My sister, who I will cal Amy, is a RN for a hospital in the town I live in. A co-worker of mine, I will call Joan, was her patient. Joan was aware that Amy was my sister, and during her care notified my sister that she worked with me. At some point after becoming aware of this relationship, my sister began to describe to Joan about her childhood and how she and I had gotten along. She apparently went into a lot of detail and painted a pretty bad picture of me in the process. When Joan returned to work she told me about the conversation she had had with my sister during her medical procedure, and it was clear she was influenced by it as it affected our working relationship, which had previously been good. I was very upset to have learned that my sister would do something like this and that it was during a time when her professional duties should have been the main concern. I considered going to the hospital administrator with a complaint but I didn't really want to get my sister fired and besides I didn't know if she had done anything against her professional ethics. What do you think I should have done?

" Does anyone have Vince McMahon's number? Ding-ding !"

I also agree, talk to your sister, but to answer the question you posed....NO, she is not an ethical nurse.....Nursejohn

To all,

It is obvious that being professional was lost here. I hate to be blount, but I think that when you are dealing with patients, you must keep your personal feelings to yourself. I realize that this was a sister talking to someone they both knew, but this person was still a patient. You don't open your mouth up about anyone during or after patient care, that's my philosophy and I'm sticking to it! I do believe she crossed the ethical line here, you just don't open your mouth about co-workers or anyone to patients. If you don't have anything good or bad to say just keep your mouth shut.

As a professional, she crossed the line.  That conversation had nothing to do with your friends treatment and had no place in that situation, particulary in a nurse-to-patient relationship.

As a human, she crossed the line, because I would be extremely pissed-off if one of my siblings shot-off their mouth (nicely or not) about me to a stranger at work (general terms maybe, but not when I would be identified).

Realistically, no, I probably would not report them to the hospital administration, because it was my sibling. 

Yes, I would talk to the sister about the behavior.  And if she did not want to listen, maybe take it to whomever in your family tends to adjudicate issues within the family (father, mother, older sibling) and get it worked out before it festers into an incurable chasm between the two of you.

To get back to the original question:  What your sister did was unethical in discussing your personal life with a patient.  Does that make your sister unethical, not necessarily.  That one act was unethical.  But if it was an isolated act, that would make the act, not the person, unethical.  However, if it were a reoccurring pattern of behavior, it would make a stronger case for calling your sister an unethical nurse.

Simple answer, it is not.  Neither was the question. 

Dr. Tom Conrad