Conflict of interest? Family member? Please help!!

Hello,

I recently became a registered nurse and was offered a pool position at a nursing home that my great grandmother resides in.

It never came up during the interview. I start orientation this week. Is is considered a conflict of interest to care for her?

I checked the Pennsylvania Board of Nursing rules and regulations and couldn't find any information regarding this subject.

I'm going to call the BON on Monday and ask but was wondering for your input.

Thanks in advance!!
I'm pretty sure the BON doesn't have any specific guidelines for this situation, but don't quote me on that.I think your facility will be the one with the say in the matter.

I've written this reply three different times, and each time it gets longer. But I think you don't need to read my personal reasons as to why I wouldn't take the job. I think you simply need to ask yourself if you have a problem with it. Would you be able to work in a nursing home your great-grandmother resides in?Just think about that for a minute...

Quote from SoCalCrafterI've written this reply three different times, and each time it gets longer. But I think you don't need to read my personal reasons as to why I wouldn't take the job. I think you simply need to ask yourself if you have a problem with it. Would you be able to work in a nursing home your great-grandmother resides in?Just think about that for a minute...

I also worked at a facility where my grandmother resided, but I also informed facility during the interview. I would let the Facility know ASAP, as far as the BON I don't think they have any specific guidelines, but it might be a conflict of interest.I'd call the BON just to make sure.

Quote from newbiern41Hello,I recently became a registered nurse and was offered a pool position at a nursing home that my great grandmother resides in.It never came up during the interview. I start orientation this week. Is is considered a conflict of interest to care for her?I checked the Pennsylvania Board of Nursing rules and regulations and couldn't find any information regarding this subject.I'm going to call the BON on Monday and ask but was wondering for your input.Thanks in advance!!

Quote from eriksolnThats a good point acutally.

Architects design houses for family members, teachers teach family members, police respond to emergencies of family members, lawyers represent familiy members, doctors provide care to family members, noone of the above is seen as a conflict of intrest, why do nurses feel they have to hold themselves seperate from any of those other professionals and see that caring for a family member is a conflict of intrest? There are plenty of people that work at nursing homes and care for their relatives. Nursing needs to get over itself and use common sense.

Quote from KyrshamarksArchitects design houses for family members, teachers teach family members, police respond to emergencies of family members, lawyers represent familiy members, doctors provide care to family members, noone of the above is seen as a conflict of intrest, why do nurses feel they have to hold themselves seperate from any of those other professionals and see that caring for a family member is a conflict of intrest? There are plenty of people that work at nursing homes and care for their relatives. Nursing needs to get over itself and use common sense.

I think you should most definitely let your employer know that your great-grandma is a resident at the facility, and if they're ok with it I would think long and hard about how you feel about working there. On one hand, it might be a benefit to be able to see your g-ma on a daily basis and to get to know the people caring for her. On the other, you might not be comfortable caring for your g-ma in a professional setting.

Please forgive me if I sound flippant, but I'm not understanding why one would decline a position on the grounds that the facility of choice is a location that a family member resides in. I understand if the facility has an issue with this and would agree with full disclosure at the interview, but I don't see where the BON should be involved. What if the situation were that one was already employed in a longterm care facility and a family member decided to make that place their home, I'm sure the facility would not turn the potential resident away. Again, I would notify the interviewer and be very careful about disclosing any information to well meaning friends and family. Good luck

In my facility we have had several family members of staff who resided at the LTC facility. All of our resident came to us after their family members were hired.I don't think any of the family had direct patient care of their family member on a consistent basis as the family member was on a different assignment or floor/unit. We did have a few occasions where the nurse was a float to the assignment the family member was on. What she did was ask that the other nurse take "grandma" and she would take a resident from the other nurses assignment. She did that so that no one (other residents, staff or families of the other residents) would ever be able to say that Grandma got special or preferential treatment from the nurse. But that was the nurses choice, it wasn't dictated by the powers that be at the facility.

I have seen this in my facililty before and I don't think its a good idea. She's your grandma so her care is always going to matter more to you than the other residents. How will you feel if a CNA passes her room to get another call light? There are several examples of situations like that. I know that if it were my grandma, I would spend more time with her and give her more attention than I did the others. Not like a purposeful ignoring of anyone else but I just know that her care means the MOST to me because she is my blood. So, for me the bottom line is not whether its "allowed" (because it is) but "should" it be done...