Trouble in Clinical groups

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Our clinical group was on the floor a couple weeks ago and this girl in my group is very disliked by the group because of the way she acts she thinks none of the rules apply to her, she thinks she is better than everyone else and she starts drama all the time. We are just trying to get through school and work and she wants to do is start trouble. Well she was team leader this day and we shared a patient after leaving the floor she informed me she took the patient care summery instead of shredding it like she was suppose to. after telling the rest of the group and calling her to put it on speaker phone so they could her from her she took it. We went to our teacher. a week later she was kicked out. I feel bad but at the same she violateda patients privacy and rights. Everyone else in the class seems think we lied just to kick her out. Were we wrong for coming forward, should I just have kept to myself? What would you do?

Thank you mini nurse.. i am speechless... anyway its done and now head up and keep it up :)

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Specializes in Med/ Surg/ Telemetry, Public Health.

I think that you all were so into getting this person kicked out. It doesn't matter what the class thinks of her or if she thought she was above the rules, people like that will hang themselves without other people ratting on them. Sooner or later the clinical instructor/preceptor would have caught her. I would have at least confronted her and left the situation alone. I think you should just concentrate on what pertains to you. Nursing school is stessful enough, you don't have to get involved into what others are doing and saying. Leave the drama in high school!

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I think the way you handled it was wrong. If it were me, I would have talked to her one on one. Reminded her - yes she's supposed to know, but I would have reminded her that this was not allowed and of the possible consequences. I would not have set up a phone call for everyone else to hear. You may come across difficult coworkers in the workplace, you are going to have to learn to problem solve without making things into a spectacle if they don't have to be.

She was definitely wrong, but I think there could have been other ways to handle this.

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Specializes in Spinal injury.

I don't know. I think I would have gone to her first to try to have a serious talk with her before taking the drastic measure of telling on her. It's not easy getting into nursing school and just because you guys didn't like her previous to this incident, and because she made a stupid decision doesn't necessarily mean she's a bad person or would have made a bad nurse. I'm not saying what she did was right but I would have talked her about it and explained the seriousness before telling the instructor. If it had been a medication issue and a patient's life were at risk then yes, tell immediately. I know HIPPA is important but I don't think it's worth getting kicked out of school, IMO. If one of your friends had done the same thing would you have told on her?

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I agree with you guys.. There just wanted to get rid of her ... Of course there are other ways of solving this than all that... :(

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Putting her on speaker phone was immature and conniving.

I agree that directly approaching her would have been more appropriate and would have given her a chance to "mend her ways".

It would have also been more drama free.

Also, putting her on speaker phone and having others listening without her knowledge and consent may be considered eavesdropping and illegal in its own right.

Watch yourself.

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Specializes in Labor and Delivery.

I'ld have to say wow!!! Thats crazy...I also think what you did was mean and purposely nasty. I understand what she did was wrong but you ruined her life by getting her kicked out of nursing school. I also think its complete bs that you're using the excuse and other's on here as well that it was just because it was morally wrong. Get real, if that was the case then you wouldn't have written how much you all didn't like her and how awful she was and so on..I bet if it was one of your golden other classmates you wouldn't have done that which makes you just as bad as her. You could have at the very least confront her and tell her if you ever saw her do it again then you would tell and so on..Even if I hated a classmate I would at least confront them and give them the benefit of doubt.:twocents:

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If one of your friends had done the same thing would you have told on her?

I am willing to bet not.

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Specializes in Psych, LTC/SNF, Rehab, Corrections.

I'm trying to recall exactly what's on the pt care summary...but it doesn't matter.

Everyone knows better than to take chart info home. So...she gets kicked out? *shrug*

Oh, well. It's her own fault. Whether she eventually hung herself or someone slipped her the noose...doesn't matter. If the girl hadn't been in the midst of devilment, in the first place -- she'd still be in nursing school.

Anyway, though you have the numbers, it still wouldn't amount to anything but a bunch of he say/she say. So...how did the instructor side with you guys over her? On the strength of your word?

The perception from your other classmates? Well - they're outsiders looking in. Be it class or work, I'm ALWAYS the 'last to know everything'. I'd listen/observe the drama unfold but refrain from discussing it. I'd probably keep you guys at arm's length, though. It's fine to blow the whistle over a violation. If it's really all about the HIPPA violation....

