Will you add your patient in facebook?

AZ_LPN_8_26_13 · Mar 11, 2010

Never,.In fact I'm not thrilled about how many people from work have added me and I'm trying to figure out how to delete people without causing a hubbaloo
Yet another good reason to be glad for working in geriatrics though. I never have and probably never will have a patient try to add me, most of them don't even know what hospital they're at anyway, much less be able to retain my name!

I work in a hospital unit where there's a pretty good mix of younger and older patients, but many of the patients I have are elderly and probably have no idea of what Facebook is anyway, plus it seems like I get many who have some sort of demetia or Alzheimer's and don't even realize they are in a hospital. :-) But if anyone were to make a friend request for FB I would say no. It would be the same with "old school" social networking too (snail mail, telephone, etc.) I wouldn't do those with patients or former patients either, for the same reasons I listed in my earlier posting.

kbnocturna · Mar 11, 2010

I dated a patient once, but it was after he was discharged (he had surgery on a broken wrist), and I visited a physically handicapped patient who had a very sad family life and had to go to a nursing home, but that is the only social contact I've ever had with patients in 9 years of working in the medical field.

I socialize with some of my coworkers, but i am pretty selective about it. I stay away from the clicks and try to avoid getting drawn into work politics. I realize the general concensus is to keep boundaries absolute between work and personal, but I didn't grow up in the area I live in, and I have so family nearby, so I have coworkers who are friends; I am careful about whom I choose, though.

Both of my parents, who are not amicably divorced, are my friends on facebook, and my father has children with his new wife. I am friends with some people who do not get along with other. And nothing on the internet is private, anyway. So I censor my facebook pretty heavily. I do not have a problem adding people who I socialize with. It just so happens that I socialize infrequently with coworkers and pretty much never with patients.

So I can't say I would never, ever add a patient, but it would have to be very special circumstances. However, I would never add a patient just because they were my patient.

Beijos · Mar 11, 2010

I had a patient once that obviously did not have many friends as I learned while caring for them. After they were discharged they facebooked me...I did not accept and felt bad about it. He actually worked at the hospital as well but I felt I didn't know him before he was a patient and it would be unprofessional for me to accept now even if he was a coworker and lonely. Generally though I don't allow anyone I work with to be my facebook friend with one exception. That's because I don't trust anyone I work with...I used to and boy does that get you sometimes. I never knew until a little bit ago how true it was when they give new nurses advice to not trust anyone...

pukkamate · Mar 11, 2010

I wouldn't. I'm a nursing student in my 3rd semester who will graduate at the end of this year and had patients during my psych rotation last semester ask to add me on FB which I always respectfully declined. There's no way you could keep your care professional if you let it drift into the personal, at least I couldn't anyway. Like someone else just mentioned, if it makes you uncomfortable, I'd give it the body swerve

Mookie427 · Mar 11, 2010

Call me a 19th century person living in the 21st century.. but I have not, will not and never will go on Myspace, nor Facebook. In the age where employers check these things prior to getting a job, I do not want my business, known to a prospective company about me, whom i associate with and what may seem innocent to you, may jeopardize a job in the future.

Anyone in my life i deem necessary to communicate with, i do by e-mail, phone call and in person.

Havent we heard too many horror stories about people getting terminated due to this? One comes to mind about a teacher in Georgia who went to Europe on her summer off... posted pictures with her holding glasses of beer in each country visited, and was TERMINATED because of a morality clause. Archaic? YES! But you may have those same clauses you have not bothered to read. Call me out of touch, but some things will bite you in the azz!

royhanosn · Mar 11, 2010

NO!!!!

refuse the invite!!

it similar to someone saying...I am leaving and moving on, but I will stay in touch (yeah, right!)

ok2bme · Mar 11, 2010

No..don't currently have a FB, but when I did it didn't exactly epitomize professionalism :beer: lol

winterflower · Mar 12, 2010

No. When I'm working I'm a professional and I will not "nurse" someone from my facebook page. Your just asking for trouble.

royhanosn · Mar 12, 2010

again! simple answer is NO!

facebook is great, IF you behave yourself on it!

Its similar to graffetti on a wall, everyone can see it, including the free loaders.

sissiesmama, ASN, RN · Mar 12, 2010

I do have friends on facebook that are co workers of mine, or docs I have worked with, but patients, past or present, NO, NO, NO. Won't happen!!

Anne, RNC

royhanosn · Mar 12, 2010

I can understand, co-workers and doctors who ASK your permission to be 'friends', but clients, patients, whatevr you

want to call them...NO! A little too close! Considering you will never see or hear from them again. For patients, ignore or refuse..now that was simple. Dont let your emotions get in the way, its stressful enough in the hospital scene.

Yet your co-worker or hospital personnel...its your choice.

so lets talk about something else, I think we have whipped the facebook, 'friend' scenerio long enough. LOL

blueheaven · Mar 12, 2010

NO!! It's a common sense issue, practically a no brainer.