RockyMountainHigh

When I say "harmless" I mean that there was no negative impact to the patient in question and I stand by that. I'm well aware of the legal issues, moral, financial, etc.

By her description it was not possible to identify the patient from the picture and there was little to even suggest the setting was a hospital. There was no malicious intent. It was wrong, and stupid, and she knows that, but it was a harmless act. Some still seem inclined to lecture, even though I specifically said there was no need. This is a person who had a spotless career for over a decade and who has maintained a household and supported a family during that time. We all make mistakes, I'm sure she has learned her lesson from this one. My personal belief is that a suspension and fine would have been more than sufficient. Destroying a career not only hurts her and her family but the patients will lose out on the care of an experienced nurse. It sounds like she will have to just get out there and start talking to other hospitals and see what happens. Some seem to indicate potential employers won't learn of this mistake, others seem to indicate they might find out about it. Hopefully her level of experience will work in her favor.

Thanks for the responses. I am surprised that human resources isn't allowed to disclose something like a HIPAA violation. This would seem to be exactly the sort of thing a potential employer would be looking for. If that is indeed the case though that is good news. I agree that good references will be important.

Hi a relative of mine was an RN. She just lost her job over a HIPAA violation. She took a cellphone picture of a patient and sent it to a friend. She later had a falling out with the friend and he threatened to forward the picture to the hospital. She went to her supervisors and told them about this threat, police were called to deal with the friend. She was given the option to quit or be fired and quit. Clearly this was a serious mistake on her part but I'm not looking for lectures, I'm trying to determine what options are available to her now. Number 1 is whether it's possible to fight her termination. One important fact is that there is no actual evidence of the HIPAA violation; the friend threatened to send the picture but never did, for all we know he doesn't even have the picture anymore and was just bluffing. She has long since deleted it. So the hospital undertook this action simply on her admission of a violation. The question is is this acceptable or do they need evidence? She is going to put in applications at other hospitals nearby but I'm wondering what it will be like looking for work with this in her history. In her favor she can say she quit, and perhaps give some reasons other than the HIPAA violation why she did so. But I'm certain if any potential employers call the hospital they will give the real reason why she left. So what is the overall job market like for RNs right now? and, does anyone know anything about getting another nursing job after a HIPAA violation? is it impossible or will some still consider her if she's honest. Finally can anyone suggest other options for her? What would be good jobs for someone with her education and experience to pursue if she has difficulty finding work as a nurse again? Thanks everyone for your help, I don't want to say that this is a desperate situation but it's pretty bad, she was the sole breadwinner for her family and things are going to become very difficult very soon if she is not able to secure another job.