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A BC nurse has been suspended for 12 days for looking up the medical records of his friends.

According to a July 25 BC College of Nurses and Midwives decision, registered nurse Christopher Whelan used his health authority credentials to access the medical records of two people he knew.

The decision said he looked at one person's record 24 times, and another person's five times.

Unlike numerous other recent cases where nurses have been suspended for accessing medical records, in this case the individuals knew Whelan was looking up their records.

However, the decision gives no reason for why the Rossland-based nurse would do this, or whether he did it on the individuals' instruction.

READ MORE: BC nurse suspended, but regulator scant on details

The regulator's move to present vague information like this unfortunately leaves the public in the dark.

The decision said Whelan looked up the records between June and November 2022 and the information wasn't disclosed to a third party.

The registered nurse is the sixth so far this year to have been reprimanded for snooping on medical records without permission.

Last year, seven nurses were found to have accessed confidential medical records without permission and received suspensions ranging from a few days to six months.

Last December, BC's Information and Privacy Commissioner said that private medical records are "disturbingly" vulnerable.

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The decision said Whelan also looked up his own medical record on one occasion.

Separately, the regulator also said Whelan "inappropriately delegated" tasks to a nursing student he was supervising when he left an ICU ward to attend to a personal matter.

He currently works at the Kootenay Boundary Regional Hospital and signed a consent agreement admitting to his conduct.

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Along with a 12-day suspension, he will also have to take the University of Alberta course, Health Information Access and Privacy.

No other details are given in the decision.

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