Confidentiality Assignment
PART B: CASE STUDIES
CASE STUDY 1:
The ambulance you are job shadowing with is dispatched to a ‘person collapsed’ with
the Fire Department as backup. En route you realize the address is next door to
your parents’ home. In fact, these neighbors are long time family friends. Other
neighbors are on the street watching the goings on, and see you enter the
residence with the ambulance crew. Inside is the neighbor’s wife, collapsed on the
floor, unresponsive, being ventilated by the Fire Department. The husband appears
nervous and is acting inappropriately. The patient’s condition, along with the needle
mark in her arm, is highly suggestive of narcotic drug use. The RCMP are notified,
and arrive at the residence. The ambulance crew have treated the patient who is
now conscious, and transported her to the hospital.
What, if anything, may you say at home about what happened next door?
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
What do you say to a neighbor who saw you enter the home, and approaches you
looking for an explanation to the events?
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
What do you say to your job-shadow sponsor teacher, other teachers, friends, or
fellow students?
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
How would you feel if someone did the same thing to you?
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
Confidentiality Assignment
CASE STUDY 2
Your work placement is at a bank. While you are observing at the teller’s wicket,
your next door neighbor, Mrs. Martin, comes in with a $150,000 cheque to deposit.
You hear her tell the teller that she just sold her house. That evening, your mom
mentions casually, “Mrs. Martin mentioned that she saw you when she was at the
bank today.”
What is ethical/unethical to reveal to your mom about what you heard and saw at
the bank?
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
Confidentiality Assignment
CASE STUDY 3
Jo’s placement is with a very posh restaurant. The restaurant has a policy of
throwing out any prepared luncheon food that is not served by 2:00pm. The
restaurant policy is that employees are not to take any of the food for themselves.
Jo is told by her supervisor to throw away about 5 chicken cordon bleu orders. Jo
is from a poor family who could use the chicken for dinner that evening.
What should Jo do?
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
If an employee at this restaurant were fired for taking some of the unused food
home, would you consider this wrongful dismissal?
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
Confidentiality Assignment
CASE STUDY 4
Sam is placed in the Accounting Department of a large firm for his work placement.
His friend’s father works at this firm. His friend has told him that his dad is the
highest paid engineer on the staff. While helping out the payroll staff, Sam learns
that his friend’s dad is not the highest paid engineer.
Should Sam say something the next time his friend boasts that his dad is the
highest paid engineer with his firm?
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
Would the people in authority at your work site approve of you saying something?
If “NO”…why not?
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
Confidentiality Assignment
CASE STUDY 5
Your work placement is at the Fire Department. You respond with the crew to a
house fire in you neighborhood. The fire has obviously been set on purpose (arson).
You over hear the firefighters talking about who set the fire. Later that evening
your friend asks about the house fire that you were at.
Should you reveal any information about the fire and who lit it? Why or why not?
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
What would you say in response to your friend’s inquiry?
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
Confidentiality Assignment
CASE STUDY 6
Your work placement is with the RCMP Victim-Witness Services Program. You
respond with the coordinator to offer emotional support and practical information
to a victim of a domestic assault. It turns out that the assault victim is the wife
of you father’s boss. Your father’s boss has been arrested and is being held in
custody to appear before a Justice of the Peace. When you arrive home, your
father says he has to go in to work early the next day as he received a strange call
saying his boss would not be in, but no explanation was offered. Your dad is very
curious about what is going on.
What can you say or do?
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
Confidentiality Assignment
CASE STUDY 7
Your work placement is at the RCMP office. The constable you are with has to
take a phone call and leaves you alone. You hear other police talking about getting
a search warrant to search a pawnshop for stolen property. The search warrant is
to be executed at 4:00pm the next day. You realize the pawnshop they are talking
about is that of the parent of your best friend.
Should you reveal information to your friend or friend’s family? Why or why not?
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
Should you hang about there the next day to see what happens? Why or why not?
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
Confidentiality Assignment
CASE STUDY 8
Part 1….You have gone to your local grocery store all your life. The proprietor of
the store has always allowed you to purchase items when you are a few cents short
of the purchase. The proprietor knows you and your family by name and is always
friendly. One day you are shopping at the store and a person comes into the store.
You witness the person shoplifting a number of items.
Do you report the theft to the proprietor? _____________________________
If you answered “YES”, why did you report the theft?
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
If you answered “NO”, why did you not report the theft?
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
Part 2….The next day you are shopping in Zellers department store. As you are
shopping, you witness a person shoplifting.
Do you report the theft? _________________________________________
If you answered “YES”, why did you report the theft?
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
If you answered “NO”, why did you not report the theft?
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
Confidentiality Assignment
CASE STUDY 9
On a work placement you are working on a cash register. A man that is in his early
30’s and who has gold rings with huge diamonds pays for a $5.00 purchase with a
$100.00 bill. You take his money, but, it feels thicker that a normal $100.00 bill.
As in most stores there is a scanner that checks for counterfeit money. When you
place the $100.00 bill in the scanner everything seems to be okay. After giving the
man change, you discover that there is not one but two bills stuck together. What
a windfall!!!
Do you run after the man and give him his money or do you keep it and say “too
bad…your loss is my gain!” Explain your actions.
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
Confidentiality Assignment
CASE STUDY 10
While working at Joe’s Pizza four good friends come in to the restaurant. They
have two fully large dressed pizzas and some pop. You have not waited on them
but, have said “hello”. Joe asks you to clean up a spill in the kitchen. As you are
cleaning up you friends “dine & dash”.
What do you do?
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
Do you tell Joe who they are? Why or why not?
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________