Possible Dismissal

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SeekerOfTheTree

SeekerOfTheTree

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Need more details here to be able to answer your question. EMR account of a schoolmate at a hospital you rotated at where the person was admitted? you can always get a notorized letter from the attending you rotated with and tell them that you weren't present at the location of the ip address from where the account was accessed. The IT dept might be able to help you with this.

Not trying to flame you here but were you sharing your passwords with someone?
 
SeekerOfTheTree said:
So I have been warned of possible dismissal. I am a fourth year and apparently someone used my EMR account to look up someone's record that goes to school there. Wasn't me I will promise you that since I don't know the person. On one of the occasions they accessed from on campus when I was on an away rotation. So I am basically going to get dismissed over this. I don't understand what to do. I am about to cry. Has anyone heard of this happening.
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Can't they access login records for the same time period? Most hospital systems have a login before you get to the desktop. If you were on an away rotation then I don't see how you're responsible, unless of course you gave out your passcode.
 
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SeekerOfTheTree said:
Never have my code to anyone at all. They are the ones who told me I wasn't there when one of the access violations took place. I don't understand how this crap happened man. They accessed this individuals health records. Just one person.
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Seriously sucks. I'm sorry.

Was slightly different, but I knew one person who had this happen in his M4 year some time ago, before we became M4s.

Long process, but he ultimately was able to prove it wasn't him. Had to do some remedial type stuff and spent more time than I'm sure he wanted to spend in some office or another, but ultimately went on to start residency without issue.
 
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DrBowtie said:
Sounds like this goes beyond just school dismissal policy stuff and borders on legal issues. I'd consult an attorney.
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Agree with this, lawyer up NOW!!! Good luck I hope it works out.
 
+3 for getting yourself a good attorney. This sounds like some serious BS. If you weren't there and hadn't given your login/pwd to someone, you are not culpable.
 
SeekerOfTheTree said:
I think I might need to check into a psych unit. I have a spotless academic and professional record. I don't get this.
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If what you say is all true, then I suppose you have nothing to worry about. If they are pursuing this despite having themselves found evidence that you weren't "at the scene of the crime," then something is seriously wrong with them. Get a lawyer for sure; you probably won't need one, but I'm sure a good attorney would have lots of fun squashing them on this, and you'll want to make sure this all stays off your record in the end. Have you talked to your Dean? If you're a great student I'm sure your Dean will have something to say about this..
 
SeekerOfTheTree said:
Which dean should I talk too. There are so many of them. Also why type of lawyer should I get just in the event I need one. I know I didn't do this but I don't know how to prove it. They already had this evidence but they are still pursuing it after me.
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Try calling a major law firm that specializes in many different areas and ask them if they can help you.

Talk to the head dean at your school. Make an appointment.
 
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SeekerOfTheTree said:
Which dean should I talk too. There are so many of them. Also why type of lawyer should I get just in the event I need one. I know I didn't do this but I don't know how to prove it. They already had this evidence but they are still pursuing it after me.
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I'd start with you Dean of Student Affairs. They're usually the ones to advocate for the student.
 
1) I know you are scared, and rightfully so. These processes are obscured and seemingly biased against you. Work with the system to prove your innocence.

2) Get an attorney.

3) The hospital/school should be able to help establish you were not in the hospital when the access occurred. All computers have a unique IP address and database queries are time stamped. The security footage of the floor/ward should give some plausible candidates who were in the area of the machine at the time of the record being accessed.
 
yes. talk to someone on your side before you do anything else. Sorry this is happening to you dude
 
SeekerOfTheTree said:
Thanks guys. This whole getting an attorney thing is scary man. I want to reach out to the person who thinks I accessed their records and tell them it wasn't me. I don't even know them. Would this be a bad idea.
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seriously?... I smell a troll... why would they tell you the person whose privacy was violated? and you want to contact this person? yeah, troll...


If not you have the answers to your questions. Delete your posts and get off this forum as I would bet anyone at your school who knows of your situation (and it being very rare) would be able to identify you.
 
SeekerOfTheTree said:
Thanks guys. This whole getting an attorney thing is scary man. I want to reach out to the person who thinks I accessed their records and tell them it wasn't me. I don't even know them. Would this be a bad idea.
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Yes that would be a terrible idea.

You really need to follow the advice of the folks on this thread. Get a lawyer. Do not agree to attend any meeting with your school until you've sought counsel. Do not contact the person in question. Do not contact the person you think may have accessed the records using your name (if you have someone in mind). Do not talk to the dean of student affairs; when push comes to shove they are on the school's side and not yours.
 
duckie99 said:
seriously?... I smell a troll... why would they tell you the person whose privacy was violated? and you want to contact this person? yeah, troll...


If not you have the answers to your questions. Delete your posts and get off this forum as I would bet anyone at your school who knows of your situation (and it being very rare) would be able to identify you.
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This dude's account is over 5 years old. I highly doubt he made this account in undergrad and spent hundreds of hours accumulating 800+ posts so he 'troll' us 5+ years later.
 
