Imposter "doctor" cruises the nursery

ERNurse752, RN · Jul 12, 2002

Yikes...good thing most L/D units and nurseries have good security measures, but still...what if?

NancyRN · Jul 12, 2002

Anyone can put on scrubs and come into any hospital any time of the day or night. It isn't only babies who are vulnerable.

Because of this, I get upset when a surgeon in his blue scrubs wanders onto my unit and starts checking charts or looking at my patients. They NEVER wear ID badges. When I addressed this issue with my NM she blew me off, saying, "after awhile you get to know them and recognize them."

At one hospital where I do agency staffing, I came on duty and found a woman in street clothing standing in the hallway looking through the charts. She turned out to be the Unit Clerk, but how was I to know? When I told her she needed to wear her name badge, she became angry. The charge nurse didn't back me up at all, (even though I didn't ask her, she just came running over)saying, "you have a lot more to worry about than whether or not she wears a name badge."

OBNURSEHEATHER · Jul 12, 2002

I agree with you Nancy. Too many people in the hospital setting take for granted that I must know who they are, and often daren't wearing badges.

For example, I work post partum nursery. I know any pediatrician or OB/GYN that walks through the door. But every once in awhile, there's a consult of some kind, or a family doc pays a visit to his patient. They walk right into the station looking at charts, and not say a word to anyone.

It's very dangerous, not just to newborns, but to the saftey of every patient in the hospital. I have no problem saying "...and who might you be???" If they get mad, oh well. I'll just add them to the list of people I p*ssed off that day!

Heather

MQ Edna · Jul 12, 2002

Thank you SO MUCH for posting this thread! It gives me additional ammo in my quest for demanding ID badges (with pictures) for our doctors here. I'm sorry, but I haven't been here that long, and I will approach people that I see looking through the chart and ASK THEM WHO THEY ARE!!! Sometimes it's Dr. Pompous who donated the first brick for the hospital; well, tough. I heard of a MALPRACTICE ATTORNEY who casually went onto the unit in scrubs and started thumbing through the patient's chart:eek: . Persons who do not wear ID should NOT be offended if they are challenged. :nono:

teeituptom, BSN, RN · Jul 12, 2002

Howdy Yall

From deep in the heart of texas

If you catch them, make sure they are prosecuted

WashYaHands · Jul 12, 2002

Not only would I ask who they are, I'd also ask if they have privleges at that particular hospital. No one without hospital privleges should be looking at patient charts.

Linda

night owl · Jul 12, 2002

That's scarey...:uhoh21: It only goes to prove that if someone looks suspicious, or is not familiar to you, you should always ask for their ID, ask them if you may help them with something then call security if your gut feelings just don't feel right about it.

live4today, RN · Jul 12, 2002

nightowl.......right on.......amen to all of that! :)

heather......i'm the same way you described being at work. i am nosy as all get out when i see someone on the floor at the nurses station snooping around. i have no shame in my game asking them who they are and what their purpose is, and i have even asked for a few ids in my nursing days. :)

nurses should make this a must do where they work. what if your baby were a patient in that newborn nursery.......wouldn't you want to know who has access to it, and if they are actually "legal" being there?

after watching the show "the pulse" last night, i now question whether that woman is an aide to terrorist since their next big hit is suppose to be at our children. hospitals are a big target for their activities if you ask me because there aren't enough tight security measures in place at the places where anyone can walk in off the street and cause some trouble. i mean....who would think about harming those who are hospitalized? i sure hope our homeland security measures are on to this crap for so many babies, children, elderly, and other adults in the hospitals. our drugs are there, our health care professionals are there...think about it people......... :eek: we should be very wary of what and who is in our presence. get nosy!!! piss off some people...better safe than sorry! :idea: :nurse:

prmenrs, RN · Jul 12, 2002

At our hospital, and infant/child abduction is called a "Code Adam". When I caught someone w/o a name badge, I would tell them that a Code Adam would ruin my day AND my career!!! I made a med student go home and get his name badge once!! I hated it when a visiting sturgeon would get all huffy as if I ought to recognize GOD when I saw him. :rolleyes: I would just smile sweetly and say, just my luck, if I didn't check, you'd be the pervert Security warned us about this morning. Then I'd offer him a visitor tag, and make him sign in!!!

live4today, RN · Jul 12, 2002

i like your style, prmenrs! :chuckle

here's a quote i have that we should get in the habit of repeating to a person who gets the jaws when we ask who they are and why are they on our nursing units:

"consider yourself warned in advance...i don't care if i offend you...now hand over some id, or i call security. better yet.....i'll drop you right where ya stand buster. :rotfl:

P_RN, ADN, RN · Jul 12, 2002

KAKE is reporting they caught her.

http://www.kake.com/

Story here:

http://www.saljournal.com/stories/071202/new_breakPoser.html

Talk about scary!