Student nurse gives out number to patient !

Nurses General Nursing

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This weekend I was team leader. When I went to do my rounds I noticed that the patient had a buisness card with one of my nursing classmates number on it. I was completly shocked and disappointed. :nono:

I asked her when she was done with him can she step out into the hall way so that I can talk to her privately. I told her that it is inapproapiate to give patients our personal info. I told her this was unsafe and that in the real world this can have really bad consquences. She is really a nice girl and didn't think anything of it. The patient was a senior man with cancer, although I don't think he'd have enough strength to stalk her persay I still told her that she is to never do this. I was assertive about it and she told me she was glad that I brought this to her attention. The patients nurse overheard me talking with her and she also reprimanded the student and told her in the real world she can get fired, sued, and etc. My question is : Have you or a nurse you know of ever did something as dangerous as this ?

Specializes in Pulmonary, MICU.

To Be More- I agree to disagree with your actions. There is no way I would hang out with a patient ! Whether you are male or female. Yes you may not be afraid of being stalked however what if you meet a crazy women that claims you did something to her just because you didn't want to be more then friends ?

Well from my standpoint, as a male, I run that risk anyway. It doesn't matter if I meet a random girl in a bar, at the supermarket, or at the hospital I work at...if she makes untrue claims about me I'm still going to be in deep ****. Doesn't matter in what circumstances we met. So it's not something I can worry about.

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Specializes in ER.

A student nurse in my first semester clinical accepted a friend request from a patient on myspace! We tried to talk her out of it but she insisted on going through with it.

The patient had attempted suicide of all things!

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Specializes in School Nursing.
3. What is a senior to a young lady, is probably a contemporary of mine, and even though there is snow on the roof, there is usually fire in the furnace.

OK, I was soooo not expecting that! Now I have to clean the diet dr. pepper off my computer screen! :lol2::yeah::lol2:

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Specializes in Pulmonary, MICU.
I've never heard of such a thing. What purpose would it serve? Are they going to call us for nursing duties? I don't get it. :confused:

Giving a business card to a patient will help them remember your name such that if you are a good nurse, if your patient gets a Press-Ganey survey it increases the possibility that they will name you positively in said survey. Beyond that, if you had a professional myspace page with 500 former patients as friends leaving comments on your page about how awesome of a nurse you are, it would look really good to a potential manager. Especially since when applying for a job you would give out your same business cards.

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I can only hope paradigms are being shifted in just a small way today. :clown:

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Specializes in ER, ICU, Education.

I'm sorry, but I don't believe it's appropriate to be giving out phone numbers, business cards, religious tracts or any other thing other than educational materials or follow-up information related directly to the patient's care. To me, a patient is in a vulnerable position and this is not the time to solicit business, dates, or converts to your religion. And yes, I've heard of a nurse giving a patient a religious tract before.

I also wish that facilities and nursing schools would put just your first name and last initial on name badges. I don't feel it's appropriate for just anyone to have my full name. I live in a relatively small town, and don't really want someone showing up on my doorstep. This actually happened to a student nurse a few years before I was in school, and helped to change some policies.

I have been invited to several funerals of patients. If they want you to attend, it is easy for them to invite you by calling the unit phone number. I also don't give out my home address to students, especially after some of the tragedies that have happened to instructors in the past. Of course someone doesn't need that information if they want to stalk you badly enough, as others have mentioned, but I see no reason to make it easy for them either. It's not safe to assume that all those we encounter in the hospitals have our best intentions in mind, the same as in any setting.

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For Christ sake you dont even know why she gave him her personal info in the first place,have you ever even asked her that.Prior to become a nurse I used to work in the law office and YES I did sometimes gave away my phone number to make connections not to have a one night stand!

I'm sorry but you are making a big case out of nothing!!

You state that you have all this life experiences,well where is your tolerance?? Sorry I just couldnt help myself! LOL:)

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Wow thanks ! Finally someone that agrees with me !

Sorry I should have said....

It is a terrible idea for us to give out personal contact details on so many levels (most of which other posters have covered). Also, from a patient perspective, when I was a patient for 4 weeks in ICU, I did send thank you cards and such (and I think my mum still sends Xmas cards) to the 3 ICU nurses that looked after me -- but to the hospital address.

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I have been invited to several funerals of patients. If they want you to attend, it is easy for them to invite you by calling the unit phone number. I also don't give out my home address to students, especially after some of the tragedies that have happened to instructors in the past. Of course someone doesn't need that information if they want to stalk you badly enough, as others have mentioned, but I see no reason to make it easy for them either. It's not safe to assume that all those we encounter in the hospitals have our best intentions in mind, the same as in any setting.

Exactamente!

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Specializes in LTC.
For Christ sake you dont even know why she gave him her personal info in the first place,have you ever even asked her that.Prior to become a nurse I used to work in the law office and YES I did sometimes gave away my phone number to make connections not to have a one night stand!

I'm sorry but you are making a big case out of nothing!!

You state that you have all this life experiences,well where is your tolerance?? Sorry I just couldnt help myself! LOL:)

Tolerance have nothing to do with refusing to give a patient my personal info. when they asked ( which I've had happened) I politely say no. I dont scold or become angry at them. As for this student I did do the right thing. I'm not going to have her thinking that every patient that ask for her number should get it. She admited to me and the instructor that she was afraid of saying no, which is a big deal. I guess the patients nurse thought it was a big deal also when she reprimanded the student also.

But everyone is entilted to their own opinions.

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Giving a business card to a patient will help them remember your name such that if you are a good nurse, if your patient gets a Press-Ganey survey it increases the possibility that they will name you positively in said survey. Beyond that, if you had a professional myspace page with 500 former patients as friends leaving comments on your page about how awesome of a nurse you are, it would look really good to a potential manager. Especially since when applying for a job you would give out your same business cards.

IMO you are just a call away from a HIPAA violation (privacy, remember?) and losing your license. Former patients? All attached to you on the internet?? Scary stuff.

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