Student nurse gives out number to patient !

Nurses General Nursing

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Specializes in LTC.

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 ?

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Specializes in ICU/CCU, Rehab, insurance, case manager.

i have to really wonder about her common sense, and why in the world would she give them her business card? i think that you may want to bring this to her instructor this sounds a little to bizarre to be innocent

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Specializes in Pulmonary, MICU.

I've actually befriended a patient that I met as a patient at a hospital and we wound up hanging out outside of work on various occasions. I don't really see the hospital scenario as any different than the outside world in terms of human interaction. Granted 2 things: An old man and a younger student nurse is creepy. And two, I am a male so I don't worry so much about the potential to be stalked/raped/murdered.

I've also contemplated passing out business cards that would have links to my professional websites, myspace, facebook, etc....but obviously not ones that could be used to track my personal life. Merely my professional life. Passing out business cards is a tool for self-promotion, and not necessarily a bad idea in nursing either.

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Personally I'm not too worried about someone "getting" my phone number. It is so easy to find it in the phone book. I have yet to give it out, but I work in long term care and most residents don't have phones - even if I wanted to. It would really depend on the circumstances...so I can't give a solid yes or no. The number of people in my area that were stalked and killed were done so by coworkers.

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Specializes in LTC.

To delta32- I the student and I notified the instructor and to my surprise she did not get a critical u for this.

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 different strokes for different fokes I see.

As for me I will NEVER give my personal info. to patients. If they need some other kind of support system then I would refer then to social work. I'm not trying to sound like an angel, I've had men that were patients ask me out or wanted my number and I politley told them no, and that we had a professional relationship.

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Speaking from experience, I can assure you that anyone who wants to stalk and harass or harm you, doesn't need your cooperation to do what they want. You were wise in talking to the student about this. You should also speak to the instructor so that this topic can be talked about, or brought up again, in clinical conference. Called "maintaining professional boudaries".

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Well I have a story that makes handing out your buisness card sound not so bad........I work at a hospital and one night my co-worker mentioned her "friend" was a patient on the floor that I was assigned to, She stated that he was getting on her nerves because he expected her to come visit on her breaks and to bring him food, and called her constantly on the phone during her shift............Well I came to the conclusion that this was an old friend possibly an old flame but come to find out, She had just met this man, confided in him that she was having car troubles and lived 30 miles from the job. The guy being attracted to her and feeling sorry for her told her that he would be in the hospital a couple more days and offered to let her use his car! And she did!! When it was time for him to be released she picked him up and he dropped her off at her house ( now he knows where she lives.) Well I guess he was so fed up from her ignoring him once he got his car back she never heard from him again! (Thank God!) I dont know if this lady was Crazy or just desperate? Maybe both?

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Specializes in Acute Care Cardiac, Education, Prof Practice.

I would agree in her not giving out her information as a new student, and needs time to assess a person, as one would do in real life.

I personally have a few emails, and I send a Christmas card to one little lady in NC each year.

As far as the business cards go, we were promoted in school to have cards made and to give them to all our patients as a way of increasing our professional status. However I believe we were only to have our work number on them as a suggestion.

Tait

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Specializes in LTC.

I'm sorry maybe I mis- wrote my original post. She does NOT have any buisness cards of her own. She just wrote her personal info. on a random buisness card the patient had on his bedside table.

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There was a young, new nurse on our floor who accepted a 50 dollar tip. When I asked her why she accepted the tip she told me that the guy (her male patient) wanted to give her his phone number.

Jeez!

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Specializes in LTC, Acute Care.

I know nurses who do computer stuff on the side and have helped patients with that.

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Specializes in LTC.
I know nurses who do computer stuff on the side and have helped patients with that.

That buisness though. Once again the student was not handing out buisness cards of her own. She just wrote her number on a random one. When I asked why, she told me that she was afraid to say no and did not want to hurt his feelings. She said that she felt like she was backed in a corner and could not let the patient down:uhoh21:.

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