Can a PI be useful in this workplace issue?

[nissan]

Came across a client who has a workplace issue.

Client is a male registered nurse working in a public hospital.Been at the same hospital for 10 years.Married with 3 kids.

He did a massive blunder,let me explain.

While working on the ward, a elderly female patient asked him for a piece of paper.She wanted to write on it.

Earlier in the shift,the nurse has written some sentences on a paper which was of a sexual nature.He wrote those while speaking to his wife.He put the paper in his pocket.

So you guessed it, when the patient asked for a piece of paper, he pulled out the paper out of his pocket and gave it to the lady.Then he walked off and came back around 2 minutes later, realised he shouldnt of given her the paper and chucked it in the bin.

Later the same shift, the patient complained to the daughter, and the daughter retrieved the paper out of the bin and she caused a massive stir.

Now i guess the evidence is on the paper, and the hospital are doing a big investigation regarding what happened.

The male nurse is very sorry and regretfle and never intended to hurt the lady.He admits his error and just really upset about the whole situation.His job is on the line and he is really worried he will lose his job.

But the second allegation is that this female patient is accusing the nurse of asking her for sexual favors, which he says are untrue.He is shocked by these allegations.

They have taken statements from the patient, daughter,other nurse etc.

What role can a private investigator, if they can,in this situation?

Do you think a hopsital investigation is good enough?

What about a lie detector test for the patient and male nurse?Would that work in his favor at all?

[Dax]

Just a few quick thoughts on this...

RE: the lie detector test - I don't think the results are admissable in court here. Also, if the patient genuinely believes she was propositioned (ie: because of the words on the paper) then the lie detector won't pick it up as a lie anyway, as in her mind she will be telling the truth.

The hospital will have guidelines in place for dealing with any complaints. I would imagine that taking further action (such as using a PI) would only be considered if the results of the internal investigation did not resolve the issue, or one of the parties thought that it was not impartial.

It sounds to me like a mediator might be more relavent than a PI...

[Homer]

I don't think an investigator would be of any value, particularly if internal inquiries have been undertaken and people interviewed. If the worker engages an investigator to do some interviews with staff they would not get past first base. They would have no hope of getting assistance from the patient and nobody would take any notice of the investigation report anyway. Who would it be presented to - some Disciplinary Board or HR Manager ? They would reject it, for sure. Waste of money.

[BigGeorge]

Quite to the contrary Homer, I'd say engaging a private investigator could be potentially of crucial value as long as the private investigator is a pro.

Interviewing and taking statements is not taking a finger print or a shoe print - i.e. anyone can do it, the internal investigator has done it, so what's the point.

It's not just what is asked, but how it's asked. I have been privy to many cases where the findings of a second investigation were totally different from an initial investigation. The primary factor was the superior interviewing skills of the second investigator. The outcome often has been that concrete evidence came to light in the second investigation whereas the initial one was mediocre at best.
 
BG

[Dizzi]

Hi
This is my first post so hope I can help out here. I have just completed the course and am a full-time HR Manager in a nursing home. The nurse in this situation should without a doubt face disciplinary action, the fact that he was having a sexually explicit phone call in the workplace is totally inappropriate and that he then put this in writing makes it even worse. To be working in a hospital he would have been required to have a criminal record check & for it to be clear of convictions of a violent or sexual nature. The only benefit I could see for involving a PI in this instance is if the patient wanted evidence that this was NOT an isolated incident or if the hospital wanted evidence that it was (eg if they expected a lawsuit). He would not likely face criminal action for this incident but an RN is supposed to be held to a higher standard of trust (they are trusted to witness stat decs etc & to care for the frail & vulnerable) and this guy screwed up BIG.