An OB-GYN who blew off some steam about a patient on her Facebook page now finds herself in hot water. When Amy Dunbar vented about a (nameless) patient on her Facebook page, little did she know the backlash would come back to slap her in the face.
According to an article in the Huffington Post, the Mercy Hospital physician from St. Louis was clearly frustrated by an expectant mother's perpetual tardiness:
"So I have a patient who has chosen either no-show or be late (sometimes hours) for all of her prenatal visits, ultrasounds, and NSTs. She is now hours later for her induction. May I show up late to her delivery?"
(For the record, she "put up" with the patient's shameful timekeeping because of a past stillbirth.)
While you can't blame Dunbar for her exasperation, were her comments professional? Did she cross a line? Her employers are now reviewing the case to determine whether she "violated privacy issues."
We've all heard about teachers griping about their students on Facebook. But social media networking sites are, uh, social and eminently public—something many professionals seem to forget. They are not the place in which to air your grievances, especially if you happen to have signed confidentiality clauses as part of the terms of your employment.
Boston's Children's Hospital appears to have pulled up its socks, having published a six-page manifesto all about social media policy for its staff.
Still need to gripe? Best go about it the old fashioned way—by grabbing a brew or a bite after hours with a colleague. Not naming names in this day and age may not be enough to get you off the hook, especially when all eyes have access to your computer screen.
What do you make of this OB-GYN's status? Should she be fired, as some argue, or should the anonymity of the post give her the freedom to vent every now and then?
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