Looking at Patient Information Before Shift

[AlmostThere19, BSN, RN]

I'm a new nurse, and I'll be starting my first job next week. Since I'm new and will probably be really slow at things, I was thinking that I'd like to come in for my shifts a little early at first to look at the information on my assigned patients and get organized for the day. Would this be a HIPAA violation since it would technically be before my shift starts?

[chare]

No, it isn't.

However, your employer might take issue with you working off the clock.

Best wishes.

[AlmostThere19, BSN, RN]

22 minutes ago, chare said:

No, it isn't.

However, your employer might take issue with you working off the clock.

Best wishes.

Thanks, I'll definitely ask them if they're ok with it!

[JKL33]

12 hours ago, chare said:

No, it isn't.

However, your employer might take issue with you working off the clock.

Best wishes.

Agree it is not a HIPAA violation.

I would like to believe that it really is mostly about working off the clock - - but - - well, for the sake of being minimally positive I will just say that all bases need to be covered...

OP, I sort of believe it unlikely that they will approve you to punch in early. (Yay if they do!). But I'm just cautioning that unless they give you explicit permission to do what you're proposing and they allow you to punch in early to receive your tentative assignment/research your patients, then I wouldn't access anything.

Even with permission, do not arrive early and access charts without punching in.

Much luck with your new job! ?

[amoLucia]

And assignments can always be changed at the last minute, so all your pre-chart reveiws will have been for naught. And then how do you explain you were in those charts?

[yournurse]

A lot of hospitals frown upon this. It depends on policy, the hospital I work at right now, if you’re not clocked in, you cannot access patients’ charts and once you clock it, you can’t edit or add anything in your charting.

[StevieRay BSN RN]

The responses are interesting. At the hospital I work for, this is the culture. We are all allowed to clock in at 0638 (which is the time we start bedside report) but 99% of us arrive to the floor around 0600-0615 to begin taking notes and looking up our patient assignments. Although we are technically working "off the clock" for those 30 mins..we are not answering call bells, phone calls, etc. We are solely preparing for the day and ensuring our day runs as smoothly as possible by looking up pertinent information prior to report.

With that said, I agree with others that have encouraged you to speak with your manager or look up the hospital policy prior to coming in early to access patient charts.