Suspension extended for Saint John nurse who accessed patient records without consent
A Saint John nurse who was suspended for inappropriately accessing the personal health records of hundreds of patients has had her suspension extended.
Rachel Lynn Van Beelen was originally suspended in November 2020 after the Nurses Association of New Brunswick determined that she "took advantage of her trusted position as a Registered Nurse and abused her authority in accessing the medical files of 587 individuals," according to a notice on the association's website.
The notice said the files included "patients who were not assigned to her care, co-workers, family members, a friend, and COVID-19 unit patients, without consent, authorization, or clinical purpose to do so."
The discipline committee that examined the case for the association, which is the governing body for nurses in New Brunswick, said it found that Van Beelen "did not demonstrate sufficient understanding of the seriousness of her misconduct, and did not demonstrate adequate insight or accountability for her actions."
'Not in a position to comment'
As a result, the committee ordered the original suspension remain in place "until specific conditions are met. When those conditions are met, Ms. Van Beelen will be eligible for a conditional registration."
The nurses association declined to comment further on Van Beelen's specific case. A communications official was asked questions about the disciplinary process in general, but did not provide a response by publication time.
The province's office of the ombud, which commented on a similar case in 2021, said, "We are not in a position to comment on this matter."
Similarly, the Horizon Health Network has not provided a response to questions, but said in 2021 in a previous case that anyone impacted by privacy breaches are notified as per the legislation, the Personal Health Information Privacy and Access Act of New Brunswick.
