Camp nurse, Hippa, privacy

[ericcire]

so i took on a position as camp nurse for a week as a fill in at a camp for blind people-18 years plus. there is a staff of 20 and 35 campers. besides visual impairment alot of the attendees had at least one other condition unrelated to their eyesight.

when i got there, the camp director handed me folders that r/t each camper, so i could know about each camper's health. but i got the distinct impression that he wanted me to tell the staff during a staff meeting about each camper's health and condition. the camp cook had the list of food allergies, special diet needs. i offered to talk about conditions but said i was not comfortable with going "camper a has condition 1,2 camper b has. . "

i did do a talk on the conditions that the staff would have to watch out for while on activities without giving names and without making them freak out. i did go into a talk on universal precaution and that if they do anything with bodily fluids to be careful- that was because a camper has hiv but i didn't say hiv because of the stigma with it.

the camp director was ok with the talk about universal precautions but expressed that i 'could have been more informative with the conditions'

so the question is should i have been more informative or how i did ok?

the other thing was that the 'infirmary' was not available because the camp need the additional room for the week. so the it was decided that it would be in the nurse's room, which happened to where i slept. the room had 2 twin beds a 3' by 4' table with a small refgie. very crowded. so if anyone got sick, had any questions etc they came to my room. i was ok with answering questions. for privacy reasons we would talk in the room or go away from the group so they could see but not hear.

one night a 19 year old staff came to my room and said she hadn't slept in couple of days. i gave a quick back massage then she left to sleep in her room. everything was covered, shoulders and back only. the gal had mentioned it to the director in passing what had happened. a few hours i was "asked to leave" r/t the back massage and not being informative

so what should have done- sent her back to her room? wake up a staff person long after they had gone to sleep? or what?

[Whispera, MSN, RN]

I looked at the information about you and it looks like you're a nursing student rather than a nurse. The camp should not have hired you as fill-in or otherwise staff nurse. With that in mind, you don't officially have a "license to touch" as in give back rubs. I don't know your age, but I see how things could be misconstrued, no matter how innocent you are (and I believe, totally, that you're innocent). As a male in your bedroom, with a 19 year old female who is disabled, wow, you took a huge chance! I'm hoping the girl's parents don't get involved in this, because it could be bad for you. Were there others there at the time?

You could have just talked with her, maybe gotten her something to drink, found a female staff person for her to talk to.

I also don't think it was fair to you to have your sleeping spot be the infirmary. You were "on duty" 24/7!

About confidentiality, it's common to share pertinent information with other caregivers on a "need to know" basis. So, you might have shared more than you did and been ok. I think going with your gut feeling was good though, since you weren't sure. It's always good to NOT do something if you're unsure if it's ok.

[ericcire]

looks like I forgot to up date I am a nurse now.

[classicdame, MSN, EdD]

No touching of any gender without witnesses.

No sharing of conditions unless need to know. The universal precautions should cover those who do not need to know.

No sharing of your private space for any reason.

This is how I see it

[luvschoolnursing, LPN]

When I do camp, it is for minors and I usually ask the parent on check in things like,

"Is it OK if I let Sally's cabin mom know about her seizure disorder and what to watch for?"

"I would like to let the staff know about Johnny's peanut allergy in case they are giving out any treats besides what is served in the dining hall, is that OK?"

Parents have always consented, they usually want their child to be as safe as possible and know I cannot be all over the campus at any given time. Being as you were working with adults, I would have asked them if they wanted the staff to know about particular conditions that you felt they should be aware of. i.e. seizures, diabetes, etc. HIV is none of the staffs business as it is covered by universal precautions.

As to the back rub, ALWAYS have another adult or camper with you when you touch someone, especially someone of the opposite sex. Working in a public school, I can tell you that it is much different from the hospital. There is a certain expectation of touching, invasion of privacy in a hospital setting that is not expected in other settings. Keep in mind if you are accused of something, it does not matter if you are guilty or not, once your name gets in the paper, your reputation is ruined. ALWAYS, ALWAYS err on the side of caution.

[Keepstanding, ASN, RN]

your post got a little "quirky" towards the end........hipaa is what you should follow. and as for the massage.........you went way overboard and i would have let you go also. sorry it's not what you want to hear, but really, that's wierd !

praiser :heartbeat