Relationship with patient?

[Nurse2bklingon]

Hi. Im a student nurse. I just finished my rotation in a psych hospital. A psych patient i interviewed, though i did not treat or counsel, approached me on my last day. She asked if we could see each other outside of the facility.

I told her that its not appropriate at this time, to which she gave me her number and facebook and told me to call her if i want.

We hit it off at the facility and i can say their was a mutual attraction.

Im wondering if i contacted her after she is discharged would put me in some sort of trouble.

Thanks

[JKL33]

Yep.

I'd say there's a fair chance you won't become a nurse if you do it. Throw the paper away and put this out of your mind.

[NurseSpeedy, ADN, LPN, RN]

Throw away the number. Do not contact a patient, especially a PSYCH patient outside of work/school. If they try to find you, even on social media, do NOT interact. This is crossing so many lines and you do not want to go there.

Also, keep in mind this patient is extremely vulnerable right now. It would be wrong to pursue anything with any patient, but especially one that needs mental health treatment. Let this one go for both of your best interests.

[oceangirl1234]

NONONNONONONONONONONONO.

Throw that number out and forget about her.

[amoLucia]

DON'T DO IT!!!!!!!!!!!!

[CrunchRN, ADN, RN]

Noooooooooooo

[TriciaJ, RN]

No. Do not contact her. "Hitting it off" is not a good thing on a psych unit. You'd be shocked at how fast you can find yourself accused of "hitting on".

And change your user name in a way that doesn't imply you're already a nurse. The mods can help you with that.

[Castiela]

Generally psych patients are considered a vulnerable population. Furthermore, look into your BONs rules about dating a patient. I know mine states at least a year, preferably two need to pass before you can have any non nurse/ patient relationship.

Given that you have interviewed her, you have developed a degree of patient/ student nurse relationship. I highly recommend not to pudge anything further. I would also probably mention the incident to your instructor. It's a good learning opportunity and will give your instructor a chance to go through your policies.

[chacha82, ADN, BSN]

No, you cannot contact her. Yes, it will be a problem if you do.

[shibaowner, MSN, RN, NP]

You are supposed to wait 1 year before a relationship with a former patient. I had a similar situation when I was a student, but decided the risk was not worth it. I don't know this person or how severe her mental illness is. Just be aware of the nursing ethics rules and be very cautious should you decide to look this person up after one year.

[adventure_rn, MSN, NP]

Is this some kind of a trend nowadays? It seems like every month or so a similar post pops up...

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[Jedrnurse, BSN, RN]

Was this boundary/ethics issue not covered in school? (esp. psych nursing class) If not, your program is lacking...