Action | Amendment to name tag requirement |
Stage | NOIRA |
Comment Period | Ended on 2/22/2017 |
I support only having the first name and first initial of the last name on ID badges of nursing staff. When I was in nursing school, over 24 years ago, a patient from Western State Hospital got my name off of my name badge and called my college and asked for my home phone number. The school gave the patient my home phone number and he called my home phone number excessively for several days, until Western State Hospital was notified of the issue. I was absolutely terrified for weeks and thought about leaving nursing school. This happened over 24 years ago and I don't think schools would give out student information any longer, but having my full name on my badge is what caused this unfortunate incident. I think we have a responsibility to keep our patients and staff safe. I also strongly believe that patients have a right to know who is taking care of them and there needs to be an appropriate mechanism for patients to give feedback if there is a concern or issue. We need to find a way to honor both patient and staff rights and safety.