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!!

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Specializes in Oncology/Haemetology/HIV.

Question:Why did you take him with you, and what was he doing sitting in the same area that you would be reviewing pt data?

Being honest here, it would be common sense to not take people into the clinical area that do not need to be there. And to avoid even the appearance of impropriety.

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For the life of me I don't understand why you did this or why he, himself, thought this was acceptable. If I were the honchos, I would dismiss you from the program if it was determined that your husband had access to patient information. Common sense.

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Specializes in Complex pedi to LTC/SA & now a manager.

Not sure if it matters if you showed him but the fact that he was NEXT to you in a seemingly restricted area where you have privileged access to confidential information AND he was "playing" on a mobile device with camera & Internet capabilities most certainly gives the impression of impropriety.

Perhaps it was resumed that a clinical student would be well aware about the importance of confidentiality and HIPAA that they shouldn't have to specifically state "please do not bring a friend or family member with you to the clinical floor/area while accessing confidential records"

Perhaps you might get a stern warning rather than an expulsion depending on the view of the clinical site. However if the clinical site considers it a one chance serious event you may have lost your seat in your clinical rotation and not permitted to work at the facility

(I've known one person that happened to as the facility did not consider ignorance an 'excuse' for breech in confidentiality (even the appearance of a breech).

Can you prove he didn't see confidential informan as you say he was sitting right next to you?

My question would also be is did you need to have school I'd or clinical uniform for access during clinical prep? Did the nurses or charge nurse not question the presence of a seemingly unauthorized individual?

Common sense should have prevailed in that you shouldn't have brought him to a restricted area especially with an iPhone. Be prepared for dismissal.

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Specializes in Oncology; medical specialty website.

I don't understand why your husband couldn't wait in the lobby or the car. I think it was inappropriate for him to be on a unit. He had no business being there.

I have no idea how your school will treat this.

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Specializes in Adult Internal Medicine.

This is a bad place for you. Be honest when you go before the board, if you try and change your story, it could be the nail in the coffin. Just be honest and trust that they will make a just decision. Not much else you can do. I would be prepared to answer why he was there, why you thought it was ok. Were you giving him a tour? Was he in a nurses' lounge or other secure area?

As people have mentioned, this is really a common sense issue related to strict HIPPA regulations. I don't know about your program, but most programs are very clear and very serious about HIPPA and potential violations. Schools would rather dismiss you from the program over facing potential action or losing access to a clinical site. I have known a few people over the years who have been dismissed from nursing and medical programs for HIPPA violations.

I know it seems like ignorance is a good defense here, but sadly, it's not. You have chosen a career where you are accountable for both the things you do and things you don't do, things you know, and things you don't know. Apparently a peer of yours understood it wasn't a good idea and reported it, why did they know this but you didn't? Are there circumstances we are missing?

Bottom line is patient safety is first; if you jeopardized this I would vote for your dismissal if I were on the board. Not becuase you are a bad person or consciously did this, but because a patient was put in jeopardy and that's not acceptable.

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All questions of patient confidentiality aside, why on earth would you take your husband with you to clinical prep? I can't even fathom the thought process there.

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Specializes in Complex pedi to LTC/SA & now a manager.

Just curious WHY did you bring your husband to clinical prep? Did you honestly think it was a wise choice?

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Specializes in Trauma Surgical ICU.

Bad judgement call. I am not sure how the school will handle this meeting.

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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.

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Specializes in LTC, assisted living, med-surg, psych.

Okay......let's take a deep breath here and examine the issue in detail for just a moment.

OP, the fact that you are in nursing school proves (to me anyway) that you had enough smarts to get yourself there. Thus, if I were your professor, I'd have to presume that you are capable of anticipating the possible consequences of bringing an unauthorized person to a clinical site, and I wouldn't think to tell you specifically not to do so.

The problem here is that having actually done so, you---rightly or wrongly---will be seen as lacking the prudence and the common sense that is so crucial in this line of work. "Freaking out" and claiming that you didn't know the rules won't fly with your program directors, let alone any professional review board you may have to face. Your best bet is NOT to make excuses, but to admit to using poor judgment and vow to learn from it. This is known in some circles as "doing the ol' humble bit";:D IOW, be sorry you did it and don't ever, ever do it (or anything even remotely like it) again.

And for goodness sake, ASK if you aren't sure about whether something is proper or not. I hope that you're allowed to learn this lesson cheaply, but please understand that both your nursing program and your clinical site have an obligation to the patients they serve, and that even potential violations of privacy are generally dealt with swiftly and severely.

Good luck.

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I'm guessing you've got the idea by now that you goofed up here. Question for your school will be if it was enough of a screwup to warrant dismissing you from the program.

You say you didn't know you "couldn't have someone with you". You were someplace that you would ONLY be if you were either a student or an employee; surely you knew that your husband was neither, and had no business being there at all. Whether he saw or heard privileged information is almost beside the point. The fact that he was in a position TO get confidential information means you breached a boundary by bringing him there. It's not as if he walked in off the street and plopped himself in that area by mistake: he would have been stopped beforehand and/or escorted out. YOU were the factor that gave him access to privileged information.

I believe this showed considerably poor judgment on your part. You can't go with "I didn't know". Before anyone goes into their FIRST clinical setting, he/she has been instructed on HIPPA, and the incredible importance of patient confidentiality. Ignorance is not your defense.

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