Unbelievable

[FlyingScot]

I had to draw blood on one of the well-known doctors at my large facility. When I was finished I was trying to document only to find that the chart was locked because a nurse on another floor was in it. This nurse was not involved in the patient's care in any way, shape or form. I gave her the benefit of the doubt because sometimes the computer screen refreshes just as you click on a patient and causes the chart above or below your intended one to open. I waited a full 5 minutes for her to get out of the chart!!! At this point I'm thinking this was not one of those oops incidents. So my choices were

1. Call to the floor and speak with the nurse

2. Call the compliance line which most certainly would get her fired

3. Run to the manager and tattle

We have this "Committment to my Co-Workers" program thing going on and one of the things I had to agree to was to always talk to my co-workers first if I have a problem with them (which is my normal MO but I had a previous run-in with this same nurse over another issue[blowing on PICC line sites to dry the antiseptic] which turned out very badly when she accused me of threatening her physically which I absolutely did NOT do)

Not wanting to be accused of trying to get her fired I chose to call her and ask why she was in the patient's chart. Her answer to me was she saw him on the schedule and wanted to see what was going on. I told her it was an enormous HIPAA violation and that she could get in very deep trouble for this. Then she made some other lame excuses for being in the chart and hung up on me. As it turned out she ran to the manager (who is also my manager) with this tale of woe about me being mean to her and I am getting written up for unprofessional behavior!!!!!!

Seriously!!!!! She's the one who broke the law and I'm the unprofessional one? I could have anonymously gotten her fired but took the high road and this is what I get? It makes me want to go ahead and call the compliance line anyway. All it would take is a computer audit and she would be fired and lose her retirement. But I'm not into retaliation no matter how angry I am.

Am I out of line to be furious about this?

[Graduatenurse14]

She's a HPAA violator, a liar (claimed you threatened to assault her), doesn't know the basics PICC line protocol (blew on the antiseptic to dry it) and is delusional (claimed you were being mean to her for following the Coworker Agreement even rather than go straight to Compliance.)

She needs to go. Period.

[Lioness333]

How can one be sure that the nurse isn't or won't be dealing with the patient? I have had to chart on people who were injured during transit through my unit, where I was called to assist in a hallway, even clean/dress a cut. I mind my own business and stick to my task at hand.