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Discussion

Venting online.

I see lots of people here vent and I think this is a great place to do it, lots of support etc. The question I have is the legalities of expressing work situations and how a board of nursing may interpret it. The Texas BON says:

"unprofessional or dishonorable conduct that, in the board's opinion, is likely to deceive, defraud,or injure a patient or the public;"

While I dont think venting necessarily will cause harm to a patient or public, could the board say that venting our frustrations would be considered deceiving the public. I know this is far stretched but a discussion I was having a work with a co-worker who was worried that it could be.

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    I believe you would have to identify yourself and/or the facility for anything to be done. If it is just a general vent with some basic details, it is fine. But if it is a vent about a facility and you name the facility or give specific details that could identify a facility, its patients, or its employees, then it is illegal. I could be wrong, but that is how I interpret.

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    How is venting deceiving the public? Deceiving the public of what?

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    • Expert
    How is venting deceiving the public? Deceiving the public of what?

    Thank you,KelRN215. I was wondering the very same thing.

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    Venting about one's day ... how is that deceptive?

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    The thought would be causing fear of incompetent healthcare professionals . I think it is far stretched but with our court systems these days, you never know. A completely non-HIPAA or identifying a facility shouldnt be a big deal in my mind.

    Also, by typing anything on the internet, you can almost guarantee you are identifying yourself. Your IP address is easily reversed. Posting from home would be a dead giveaway if the board were ever upset and were to subpoena allnurses.com for IP information.

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    Per our TOS, we can not offer legal opinions (advice) however, this is somewhat conspiricy theory-ish.

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    • Expert

    We moderate postings and if we see posts which could easily identify somebody we do edit or remove from view. We will PM the OP if we can see a blatant disregard for their identity or name a person, sometimes we will delete these threads. Most threads are monitored, on occasions we do rely on members to report any thing which concerns them and then we will review and act if necessary

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    How is venting deceiving the public? Deceiving the public of what?

    I don't really know, but I did see an RN complaining on another nursing forum where somebody had vented that you should "never, ever show nursing or nurses in a negative light". Is that what could be construed?

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    • Expert

    Here is the deal....we do not offer legal advice......while AN is anonymous it is public....and can be used, and seen, by anyone. One should always be careful about what they put online because if it is searchable it is usable. By the BON, by the employer, by the courts.

    If you post it it can be used against you. That is why AN advises caution.

    As per the Terms of Service....

    Information About Others:

    No potentially libelous information about specific schools, instructors, or health care facilities/entities should be posted in these forums. While it is important to be able to network, everyone should be mindful of the following:

    1. It is a small world - when we narrow it down to a state and throw in some personal info, there is actually a pretty good chance someone may recognize you if you are not careful. Your privacy is paramount to us.
    2. While this site is a wonderful place to vent (without excess personally identifiable details) it is not the place to express why ("x" specific person, place or program) is terrible. Gripe away, but since we cannot permit allegations to be made about named entities, your care in not naming them is very much appreciated.
    3. Please do not give out personal identifying information about yourself or others. Do not name names where anyone could identify any person in any facility including your nursing programs or place of employment.

    While venting is healthy..... members always need to be VERY careful of what they post for it is then open for the world to see and use. It is up to the member to post with caution. AN will remove posts with TMI and PM the member advising that it is probably NOT in their best interest to air it in public on social media.

    Yes, we have BON members here. We have lawyers here. We have paramedics here, MD's here, as well as a host of other medical professionals here. We have patients here. We have instructors here that look for academic dishonesty. We have members from JACHO here....you never know to whom you are speaking to and need to exercise caution. It is well known that HR looks on social media for their employees and prospective employees for information about them.

    It is also known that employers have fired employees over social media post. It never ceases to amaze me that members use an anonymous user name yet post their picture and supply their e-mail and real name...so much for anonymity.

    We have an entire thread about this very subject.....https://allnurses.com/general-nursing-discussion/careful-what-you-887520.html

    AND an article.....Top 10 Reasons We Get Fired! - Social Media

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    I don't really know, but I did see an RN complaining on another nursing forum where somebody had vented that you should "never, ever show nursing or nurses in a negative light". Is that what could be construed?

    That just sounds like someone's opinion. When I renew my nursing license, I sign to two things. 1. That I have completed my CEU requirements and 2. That I acknowledge that I am a mandated reported. The board has no such requirement that you cannot speak negatively about nursing in any way.

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