Mother-In-Law Threatens Redditor's Career As A Nurse If She Tells Anyone Her Secret
"Harassment is harassment. So is threatening someone's career."
One hospital shift on Valentine’s Day turned into a family standoff for one Reddit nurse, and the drama did not stay at work for long.
The original poster says her mother-in-law showed up as a patient, then tried to control the situation by demanding a different nurse and later threatening to use HIPAA against her. What started as a tense hospital encounter quickly spilled into texts, insults, and a warning about future grandkids.
Now the comments are weighing in on whether the nurse crossed a line, or whether her mother-in-law is just using the law as leverage.
You can read the story to decide if OP really is TA
[deleted]OP's an ER nurse, and when she saw her MIL in the hospital on Valentine's Day, she was already going to suggest switching with another nurse, but the MIL's demand beat her to it
[deleted]The secret that the MIL didn't want OP's husband to find out was that the date was someone with whom their family doesn't have a good history
[deleted]
The MIL made sure to remind OP that there would be consequences if she broke HIPAA, and she would use that to her advantage to torture OP
[deleted]
That set the tone for the rest of the exchange.
OP got fed up with the MIL's treatment of her, and they exchanged mean words against each other
[deleted]
Since she kept taunting OP, she decided to dangle the amount of time the MIL could see her future grandkids
[deleted]
To which the MIL didn't care whatsoever and even called her a trash person
[deleted]
OP has provided more explanation of why she thinks she might be in the wrong
Judgement_Bot_AIT
Then the comments started piling on.
There were numerous comments from Redditors suggesting something that would protect her legally if things blew up
webtin-Mizkir-8quzme
Someone in the same field agreed with this
slaterbabe10
OP can turn things around and have the MIL face consequences instead
SmallestMonster
The specific details are in the works
Jed08
But it doesn't negate the fact that OP should start thinking about how to legally protect herself
Jed08
One commenter tried to narrow down the legal gray area.
It also echoes the dilemma in a sister’s pregnancy news blowup, where someone debated warning her early.
A Redditor clarified her point so it is better understood
Specialist_Candie_77
People are trying to ask around if there can be a loophole or an exemption to the law
Fuck_You_Alls
Then the topic of OP's conversation with her MIL being accidentally seen by her husband might be considered something that is not illegal
No_Patients
There are also many ways that it could happen
Raise-The-Gates
End of comment
Raise-The-Gates
Another Redditor brought a different angle to the discussion.
A Redditor involved in both fields shared their two cents
Awesomocity0
That gray area might be OP's saving grace
TheZMage
The situation is complex, no matter how simple the story sounds
m2cwf
One thing is for sure, though: OP has every right to decide who she exposes her future kids to
m2cwf
That part of the story got the strongest reaction.
The OP of this comment is sending virtual comfort to medical professionals
m2cwf
And OP clearly has rights she could fight for too
SlasherVII
If there's a rule to protect a lot of people, it's best not to abuse it. HIPAA is one of them, and OP wasn't even threatening the MIL with anything before she was mentally played with the possibility of facing charges.
The people in the comments were kind enough to provide OP with a possible way out of the situation. What do you think should happen to the MIL?
Want another “tell or stay silent” showdown? Read whether they should break a promise to protect an abused friend from her partner.
