Under this standard, looking inside the medical record without a legitimate healthcare need, as determined by my supervisor, would be illegal (HHS, 2003). If I'm so concerned about my neighbor's health, I should just knock on their door and express my concern.
5. Patient's rights invariably come before my right as a student to observe and participate in any medical procedures being performed (Austin, 2012). The procedure being performed could be personally embarrassing or traumatic for the patient, especially in front of other care providers whose presence is not required. The patient may have an established long-term trusting relationship with their doctor, which does not extend to other personnel at the healthcare facility. Even if there is the chance that the patient will not remember the procedure or my presence in the room, the patient should have ultimate control over their personal privacy even when under general anesthesia.
6. Taking advantage of the free samples in the sample room, without my supervisor's permission to do so, would be placing my short-term money problems before my long-term career goals. Besides being unprofessional and shortsighted, in the absence of permission it is a form of stealing. Putting my career at risk, after investing years and considerable money into my education, just to solve a short-term money problem makes no sense....
If my situation is urgent and I have no other options, I would take the time to explain my predicament to my supervisor. Doing so would demonstrate my respect for the site's protocols and ethical conduct.
7. There could be many reasons why an employee had to leave 15 minutes early everyday for the past week, both legitimate and otherwise. The employee could be helping to care for a sick family member at home and have permission from their supervisor to do so. Alternatively, the employee could be sneaking out early without permission. The healthcare facility will likely have policies and procedures in place that will dictate how I should handle the situation, including the request by the other employees to report this behavior to the site supervisor. If the policies and procedures are unclear about how I should handle this situation, I will ask my supervisor for clarification.
References
Austin, Vanessa J. (2012). Chapter 7: The Practicum Experience. In S. Makely (Ed.) Professionalism in Health Care: A Primer for Career Success, 4th Edition (pp. 151-171). Lebanon, in: Prentice Hall.
HHS (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services). (2003). Health Information Privacy: Minimum necessary requirement. HHS.org. Retrieved 26 Mar. 2013 from http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/understanding/coveredentities/minimumnecessary.html.
