sandy79

It seems that your employer wants you to falsify documentation in order for them to be in compliance. This is so wrong! It should be your management's responsibility to ensure you either get coverage for your break or pay you for worked performed. It shouldn't be a burden on you.

In addition to Federal laws, some states such as California have the Fair Employment Act. Employees are entitled to breaks/llunches for a reason. It's to take care of your own personal needs in order for them to maintain good health. Imagine that in Healthcare! I was one of those "pissant" suits (LOL) but recognize the importance of providing relief to the employees I supervised so we made sure there was someone to relieve them when needed... day or night. What some of these other "pissant" suits don't get is that an employer may be subjected to a higher number of disabilities that can result from over worked, stressed and fatigued employees. I have also seen class action suits result from not ensuring employees get regular breaks or lunches. In the end, it will cost the company more due to report offs for sickness, stress or disabilities when employees aren't available to do the work in addition to any penalties or fines once discovered. I haven't heard the word "pissant" used in a long time either. I kinda like it :)

I agree... I do not understand why it's so important for these nurses to post work related pics or comments on social media at all. This nurse is a "social butterfly" as one might guess from the hundreds of friends in FB and the postings of kinds of activities. It's about being popular with peers and liked by everyone which seems more important than the actual responsibilities of nursing. Since this nurse is on the day shift and takes time to be social on duty, it means tasks expected to be completed by the day shift, are left for the night shift.

The pic I referred to in my original post was on a personal Facebook page. This nurse also had hospital staff, supervisor and peers in addition to some patients as Facebook friends.

I learned from law enforcement friends that child predators looking for newborns use social media to locate potential targets. I also know that hospitals in some smaller towns/communities do not have hired security professionals on contract but instead rely on their own staff/doctors/nurses to be "security guards" after hours. Another very important reason not to post these things!

Makes sense to me... but my confusion lies in the audience of the post. No other healthcare professional, administrator spoke up and thought it should not have been posted on social media which is concerning so it continues. Many of us love our careers. We get great joy and gratification from the opportunity to be in this profession without having to post it on social media. Thank you both for your responses and sharing the link to the discussion.

Is it a HIPAA violation if a nurse posts a picture of a newborn on social media with no other names or identifiers? The image reveals face of the newborn as the nurse holds the baby. Although some say all babies may not be easily identifiable, social media have date and time of postings displayed to determine if the nurse was working at the time. This seems so confusing!