Hi there I am new to this site and well new as a nurse as well.
there is a male nurse who we all know is having sexual relations with a patient in acute care. The hospital seems to want to stick their heads in the sand and people do not seem to want to get involved. The female patient is on very heavy narcotics and benzos and the hospitals thought is it may be mutual but given the dosages she may not remember and we know they did not know each other prior to her admittance.
What is our duty to report ?? And to whom ? If the hospital will not listen will the nursing boards?
I was told by a nurse last night it was complicated because he is not the hospital employee he works for an agency his contract ended last night and he was not invited back . He is the employee of the travel agency hence they have to deal with him. Is the hospital just hoping to dodge legal liability....
Just wondering - Did the patient and the nurse have relations before she was hospitalized? This is just for my own curiosity I guess. No one else had asked this question so I figured I would.
I do think it's wrong and sick to be having sex at work with a patient regardless of the relationship before. I do not think that the hospital should "stick their heads in the sand" on this. Wrong is wrong and now, they are just as much to blame for ignoring this and should be held liable. Ethics have been broken here.
No they met in the ICU is my understanding. He is from out of state and she has been a patient here before but he was not working here at the time. She has a chronic illness.
I did report last week by the way when I realized it. It just seems a very heated political situation. or should I say legal.
The hospital feels they are not liable the travel agency would be so I have been told. Not by admin but by another nurse here. Do not know much about travel nursing or contracts between the hospital but it would seem the hospital has the duty to protect not the agency.
I know I am as well, but unfortunately I have never seen anything so blatant and hence the reason for the questions. Being the newest employee and only 6 months a RN I never have seen or heard of anything like this.
The nurses who have been here some just want to work the shift and go home but I admire the charge who really has gone to bat on this one and I really do not care how much they think that the patient "thinks" it is consensual,, I do not believe she can think right now.
As I said she has been chronically Ill for some time and in tremendous amounts of pain. I find it just creepy that it would be an attraction at all with a patient who has been hospitaozed for weeks.
Thanks everyone for the advice maybe just needed to speak about it because can not at work. It has been a non conversation.
BinkieRN, BSN, RN
486 Posts
Find out what travel agency he works for a report him to them annonymously... as well as to the police.
I am not understanding this hospital!! He'd be gone in a NY minute anywhere else.