacy, but the more important concern is that when you are in a professional situation you behave like a professional, which is to say, you leave your personal life at home.

That you do not know that shows a very serious level of poor judgement, which will not go over well in a profession where good judgement is so important.

Your only option here is to admit that you exercised poor judgement, that you accept full responsibility for this and that you throw yourself on the mercy of the review board and vow a hundred times that it will never happen again.

Our clinical area is open to the public it is the area out side of our patients room. Anyone can walk up and somebody and stand over their shoulder without anyones knowledge. It is a local hospital with pods that the rooms are in. Everyone and anyone has access to this area. I wasn't in the nurses station or in the break room. I was in a common area that anyone could walk and see what I was doing. We don't have a choice to work anywhere else. I'm not defending my decision but it's not like I took him somewhere restricted.

Ok, thanks for clarifying; I do appreciate the difference in private versus public settings. However, I still have to say that if a nurse were to be reviewing information just where you were, I'd be willing to bet a large sum she'd notice a guy "standing over her shoulder"; she'd move to maintain the privacy of the information she was working with. In your case, he was right there.

Go with VLV's thoughts on the position you should take for your formal review.

On another note, by way of explanation you said that there was no AC in your car, it was very hot, etc etc.....these are excuses you should not even TRY to use. The first thought in my head was "he couldn't go to a cafeteria? He couldn't take a walk somewhere ELSE, he HAD to be right next to you while you reviewed pt info?" And these would be the very thoughts of the review committee. Leave that part behind, too.

Specializes in Oncology; medical specialty website.
Our clinical area is open to the public it is the area out side of our patients room. Anyone can walk up and somebody and stand over their shoulder without anyones knowledge. It is a local hospital with pods that the rooms are in. Everyone and anyone has access to this area. I wasn't in the nurses station or in the break room. I was in a common area that anyone could walk and see what I was doing. We don't have a choice to work anywhere else. I'm not defending my decision but it's not like I took him somewhere restricted.

I don't think you area getting the message: he had no business being there. The fact that someone saw him there and using a smartphone doesn't bode well at all. We all know what those phones are capable of doing. As someone else said, apparently an employee saw this and was concerned.

You say you are not defending your position, but that's exactly what you are doing. You need to contemplate the answers you are being given here. Everyone is giving you essentially the same answer.

I don't care if it was 90 outsider. As I said earlier, he could have waited for you in the lobby, and no one would have batted an eye. It doesn't matter that everyone and anyone can have access to the area. He shouldn't have been there.

Specializes in Trauma Surgical ICU.

Ok, so lets just say it.. You knew it was hot, you knew your car did not have AC.. Why did you bring him period?? The fact that it is an open area is irrelevant, he was not to be there with you while you looked up privileged information.. I will not repeat what others have already said. I do wish you luck with the review but if you make excuses, they will not likely show mercy.

You could have left him home with a sitter... or given him some money to go get a candy bar and sit in the lobby and play with his phone or something till you were done.

Everyone makes mistakes now and then. I am sorry that you have to deal with this kind of stress. Just like everyone else said, there is nothing you can do about it now, but to accept and admit your fault and make sure you plead your case that you will not ever do it again.

Don't worry, the board will make the right decision, just make sure you get your point across to them. Don't beat yourself up for it, and learn from your mistakes. Your drive and willingness to become a nurse and to help others in need will not be overlooked. Be positive because you can't change the mistake, however, you can definitely learn from it. Prayers to you!

Everyone makes mistakes now and then. I am sorry that you have to deal with this kind of stress. Just like everyone else said, there is nothing you can do about it now, but to accept and admit your fault and make sure you plead your case that you will not ever do it again. Don't worry, the board will make the right decision, just make sure you get your point across to them. Don't beat yourself up for it, and learn from your mistakes. Your drive and willingness to become a nurse and to help others in need will not be overlooked. Be positive because you can't change the mistake, however, you can definitely learn from it. Prayers to you!
Thank you, you are the only one to not chastise me. I realize I made a mistake. I brought him to the hospital because we have one car and I had to pick him up from work and then go to prep before going home I live almost 20 minutes away from my clinical area and we pass right by it on the way home.

He could have stayed in the cafeteria, or near the coffee shop, if that hospital has a coffee shop.

Specializes in Med/surg, Quality & Risk.
You could have left him home with a sitter... or given him some money to go get a candy bar and sit in the lobby and play with his phone or something till you were done.

OMG....am I supposed to get a sitter for my husband when I leave him at home??? I am surprised no one has called CPS on me.

Sorry, I thought this thread could use some comic relief.

Specializes in Oncology; medical specialty website.
Thank you, you are the only one to not chastise me. I realize I made a mistake. I brought him to the hospital because we have one car and I had to pick him up from work and then go to prep before going home I live almost 20 minutes away from my clinical area and we pass right by it on the way home.

No one else is being unkind to you. I think many of us were concerned that you weren't understanding why this is a big deal. I don't think anyone is actually rooting for you to get the boot. We just want you to state your case appropriately to the board and learn from it.

Constructive criticism is not the same as being chastised.

Specializes in ED/ICU/TELEMETRY/LTC.

I hope you won't be thrown out. You messed up, and you have to deal with it. From my perspective you deserve a reprimand, and a severe one. I don't think you should get thrown out. Never know what the powers that be will do. Hope it goes your way.

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