Student nurse gets the boot...veteran nurse fired

Nurses General Nursing

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The worst thing happened to our nursing class today and I just really need to talk to someone other than my fellow students and my family. A couple of students were in the OR observing during clinicals this week and asked a nurse to snap a photo of them holding some recently removed body tissues--in the background of the photo you could see the patient's stomach a little. She posted the photo to her facebook page under all the rest of her nursing school pictures. Someone emailed the photo to our program director. The student who posted it to her facebook has been kicked out, the other one in the photo reprimanded, and the nurse who took the photo has been fired from the hospital. I'm not sure what to be most upset about...the thought that perhaps another student who was a FB friend of this student's emailed this photo with the intent of getting that student kicked out of the program (we are not allowed to have our cell phones) or the fact that the nurse who took the photo was fired (when I worked with her I believe she has been a nurse for 20 some odd years) or the fact that the rest of us have to go back there on monday morning and deal with the consequences and worry about having to lose the nursing school's contract with the hospital--if not for us, for future students! man this all a mess:crying2: sorry about the sloppy writing--I'm distressed.

Specializes in ER.

You can also tell your friend that this mess really isn't over for them, it's only beginning. The hospital must now report this violation and the ensuing investigation could lead to fines being levied against all parties. IF your in California then they better buckle up cause it's expensive for such violations.

You can't fix stupid. Just really amazes me at the level of ignorance some people possess. Amazing. If it were my classmate, I'd have not remorse what so ever. We had a guy kicked out of PA school because a positive drug screen, I liked the guy but have no problem with him being gone. At some point in your life you need to wake up and realize what your doing is caring for other peoples lives. At any given moment during your day at work you may have another human being's life in your hands. You as well as your classmates need to realize this and grow up. If they are that stupid then its good to be rid of them.

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Specializes in PACU,Trauma ICU,CVICU,Med-Surg,EENT.

I don't even know where to start with this train wreck....the lack of good judgement, all around,_ is spectacular.

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Specializes in ..

This demonstrates the dangerous road we are on with young people's view of social media. They do not think it a novelty to be able to post things about your life, they feel it is their right to do so. Many feel that, "just as surely as you breathe, you post things online." This generation has had the ability to get and give information at the touch of a button and it is simply part of their life. Nursing schools must begin to address this attitude toward social media and let them know that it is NOT O.K. Too many people are made aware of rules but have been raised with this "the rules don't apply to me" attitude. They honestly think that rules are for everyone else. They are entitled to do whatever it is they want. This what happens when you give every 10 yr old a little league trophy or all the 8yr old dancers blue ribbons because "we're all winners!" Add to that a generation whose parents have run to their defense anytime a school official tried to hold them accountable for anything. The final straw on this unstable stack is that a whole generation has been raised with the belief that no one should be able to tell them what is right or wrong, "it is what is right or wrong for you." These things (and a myriad of factors like them) have created the perfect crap storm of narcissistic and entitled youth who have no sense of duty, only of rights. Are we surprised that this has happened? I'm surprised that it doesn't happen more often.

O.P., be professional when you return to the clinical setting. Don't take sides and resist offering information about the incident, as I'm sure you're not supposed to know what happened. I would simply state (only if asked about it) that you know that the school and the facility have rules and standards and that, as a professional you intend to follow them."

I wish you well.

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Specializes in Emergency Dept.

Just want to say that I agree with all of the previous posters. That was a stupid, stupid act for all parties involved.

As for your next clinical rotation (and all others that follow), expect tough times. Stay professional, and don't let your emotions get the better of you. And for goodness sake, leave your cellphone at HOME!!! :grn:

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Specializes in geriatrics.

The people involved got exactly as they deserved, including the nurse. Also, when will people learn to stop posting those kinds of things on facebook??? The nurse and the student were clearly in violation of privacy and confidentiality.

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Specializes in LTC, Medical, Telemetry.

Completely inappropriate. I think that was the best course of action for all involved; the nursing student should have taken patient privacy much more seriously (even if the patient WASN'T in the shot, it still would have been wrong), and more importantly the 'seasoned' nurse involved should have known better. I mean C'MON!

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The sad thing for those involved, is that they will never live this down. It will surround them always, even if they learn from the experience.

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Specializes in Critical Care, Postpartum.

What is going on with nursing students desiring to pose next to body parts/tissues? Didn't they get that out of their system in high school biology or anatomy class? Its sad that it ended the way it did.

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Specializes in psych, addictions, hospice, education.

It truly bothers me when people use other people as their entertainment source. When patients dependent on us for care and trust us to have their best interest at heart, to use them and their condition as something to be exploited for smiles...well, they deserve whatever consequences come to them.

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Specializes in ICU/CCU, Med Surg.

For some reason, this post seems fake. How is it that students who are "observing" suddenly have access to "removed body tissue" and then have a "veteran" nurse gladly snap a photo of it all? :icon_roll

Maybe someone's doing an assignment for an ethics class and wants some honest reactions to a hypothetical scenario?

Fake or not, it's still a good example of what has recently happened re: nursing students/nurses posting photos or other work-related info on FB.

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For some reason, this post seems fake. How is it that students who are "observing" suddenly have access to "removed body tissue" and then have a "veteran" nurse gladly snap a photo of it all? :icon_roll

Maybe someone's doing an assignment for an ethics class and wants some honest reactions to a hypothetical scenario?

Fake or not, it's still a good example of what has recently happened re: nursing students/nurses posting photos or other work-related info on FB.

Could be this was the orginal posters first and only post.

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Specializes in Acute Rehab, Med/surg Pediactrics.

A similar situation (HIPAA violation) happened at my school as well, years ago during my L&D rotation, A fellow student in my clinical group admitted a woman to the floor and that evening a old friend showed up that evening on her door step oh hey how ya doing oh what hospital you at, oh I heard so and so was their she had her baby right?

OMG I never seen my instructor so angry her face was still red the next day, well they let her stay in school said she was set up like a bowling pin.

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