Babysitting a former patient

[moongoddess9301]

We have a patient who is now almost 8 months old. The entire unit loves her. We all want to volunteer to babysit for the mom when the baby goes home. My manager claimed that this is against the rules. That the hospital will disapprove and take action against a nurse who babysits a former patient. I plan to follow up on this question with the HR department in my hospital, but has anyone heard this before? To my thinking, once this person is no longer a patient at this hospital, it's none of the hospital's business if I do anything with the patient and their family. Especially since my babysitting is not affiliated with the hospital in any way. 

[babyNP., APRN]

Are you in a right to work state? Are you protected by a union? If you aren't, then the hospital can fire you for that reason. Taking care of former patients is not a protected federal class like gender or age. 

[amoLucia]

Just to say, some facilities DO have opinions on how staff intereact with discharged pts. For the most cautious, they tend to think along the lines of being 'better safe than sorry'. PP TriciaJ's post pretty much explains the logic.

Don't know about the legality of such opinions.

OP - have a caution here for you. You seem to be mixing multiple issues here that might be tempering your resistive attitude towards your manager. Attending certain seminars SHOUULD NOT be influencing you here.

[moongoddess9301, BSN]

If this turned out to be something my manager made up, it would not be the first time she pulled a power move over the staff, which is the seminar example. It's why I'm questioning her statement regarding the baby sitting, I don't trust my manager and prefer to go to HR or other sources to confirm information she provides. On more than one occasion, I have found she misrepresented something or outright lied. 

[kbrn2002, ADN, RN]

Any personal involvement with a former patient is not generally a good idea. If you want to proceed with this be very cautious. 

I know it's not the same situation but think of it this way. How would you feel about dating a former patient? Under the assumption that you agree that's not something you would ever consider substitute the word babysitting for dating.  Why would one be OK and not the other.  Heck the babysitting might even be more complicated as it's not just the baby you are dealing with but the parents and possibly more family members. That level of personal involvement in a former patient's lives should definitely be avoided in my opinion.

[LeChien, BSN, RN]

I have to side with the manager on this one. Generally, patient-nurse ties are severed at discharge.