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!!

Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.
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.

Obviously this was a mistake. But I have worked places when some one's husband brought in lunch or the baby during lunch to the unit, they stay out of the nurses station and they quickly went into the break room. Being in a public area helps but in the future have him go to the cafe while you do your work with confidential patient data..... alone. I know that you take this information home and work at the table.....but taking him to the hospital upset the staff and you are a student. It makes people nervous.

Be honest at the board. Acknowledge that you now realize that it was wrong to bring your husband along. You were together and on your way home and went right past the hospital so you decided to go in right then and being it was hot he came along. You were both in a public common area and at NO TIME was any patient information exposed or compromised. But what's done is done. Hindsight is 20/20.

As you go forward tell them you will be more vigilant and will NEVER do this again. Tell them you have learned a valuable lesson. In Hindsight you realize that it was wrong to take him where you were and probably should have had him go to the cafe but he will no longer accompany you to the hospital at all. Emphasize this is your dream to be a nurse.

Dress nice business. Little make up. Clean nails. Clean neat hair. Make good eye contact speak articulately and clearly. NO GUM!

:hug:....I am sorry this happened to you. There's a part of me that isn't outraged if you were really in a public area. If someone reported this to me a supervisor I would tell you nicely that it's frowned upon and sent him to the cafe to wait for you.

Good luck!

Specializes in Critical Care; Cardiac; Professional Development.

Quite a lapse in judgement. Never bring ANYONE with you to your clinical site. Intentional or not, this was common sense. If there is no AC in the car, hubbie gets dropped at home and you get to come back alone.

Don't beat yourself to a pulp. You admit you made a mistake. I am sure you learned from it. Sounds like it was innocent that he showed up with you but (as you now know) should have been placed in the lunch room or somewhere where patient info wasn't within view (supposing he was sitting right next to you while doing your prep). As others have said be honest, tell them you have learned from your mistake make sure to have put something together to show this won't happen again. Like, how you will make sure for future preps you will either be driven there and left by yourself or just drive yourself. Take care!

where i went to school, where we sat to do this work was the waiting room for the floor....anyone could have shown up and sat there. I think the only mistake the OP made was having hub sit NEXT to her. If,in fact, he was.

Specializes in Med/Surg/Tele.

Wow, what a crappy situation.

I think that if the clinical prep area is a non secure location that anyone can access, then the hospital and the school need to rethink that setup! Patient charts should not be in unsecured locations, anyone could have seen them while you were doing your prep work.

However, I also feel that bringing a spouse, friend, family member etc to work with you is completely unprofessional. It is not like you are working in a restaurant and he is grabbing dinner. I understand that you were not actually "working" but just doing your prep, still not very professional to have him with you.

Good luck! Let us know how it all turns out.

Specializes in Ambulatory Surgery, PACU,SICU.

I guess it was an unfortunate situation you put yourself in, but I assume you know that by now. Apologize for your mistake and explain that you understand it was inapropriate. I think most people can understand a mistake, we all make them. Try really hard not to be defensive and own your behavior. Good luck.

Specializes in HH, Peds, Rehab, Clinical.
Our clinical area is at a local hospital on an unrestricted floor that anyone has access to, but I was thinking its hot almost 90 degrees in April and our car has no AC. I realize it was a bad judgement call but it's nOt like I did it intentionally.

Um, so leave him home instead of in the car....

Specializes in HH, Peds, Rehab, Clinical.
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.

Well, it definately sounds like poor design! My concern would also be that your lack of judgement jepordizes the relationship between hospital and school. My school "got kicked out" of a SNF for 3 years because of a very poor decision made by a nursing student. The thought process was that if the school wasn't teaching students any better common sense than that, they weren't welcome in the facility. We're kind of a rural area, that was a real blow to the program.

I'm hoping as I go on I'll see the REALLY compelling reason why you had to bring your husband along....

Specializes in Maternal - Child Health.
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'm not trying to beat up on you here, but this post indicates that you do not understand the concept of public versus private areas in hospitals, and I think it is best that you get this clear before going before your review board.

Other than the main lobby, waiting room or dining area, there is no such thing as a public area in a clinic or hospital. While there may not be security readily visible or a locked door thru which you must pass, any patient care area is considered private and should be accessed only by those with legitimate business there, such as patients, families, staff, visitors, etc. This includes hallways, stairwells, tunnels, bridges connecting buildings, etc. I am willing to bet that there are signs posted somewhere near the lobby or entrance to that effect. Most healthcare facilities have them, and they instruct visitors to the facility to stop at the desk, wear a name tag or go thru some other procedure to verify that their presence is welcome and appropriate.

This is not just an issue of confidentiality, although that is a biggie. It is also an issue of basic safety and security. If there should be an emergency requiring a lockdown or evacuation, the hospital staff needs to know who is present. Some units, especially those housing moms and babies, pediatric patients, elderly individuals or those with mental health needs have a special duty to protect their patients' safety and security even moreso than the "typical" hospital patient. This entails limiting access to these areas, and knowing who is present. Some hospitals rely on te "honor" system, expecting that people will not venture where they do not have legitimate business. Others are more stringent and lock doors and check IDs of those who wish to gain entry.

I dont know the specific unit where you were working, or the size or location of the hospital, all of which might influence the manner in which these expectations are enforced. But I DO know that stating that your husband was present in a "public" area of the facility won't fly as a defense and may cause the board to question your understanding of basic expectations.

Specializes in Hospice.

I hope they don't kick you out of for this. Regardless, learn from this , treat every trip to the hospital as a job interview in the future. I don't like the practice of nursing students coming the night before to 'prep' regardless. in real life you don't get 15 hours of 'prep' time and i think its a stupid practice. (my school never made us do it) Just be humble when you go before the board, admit you made a poor choice and that you have learned from it. I wish you the best.

You were/are a STUDENT. That means you are on your best behavior at all times. Please, thank you, yes ma'am, no sir when you are in the building. You are a guest there and lucky to be there at that. The nurse can do the same thing, but it reflects more badly on you. I don't know what possessed you to think that was ok. I didn't make such unprofessional lapses in judgement when I was 15 and worked as a cashier, let alone a nurse. I'm sorry if this is rude, but come on really??????

PS even if you stay in the program, the school will be lucky to stay in that facility. If I were educational director of the facility, school would be yanked tomorrow am. Would make me wonder what the h**l they teach there or the quality of the students they accept.

Just wait for the verdict. If anyone has access to that area, it could be somebody sitting there you don't know.

The school may ask the hospital if there is a camera in the area where the event happened. Hopefully, that could save you.

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