I can understand why everyone in your class except your clinical group question your acts/motives.

What would I have done?

This feels like an NCLEX question. *laugh*

Putting myself in your shoes --

First time? I would've told her, "I dunno. That's HIPPA...y'know? Y'should probably get rid of it. We wanna make good grades, but nothing like this is worth the trouble you'll get into if they find it and find out."

I like to solve issues at the lowest level.

HOWEVER --

If, like you OP, I was a constant party to her shenanigans...and had to partner up with her. Placed in a situation with an individual whose actions could possibly kill my nursing career before it began?

I'd give her a last warning reminder...then I'd sing like a canary.

*laugh*

The OP and I are >>>>>here

I totally get where she's coming from. I'm just trying to graduate and pass my NCLEX so that I can have a career that I can be proud of.

I don't have a lot of patience for nonsense and it seems that this was all that the girl was about. Always challenging the system and breaking the rules...please -- no one have time for that.

Don't do wrong in my presence or tell me anything incriminating because I'm not going to get kicked out of school, go to jail or 'cover' for anyone.

*laugh*

She left you with little choice in the matter, imo.

Also, she told you what she did...which is odd to me. You don't break the rules AND blab the truth to a girl that you KNOW doesn't care for you...THEN admit to the crime via medium?

Who does that?

To be honest, I'd much rather believe her to be dense...as opposed to trying to position herself behind a 'fall-guy'.

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Think not as a nursing student or a nurse.. think as a patient. If you found out this person had taken your legally confidential information out of the hospital and did God knows what with it, how would you feel? I bet you dollars to donuts you'd be on the phone with your lawyer within an hour.

I don't think we're talking about any "official" portion of the patient's paper chart. If the student was taking those, the nurses definitely would have noticed... I'm assuming it's the patient care sheet that the student nurses fill out (may be identical to the facility's). We take ours home all the time. My notebook is full of them. We use them for our care plans and we are not told they must be destroyed. The only difference is that we don't put the patient's name, only initials. Even the ones that nurses use (at least in our facility) don't contain any information like address, insurance info or SS#. Usually it's just a brief summary of the medical history, allergies, treatments, meds, etc.

Honestly I wouldn't care too much as a patient if a student nurse had mine. What is she going to do with it? Obsessively file them away in a scrapbook, google stalk me, friend me on facebook then reveal to everyone that I'm allergic to penicillin and my hemoglobin was off?

In any case, if the OP's school tells them to copy the info down somewhere else and shred the sheets, then that's what they should do. If she's concerned about herself getting into trouble, then she needs to address the student and then maybe tell her instructor if need be.

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Think not as a nursing student or a nurse.. think as a patient. If you found out this person had taken your legally confidential information out of the hospital and did God knows what with it, how would you feel? I bet you dollars to donuts you'd be on the phone with your lawyer within an hour.

You would lose that bet with me - and my previous career was in the legal field. That's one reason I left. People sue too darn much. That's why our insurance payments are so high. Things that can be worked out amicably should without bogging down the courts. Same thing here - this situation could have been handled better IMO. But hey, that's me - the OP asked our opinions and we all have differing opinions on the matter.

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a patient summary is official hospital paperwork not to be copied or taken home. Some facilities will allow studen nurses to cover the patient private info and copy it and take the copy home..... SOME not many. Where I do clinical they take our phone from us while we are working up our patient info so that we cant take pictures of it. And if our instructor sees anything on any piece of paper ANYWHERE that has our patients name on it we are screwed. Kicked out, GONE. No matter your grades or relationship with the instructor. We are allowed to handwrite any required info out of the chart but we can only use pt initials in order to identify our patient for care plan purposes.

the end no ifs ands or buts about it. And I equate taking a hippa protected piece of paper home with a nurse on the floor that is abusing prescription drugs or taking patient meds. You dont report it then you are also liable for it BY LAW. Not just your instructor or facilities rules... THE FREAKING LAW people.

yeah the girl deserved it. yeah I would have ratted her out and done my best not to be associated with her at ALL. I wouldnt have set her up on speaker phone though thats childish. I would have simply knocked on my instructors door and told her what I witnessed and let what happens happen. Once you report it you are no longer liable for it.

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