nurse fired

What is your Canadian version of HIPAA? In the US, this would absolutely be grounds for termination.

not acceptable and surprised she thinks she did nothing wrong

In the US she would be fired, but also the patient has the right to sue and could result in fines, jail time or both. I still get asked by friends outside the hospital to "look up" their loved one's info and tell them how he/she is doing!!! The public does not always understand, but the nurse certainly should.

Yikes, it's kinda scary that she thinks she did no wrong, I don't know that I would trust her with anything at all.

The U.S. would not stand for this violation as it clearly invades privacy / HIPPA. The information was not used as a need to basis but because of the fact she knew them. It was right to terminate her as an employee because she on the hospitals side could cost the hundreds and even thousands of dollars.

Reminds of a local situation here where a nurse got fired for similar reasons - knowing one of the patients personally, the nurse got into her file and then told her own mother (acquaintance of the patient) about the patient's health problem. So the mother then phoned the patient to express her condolences or something. This upset the patient so much, because she had never told her acquaintance about her health problem (and why should she?). So, the patient told me about all this (in the neighbourhood) because she was so upset about this violation of her privacy. Anyway, the patient then told her doctor about the nurse's behaviour, and guess what - the doctor's office fired the nurse.

This nurse had been going into files of people with whom she had personal connections, not professional reasons, so they fired her. She knows that she isn't supposed to violate patients' right to confidentiality. So, I'm thinking that her employer was right to fire her.

http://www.cbc.ca/player/News/Canada/NL/ID/2260701808/

Can this woman hear herself?

She spent the entire interview blaming other persons and or basically saying other healthcare workers do the same thing she's accused of so she shouldn't be punished.

In the interview it states 142 incidents, but the news media report gives another number:

http://canindia.com/2012/07/fired-nurse-says-she-did-nothing-wrong-in-viewing-files/

During the interview the nurse claims there is "no privacy" in said hospital's ER in that patients are out in open wards, hallways etc and thus anyone can overhear what is being said to them. Regarding a patient who was also a healthcare worker that was taken to the ER, this woman claims she *had* to access those records because information was needed but she wasn't on the list of staff assigned to the case.

It get's better.

Next the woman claims she accessed the records of her ex-husband because a judge wanted her to provide information. When asked by the reporter why she simply didn't refuse to comply and state the reason why, she says "oh I was so overwhelmed.. I just did it".

And so it goes.

Sorry the woman is simply a hot mess IMHO, and had start better thinking of better stories for her defence if she wants a hope of getting her job back and or keeping her license.

She needs to stop talking...period. I stopped watching after she said it's a gray area. No it's not; there are definite protocols for all of it. Let this be a lesson to all how serious it is to access patient's charts and the protocols associated with it.

Important that this issue of privacy and confidentiality is, is it possible

to consider that this nurse can learn to work according to the rules?

And maybe consider that she would benefit by being given a

warning, rather than termination? Maybe with some learning/testing

about the issue of privacy/confidentiality?

There was a nurse let go in my hospital for the same reason not long ago. Her union stood behind the termination 100%.

In my province to access the provincial healthrecords system, you must sign an agreement regarding patient confidentiality, and then to remind you, every time you access the system, it's there in HUGE, RED, FLASHING letters that you are being tracked and can be audited. (routinely known, as big brother is watching you and you'd better be able to explain why you are in this record).

I won't even access my own lab work just in case I'm in violation.

Getting let go for this reason pretty much makes you unhireable anywhere in the provincial system, including family clinics, 'cause there are computers everywhere.

Too me, it sounds like she's trying to build a "whistleblower" argument. Which in itself wouldn't work in my province because we have an 1-800 hotline to drop names and issues without trace.