Let me preface this with yes I know this is the internet and you can find almost anything, BUT, since moving to Florida (I have no idea if this is uniquely a Florida thing or if other states have this issue, and if it is uniquely Florida, I don't mind having this thread moved), apparently a lot of my information became public? There are some things with the Google search that are acceptable -- like my LinkedIn, but the part I squared off in red scares me.
Some of the information is stuff that could've come from the BON's website -- like my primary place of practice.
As you can see though, after I blocked out all the information, it has my home address, my phone number and my personal email. There are other things that if you knew my real name, you could find that on the BON (...okay some of that is fair game), but it makes me uncomfortable (I really need to figure out how to get rid of that white pages search?). I also looked up my coworkers, and apparently they can all be found this way too. When I lived in Texas and Arkansas, I didn't have this issue.
So am I being paranoid? Has anyone gotten their information taken down? I'm half wondering if there was a disclaimer with the FL BON that said they could release this information (...if they did, I thought that was just for like someone had a complaint against me which I thought was all states?). I could just be overreacting -_-;
Sounds like an issue that should be brought up with the state nurses association? nurses' unions?
BTW, I searched a relative's info (who is a nurse in FL) and the information I got was not as detailed, yes full home address was there but not phone number or email.
WOW!, that's a great tool for stalkers. But, if you know someone's first and last name, it's not hard to find out stuff, even without the help of the BON.
Yes it is. So I wonder about people who have restraining orders in place, and we see our fair share of crazy, and these aren't mentally ill patients. Just people who, if Arkham was real, probably need to be left there forever.
I live in Florida as well and was VERY unsettled to see my info and my private cell phone number on that same website. I don't have any stalkers, but there are definitely people from my past that I wouldn't want to have that info. I'm trying to get my info pulled down but from what I have been told that once it is up there it is up there forever. Gee, lovely. Thanks FL BON!
Nursing licenses are public record. The BON in my state doesn't publish my full address, just town, date license was issued, date of last renewal, expiration date, school I graduated from and any disciplinary info. But if someone wants to find my address, they just have to check the state's land records website and they can find my address, the deed to my house, my original mortgage, the release from my original mortgage when I refinanced, my refinanced mortgage since all of that is public record too.
Just for giggles, I just did a quick Google search and right on top was my LinkedIn account. You click on it and you have my work history and college history and private e-mail address. Thank goodness I have never posted a picture on LinkedIn, and I don't have FB.
I work in psych, and sometimes patients ask personal details such as which town do I live in, or what kind of car do I drive. It all makes me uncomfortable. I am thinking about shutting down LinkedIn.
Interesting...When I search my name, every result except one for at least 5 pages, is for an old but well known movie. The only true result with my name was for Facebook & even that did not even show my actual acct but others with the same name. If I use my maiden name, I get more hits, but not much more than white pages & obit announcements.
When you apply for a FL license, they tell you to list your business address in the fine print. It tells you that all information is public record due to section blah blah blah of the FL code. It's really small in one of those boxes you check. I know, it's sucks. You can go into the BON and change it to so your work address shows publicly instead of your home address.
Just for giggles, I just did a quick Google search and right on top was my LinkedIn account. You click on it and you have my work history and college history and private e-mail address. Thank goodness I have never posted a picture on LinkedIn, and I don't have FB.
I work in psych, and sometimes patients ask personal details such as which town do I live in, or what kind of car do I drive. It all makes me uncomfortable. I am thinking about shutting down LinkedIn.
There are settings on LinkedIn where you can control how much (if anything), the public can see of your profile. Just go to the settings/privacy tab.
My state does this and I really don't care. I'll tell you why.
Do bad things happen to nurses? Absolutely. More than other professions? Absolutely not. Unless you work in psych or correctional nursing, if I was the CNO of a hospital, I would not permit nurses to cover their last names on badges.
If we are going to be state-licensed professionals, we need to act like it. Physicians have a whole lot more that is public information on them. Yet, they don't hide. Why should we?
Think about how many people police officers and judges upset everyday..that's what they do for a living. Yet, everything about them down to their salary is public information.
rumwynnieRN
272 Posts
I'm unchecking that option