This topic has been discussed throughout many threads but I wanted to designate a single thread to this issue. I am a Facebook junkie just like many people from my generation.
I would never post anything patient related or anything that would breach HIPAA. I posted a very tongue-in-cheek status about the daily struggles of nursing (such as drug seeking patients, non-compliant patients, and the patients with a grand sense of entitlement to name a few).
It was meant to be sarcastic and humorous. Well, long story short, HR got a hold of it and almost fired me for it. They said it made me look like a cold, callous nurse and that doesn't sit well with their core values as a facility.
My point of this thread is to be extremely careful about what you post on the internet. My page was as private as it could be but they managed to view it through a "friend's" page.
Luckily, I was able to keep my job and learned a valuable lesson. Don't post work related ANYTHING on your social networking sites.
I am on facebook, but the page is not listed in my name. I have a fake first name and my married last name (most people are still stuck on my maiden last name). I do not have any current pictures of myself attached to my facebook page (the one in my profile is from when I was like, 4). It is to the point that I have to remind people who I am when I friend them (including my sister and 1st cousin). I really raise an eyebrow at people who put their real first, middle, and last name on their page then post tons of pictures of themselves. ANYONE can find you like that. I am a stay-at-home-mom (for now) and I would NEVER do that.
An acquaintance once posted "sometimes I really hate my job" and was reprimanded by a supervisor. One of her "friends" ratted her out. I once anonymously quoted something funny a patient said. A co-worker privately admonished me ( to her credit, at least she did not turn me in). Even though her guess as to who the quote came from ws wrong, she though it was inappropriate. So I deleted it. My job is more important to me than my Facebook page.
An aside, I have found venting seldom makes me feel better. I get a very temporary sense of relief and then I need to vent again about the same thing. Venting is overrated and even counterproductive IMO.
I am on facebook and enjoy using it to keep in touch with family and friends who live far away. With that said, I have nothing on my page that I wouldnt want my bosses to see. I use my account to keep in touch with my friends and very rarely say anything about work. If I do happen to mention work, I ask myself how I would feel if my boss saw this. If I think iy would be a problem, I dont write it. Problem solved :)
Shouldn't management be spending their time on more important things like working on improving the care to their patients, or ways to decrease nosocomial infections, or increase the comradery and teamwork on the unit, ect. I doubt the patients care what you post on your facebook status. people are out there protesting at our soldiers funerals and thats legal, but there's people getting fired and reprimanded for venting about a bad day or difficult work environment on their private facebook page. It's completely ridiculous. To the people who are complaining and telling HR and Management about other's facebook posts, get a hobby and pull the stick out of your a$$.
I couldn't agree more, but in this day and age you still have to be careful. I forgot to mention, but you can list where you live on you page also. I don't do that either.
If she's not violating HIPPA and she didn't mention the hospital's name why she not allowed to speak her mind. Hello people??? Free Country, Freedom of speech? Constitutional rights? Hmmm.... (Please don't attack me. I'm just looking at it from a different perspective).
fb is a privately owned site...
where these rights can fly right out the window, if that's what the owner chooses.
on the flip side, free speech can bring its own set of consequences.
I really raise an eyebrow at people who put their real first, middle, and last name on their page then post tons of pictures of themselves. ANYONE can find you like that. I am a stay-at-home-mom (for now) and I would NEVER do that.
i am so with you on this.
it boggles my mind that so many folks disseminate and pretty much, advertise 'stuff' about themselves...
and their family.
with some, i believe it's all about craving attention, wanting recognition.
with others...i don't know, because i just don't get it.
with so many crackpots out there lurking in the background, anyone can be a target...
and are unknowingly putting data out there for these loonies to strategically use.
whatever.
if i'm going to lose a job, it won't be because of fb and something i wrote.
my termination would be r/t standing up for something gone awry in the workplace...
and my inability to shut my mouth, for the greater good of the people.
Specializes in Vents, Telemetry, Home Care, Home infusion.
any website postings about work issues can land one in hot water with employeer.
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while this site is a wonderful place to vent (without excess personally identifiable details) it is not the place to express why ("x" specific person, place or program) is terrible. gripe away, but since we cannot permit allegations to be made about named entities, your care in not naming them is very much appreciated.
please do not give out personal information about others. do not name names where anyone could identify the person in any facility including your nursing programs.
moderators will pull vent posts when we feel ii contains too much personal info and contact poster. i've found when i'm really upset, i'll send rant to myself for review before posting publically,,,has saved a few hairs and my job.
You did seem cold and callous and your employer was right to request this from you. I tend to view patients in a different light....those that YOU think are drug seeking, may have uncontrollable pain because they have become so tolerant (p...ain is subjective), the patient YOU think is noncompliant may be so tired of being in and out of hospitals because of a chronic illness that they have had to deal with for years and years, and the patient YOU thought had a sense of entitlement may be lonely and not have anyone at home and seeks attention anyway they can. Perhaps, YOU need to reevaluate YOUR patient approach NOT your patient's approach to you. It is not all about YOU.
Specializes in Med-Surg and Ambulatory Care (multispecialty).
Pretty much everyone I work with or know is on Facebook. I get asked all the time "Why don't you have a Facebook page?" or " I looked but can't find you on Facebook. Why?". Well because I like & need my job and nobody there needs to know about my private life other than what I feel like sharing.
Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
i know i'm going to be the black sheep here, but isn't america a free country? since when does your job limits your speech. i mean i'm not going to go onto facebook and post anything, but this could a huge lawsuit. if she's not violating hippa and she didn't mention the hospital's name why she not allowed to speak her mind. hello people??? free country, freedom of speech? constitutional rights? hmmm.... (please don't attack me. i'm just looking at it from a different perspective).
the us is becoming less and less a free country -- but that's a rant worth it's own thread. free speech does not mean that you can say anything you please anywhere you please without consequences; it means you're free to criticize the government without being tortured or killed. do you think you could stand on the street corner and rant about your sucky job without consequences? your employer who heard you ranting -- or heard of you ranting -- would be perfectly free to remove your reason for ranting . . . and your job. the op learned an important lesson -- the rest of us can learn from it, too.
Before long, there might be the same stories from using this. This doesn't sit well with me, but I'm probably in the minority on this issue, so I'll just go back to my lurker corner.
Yeah, it's not as anonymous here as we like to think. I've been able to figure out people I know in real life based on posts here and people have been able to identify me as well.
You did seem cold and callous and your employer was right to request this from you. I tend to view patients in a different light....those that YOU think are drug seeking, may have uncontrollable pain because they have become so tolerant (p...ain is subjective), the patient YOU think is noncompliant may be so tired of being in and out of hospitals because of a chronic illness that they have had to deal with for years and years, and the patient YOU thought had a sense of entitlement may be lonely and not have anyone at home and seeks attention anyway they can. Perhaps, YOU need to reevaluate YOUR patient approach NOT your patient's approach to you. It is not all about YOU.
Even though your post was flaming a bit I agree with the bolded part. I think many patients get judged too quickly. You never really know what is going on with a person.
:up:
:yeah::redbeathe:redbeathe:redbeathe
caregiver1977
494 Posts
I am on facebook, but the page is not listed in my name. I have a fake first name and my married last name (most people are still stuck on my maiden last name). I do not have any current pictures of myself attached to my facebook page (the one in my profile is from when I was like, 4). It is to the point that I have to remind people who I am when I friend them (including my sister and 1st cousin). I really raise an eyebrow at people who put their real first, middle, and last name on their page then post tons of pictures of themselves. ANYONE can find you like that. I am a stay-at-home-mom (for now) and I would NEVER do that.