Dating Patients

[bobnurse]

Anyone here ever date/go out/marry a patient. I personally have never done it, but have seen it happen....i recall one time a male nurse dated a patients daughter...We got her on our floor one day after she attempted suicide, he had cheated on her.

Another employee dated a patient and married them........They both were married prior.......

Just curious if anyone else has seen this

[LPN1974, LPN]

My mother found her last husband in the hospital. She was the nurse, he the patient.

Let's see, that's been about 40 years ago.

He is deceased now, and she's still living.

I wish to God she had never married the man. Nothing but trouble since the day they started dating. They probably didn't have rules back then like they do now.

[NRSKarenRN, BSN, RN]

date a patient in pa = may loose your license to practice nursing

rn regs:

21.1. definitions.

http://www.pacode.com/secure/data/049/chapter21/s21.1.html

professional relationship--

(i) for a registered nurse not involved in providing mental health services, the relationship which shall be deemed to exist for a period of time beginning with the first professional contact or consultation between a registered nurse and a patient and ending with the patient's discharge from or discontinuance of services by the nurse or by the nurse's employer. the administration of emergency medical treatment or transitory trauma care will not be deemed to establish a professional relationship. (ii) for a registered nurse involved in providing mental health services, the relationship which shall be deemed to exist for a period of time beginning with the first professional contact or consultation between the nurse and patient and ending 2 years after discharge from or discontinuance of services. for a patient who is a minor, a professional relationship shall be deemed to exist for 2 years or until 1 year after the age of majority, whichever is longer, after discharge from or discontinuance of services.

sexual impropriety--the term includes the following offenses:

(i) making sexually demeaning or sexually suggestive comments about or to a patient, including comments about a patient's body or undergarments.

(ii) unnecessarily exposing a patient's body or watching a patient dress or undress, unless for therapeutic purposes or the patient specifically requests assistance.

(iii) examining or touching genitals without the use of gloves when performing an otherwise appropriate examination.

(iv) discussing or commenting on a patient's potential sexual performance or requesting details of a patient's sexual history or preferences during an examination or consultation, except when the examination or consultation is pertinent to the issue of sexual function or dysfunction or reproductive health care. discussion of a patient's sexual practices and preferences shall be fully documented in the patient's chart.

(v) soliciting a date from a patient.

(vi) volunteering information to a patient about one's sexual problems, preferences or fantasies.

sexual violation--the term includes the following offenses:

(i) sexual intercourse between a registered nurse and a patient during the professional relationship.

(ii) genital to genital contact between a nurse and a patient during the professional relationship.

(iii) oral to genital contact between a nurse and a patient during the professional relationship.

(iv) touching breasts, genitals, or any other body part for any purpose other than appropriate examination or treatment, or using prolonged or improper examination techniques, or after the patient has refused or withdrawn consent.

(v) encouraging a patient to masturbate in the presence of the nurse or masturbating while a patient is present.

(vi) providing or offering to provide drugs or treatment in exchange for sexual favors. (vii) using or causing the use of anesthesia or any other drug affecting consciousness for the purpose of engaging in conduct that would constitute a sexual impropriety or sexual violation.

[NRSKarenRN, BSN, RN]

date a patient in pa = may loose your license to practice nursing

rn regs:

21.1. definitions.

http://www.pacode.com/secure/data/049/chapter21/s21.1.html

professional relationship--

(i) for a registered nurse not involved in providing mental health services, the relationship which shall be deemed to exist for a period of time beginning with the first professional contact or consultation between a registered nurse and a patient and ending with the patient's discharge from or discontinuance of services by the nurse or by the nurse's employer. the administration of emergency medical treatment or transitory trauma care will not be deemed to establish a professional relationship. (ii) for a registered nurse involved in providing mental health services, the relationship which shall be deemed to exist for a period of time beginning with the first professional contact or consultation between the nurse and patient and ending 2 years after discharge from or discontinuance of services. for a patient who is a minor, a professional relationship shall be deemed to exist for 2 years or until 1 year after the age of majority, whichever is longer, after discharge from or discontinuance of services.

sexual impropriety--the term includes the following offenses:

(i) making sexually demeaning or sexually suggestive comments about or to a patient, including comments about a patient's body or undergarments.

(ii) unnecessarily exposing a patient's body or watching a patient dress or undress, unless for therapeutic purposes or the patient specifically requests assistance.

(iii) examining or touching genitals without the use of gloves when performing an otherwise appropriate examination.

(iv) discussing or commenting on a patient's potential sexual performance or requesting details of a patient's sexual history or preferences during an examination or consultation, except when the examination or consultation is pertinent to the issue of sexual function or dysfunction or reproductive health care. discussion of a patient's sexual practices and preferences shall be fully documented in the patient's chart.

(v) soliciting a date from a patient.

(vi) volunteering information to a patient about one's sexual problems, preferences or fantasies.

sexual violation--the term includes the following offenses:

(i) sexual intercourse between a registered nurse and a patient during the professional relationship.

(ii) genital to genital contact between a nurse and a patient during the professional relationship.

(iii) oral to genital contact between a nurse and a patient during the professional relationship.

(iv) touching breasts, genitals, or any other body part for any purpose other than appropriate examination or treatment, or using prolonged or improper examination techniques, or after the patient has refused or withdrawn consent.