Get your nose checked. He's a regular participant in the EM forum. Not a troll
 
While I'm not against getting a lawyer, be prepared for the possibility that they might not have much help to offer you. It seems like students almost never have any intrinstic legal rights beyond the rights defined in the contracts they signed at the start of the year, which are written by university legal departments to make sure you don't have any rights. If you do talk to a lawyer, I would definitely advise you to talk to the lawyer before you talk to anyone else (including your friends) about the lawyer, only tell the school you have legal representation if your legal representation advises it.

My idea would to contact a private investigator, to try to figure out who is accessing your account. The issue of a hacked account came up for a friend of mine once (though in a much less serious situation) and he managed to find the guy who was accessing his account on a security camera near one of the access sites. Unlike the lawyer that seems like the kind of thing that might actually be helpful to your case (and probably more affordable too). Also they'd probably be relieved to work on something other than documenting infidelities for divorces. Ultimately it seems like your best chance of salvation here is find out who is doing this and pin the blame where it belongs.
 
Perrotfish said:
While I'm not against getting a lawyer, be prepared for the possibility that they might not have much help to offer you. .
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I typically agree, but this is something of a different case than the usual "I'm getting dismissed" posts we see on here. This is more of a HIPAA/identity theft/fraud issue than the usual dismissal. A lawyer with healthcare experience should at least be able to help figure out WHAT rights the OP has, and should be able to help establish what burden of proof the school needs to dismiss the OP.

I would also say that IF the OP is being completely truthful with us here, I would encourage them to absolutely go to the mattresses over this. Do not let your career be ruined because of someone's else actions. I very rarely think it is appropriate, but file a lawsuit and take it to court if need be.
 
Who is accusing you of this? It sounds more like an IT mix up than anything else.

Most EMR records are pretty secure and unless your password is 'password' or something dumb like that, it seems more likely that the IT dude mixed something up.

Either that, or you really really pissed somebody off and they watched you type in your password at some point in time and this is them seeking revenge.
 
link2swim06 said:
Who is accusing you of this? It sounds more like an IT mix up than anything else.

Most EMR records are pretty secure and unless your password is 'password' or something dumb like that, it seems more likely that the IT dude mixed something up.

Either that, or you really really pissed somebody off and they watched you type in your password at some point in time and this is them seeking revenge.
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Or he had a student who is stalking this student watch him type his password. Or a nurse. Or an IT guy. Or maybe he just got spear phished by some random guy. There are a lot of possibilities here.
 
Make sure to freely tell this story to all your future colleagues. It'll help bolster the reputation of your school. (the least you could do to repay them for their thoughtfulness)
 
I hope it goes your way. Be truthful, but make sure you are truthful in your defense. If I were dismissed off a first time charge with no definitive proof I would not handle it well. I would probably revisit each person in the committee at their individual homes.
 
Also, this is just me, but if I were in your situation I'd record every meeting and limit other communication to email rather than phone.
 
1. Yes it can be used against you.

2. Be careful if you record things, in many states it is illegal to record a conversation without the consent of all parties present. Google "one party consent states recording" to get some info on this.

3. Get an attorney.
 
I will update what happens to my future by next Friday...hoping I know something.
 
Thanks man. I keep refreshing this forum hoping for somebody who had a similar experience.
 
i heard of a nurse getting fired over looking at a docs info..she said she liked him and wanted to make sure he was healthy...

i think showing you couldnt have possibly in the place when it happened will help..do you have witnessess of the rotation you were on at that time period?
 
GroverPsychMD said:
i heard of a nurse getting fired over looking at a docs info..she said she liked him and wanted to make sure he was healthy...

i think showing you couldnt have possibly in the place when it happened will help..do you have witnessess of the rotation you were on at that time period?
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I think there might technically be clauses that say that if it was your info you are responsible. The systems usually have auto logoff, will not save info, and this that and the other. If he really was away and someone was able to make it look like his info or somehow got his access info without him knowing, he will need to appeal to their compassion rather than try to fight it. It is very likely that the admissions documents or pre-clinic documents covered this in detail.
 
I do have witnesses. These systems aren't fail proof either though. Can be hacked. I have seen fingerprint logins log the wrong person in at our place. We don't admit we have issues for some reason. Lets see what happens to me. Way to spend New Years. Should have never gone to med school.
 
i still dont see why theyd kick you out over this..has there been other stuff too and this is your third strike or something?
 
I have not had one strike. My slate is clean. I haven't even ever had a negative comment in my evals. I am a follow the rules kind of guy, don't like to mess with the balance. I might talk crap online but in real life I am focused and on the ball.
 
SeekerOfTheTree said:
I do have witnesses. These systems aren't fail proof either though. Can be hacked. I have seen fingerprint logins log the wrong person in at our place. We don't admit we have issues for some reason. Lets see what happens to me. Way to spend New Years. Should have never gone to med school.
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Good luck man. I'm pulling for you. My point was only that these things are often already subject to a contingency plan before you are even aware they can happen

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was the person that you allegedly looked up someone of importance? how did they even jump on this??

hospitals have cameras too to show where you were at teh time of infraction..
 
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