HIPAA violations among nursing students: Teachable moment or terminal mistake-A case study

Abstract

A case study involving one nursing education program’s experience with a Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) violation is used to illustrate how one nursing college dealt with a student’s HIPAA violation.  HIPAA violations committed by students within healthcare education programs are under-studied and under-discussed. HIPAA violations made by nursing students are complex because they occur during the learning process and can involve a variety of variables including clinical facility responsibilities, dual roles of nursing student and clinical facility employee, the appropriateness of patient assignments, the role and accountability of clinical facility nurse educators, nursing unit culture, and staff nurse role modeling. Findings reveal that nursing students are at a higher vulnerability than previously known, for HIPAA violations. This case study serves as an example of how one nursing program decided to use a HIPAA violation by a senior nursing student, and use it as a teachable moment, rather than a terminal mistake.