(v) encouraging a patient to masturbate in the presence of the nurse or masturbating while a patient is present.

(vi) providing or offering to provide drugs or treatment in exchange for sexual favors. (vii) using or causing the use of anesthesia or any other drug affecting consciousness for the purpose of engaging in conduct that would constitute a sexual impropriety or sexual violation.

[bobnurse]

Ive had this dream that i was on an airplane and jessica alba needed medical attention (minor). I responded, and assisted her. We then talked on the plane ride and exchanged numbers.......I guess I cant call her now for 2 years since she was a "Patient"?

[bobnurse]

We just had this happen.......Our social worker's ex boyfriend is now a patient.......Boyfriend of 10 years ago.........They have now restarted their relationship.....So how does this fit in to all this? Can she lose her license for dating a patient even though she dated him a long time ago?

[acutecarenp]

Were there any consequences for that male nurse?

What???? Are you kidding????

Like... was he written up for cheating on her???

Please! :rotfl:

[acutecarenp]

How come we're told we have to wait a whole year before dating a pt? I sound like I'm going into nursing for the guys by pursuing this but I'm curious why all of you who dated weren't nailed to the wall. Is it just here that its a year? Or do they teach us that just to say they did then we bend the rules? [/quote']

The idea is... not to get caught!...

If you date a patient or family member....keep it to yourself!

No one needs to know!

Where people get into trouble is when they feel compelled to announce that they are engaging in a potentially "tabu" practice.

Do you tell everyone at work about all of your dates?

[acutecarenp]

my ex claims to have slept with a patient's wife while the patient was in icu. (she hadn't had sex in a long time due to her husband's medical condition. my ex claims he was doing her a favor.) he also says he slept with a patient while she was in the hospital, with a physical therapist in the pt department and with the occaisional family member of a patient. his first wife, a pt (don't know if she was the same pt or not) ran off with a patient! they were both married at the time they took off together. in my experience, it causes nothing but pain for everyone else involved. and besides that, it's creepy!

ruby (who has never slept with a patient, a patient's family member or anyone on hospital property. i did, however, marry a coworker.)

ruby...

please tell me this is information you obtained after you married your "ex".....

yikes!

[Ruby Vee, BSN]

ruby...

please tell me this is information you obtained after you married your "ex".....

yikes!

god, yes! and it's one of the oh-so-many reasons he is now an "ex!"

ruby

[~Kitty~]

Once when I was working in the ER as a tech a guy came in short of breath and his heartrate was really rapid. After triage I took him to his room and helped him undress so I could hook him up to EKG (wow he was buffed and handsome!). Anyways, when I hooked him up his HR was 160, so I immediately called the ER doc in and we took his BP which turned out to be 42/20. They immediately worked on him, got two lines in, called x-ray stat, O2 15L on NRB. And found out his lung was full of blood. I wanted to watch the chest tube insertion since I was a student nurse and he asked if he could hold my hand. I said okay. Well, they started giving him Versed and he got a little giggly, and asked me my name. I told him even if I said my name he would never remember cause he had been given a drug that will make you forget. Then he bet me if he remembered my name by the next day, I would have to go on a date with him. I agreed to the bet knowing that for sure he wouldn't remember it. Well during the whole procedure he kept repeating my name over and over and over, all the docs and nurses were like "your going to end up on a date with him!" Then my shift was over and I went home smiling. Coming back the next day I looked him up and went to see him on the med/surg floor. When I walked into his room he said, "Hi Amy". I just started laughing and got bright red. I couldn't beleive he remembered my name! So we went on a nice little date. But we just turned out to be friends. It was fun anyhow.

What a cute story!

Woohoo on the date with a buff guy!

[laurakoko]

I guess now is a good as time as any to reveal MY story.....

A man broke his ankle, actually, his foot was in his shoe next to him, after a motorcycle accident. I ended up being the nurse that took care of him 4 out of a 8 day stay. There was no flirting, no NOTHING, just a nurse/patient relationship. He came back to the hospital about 3 months later, one day when I worked. He asked me for coffee, and my phone number. I did not do either. I thought, yuck, dating a patient, even a former patient...yuck. At the time, I did exchanged my temporary email address with him. About 6 months later, (now it has been 9 months), he did an instant message thing, and asked me to dinner. A very persistent man...I finally accepted the offer. It took one date. Then I had realized, that man and I, were meant to meet each other. He is my soulmate. We were married a year later. Now we have 3 children, a wonderful marriage, and a friendship for eternity! Who would have known??? :)

[luvnsg]

I guess now is a good as time as any to reveal MY story.....

A man broke his ankle, actually, his foot was in his shoe next to him, after a motorcycle accident. I ended up being the nurse that took care of him 4 out of a 8 day stay. There was no flirting, no NOTHING, just a nurse/patient relationship. He came back to the hospital about 3 months later, one day when I worked. He asked me for coffee, and my phone number. I did not do either. I thought, yuck, dating a patient, even a former patient...yuck. At the time, I did exchanged my temporary email address with him. About 6 months later, (now it has been 9 months), he did an instant message thing, and asked me to dinner. A very persistent man...I finally accepted the offer. It took one date. Then I had realized, that man and I, were meant to meet each other. He is my soulmate. We were married a year later. Now we have 3 children, a wonderful marriage, and a friendship for eternity! Who would have known??? :)

WOW....what a great story...i guess you never know.