I ran onto this article where a Canadian nursing board is punishing an RN for posting on her private Facebook page about care her Grandfather received at a hospital, where she DID NOT work at, charging her with Professional Misconduct.
I personally think nursing boards have to much control over what happens in our personal lives.
In February 2015, Prince Albert nurse Carolyn Strom posted a news article about end-of-life care on her personal Facebook page and then commented about the subpar care†her grandfather had received at a Macklin health facility. The post was brought to the attention of staff there, who filed a complaint with the Saskatchewan Registered Nurses Association (SRNA).
Strom defended herself at a two-day hearing in Regina this past February — the SRNA's first disciplinary hearing about nurses' behaviour on social media. She argued the SRNA's code of ethics did not apply to her when she posted on Facebook because she was not part of her grandfather's health care team and wrote the post on a personal page. She said it's important for people to discuss health care issues and argued her right to free speech would be violated if she was found guilty of professional misconduct.
The SRNA disagreed.
In a written decision published this fall, the SRNA pointed out that the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms is not absolute. It also stated that courts across Canada have found regulated professionals guilty of professional misconduct because of things they have done in their private lives.
Pending the outcome of a penalty hearing that has not yet been scheduled, Strom could be expelled or suspended from the SRNA or face some other form of sanction, such as a fine.
Strom's lawyer, Marcus Davies, said he will appeal the decision after the penalty hearing.
(The SRNA) have over-punished, over-sanctioned and responded inappropriately to a discussion on health care and they have held (Strom) to a standard that I think few of us would expect ever to be held to. You can't comment on your own grandparent?†he said.
If you remove nurses from a discussion of health care — which this decision effectively does — nurses will be reluctant or frightened to engage in a frank discussion of health care in public. Then you've made the discussion less valuable.â€
If the decision stands, it could have repercussions for other self-regulating professions such as doctors, accountants and lawyers, Davies said.
The SRNA said Strom, who identified herself as a nurse in her Facebook post, harmed the reputation of nursing staff at the Macklin facility, which runs contrary to the SRNA's broad code of ethics.
Some posters have referenced the Code of Ethics, and "nowhere does it say...."
We are bound by the Code of Ethics and the standards set forth by each Provincial licensing body. There are very clear guidelines about what the SRNA considers professional conduct.
We can agree or disagree, but the fact is that if we want to maintain our license, we are bound by those standards (whether we like it or not).
This has nothing to do with her employer, universal health care, or the government. As far as SRNA is concerned, this nurse has been unprofessional.
In order to avoid these situations, be careful about social media. As I've mentioned in an earlier post, she is not the only one (unfortunately). I've read similar disciplinary accounts. It just isn't worth the headache.
I have 50 friends on facebook, and we don't discuss work at all, or anything related. I personally don't view this as being silenced. There are other ways to address concerns and facebook isn't one of them, IMO.
Specializes in Psych, Corrections, Med-Surg, Ambulatory.
Dec 17 by Elinor: You don't have to agree with this particular nurse or think what she did was wise – I personally do not make posts like this with my real name – but you should be able to recognize the potential ramifications of her silencing.
I do think what this nurse did might have been a bit imprudent. But the SRNA have really overreached. Makes me glad I'm not nursing in Saskatchewan.
joanna73, BSN, RN
4,767 Posts
Some posters have referenced the Code of Ethics, and "nowhere does it say...."
We are bound by the Code of Ethics and the standards set forth by each Provincial licensing body. There are very clear guidelines about what the SRNA considers professional conduct.
We can agree or disagree, but the fact is that if we want to maintain our license, we are bound by those standards (whether we like it or not).
This has nothing to do with her employer, universal health care, or the government. As far as SRNA is concerned, this nurse has been unprofessional.
In order to avoid these situations, be careful about social media. As I've mentioned in an earlier post, she is not the only one (unfortunately). I've read similar disciplinary accounts. It just isn't worth the headache.
I have 50 friends on facebook, and we don't discuss work at all, or anything related. I personally don't view this as being silenced. There are other ways to address concerns and facebook isn't one of them, IMO.