"My grandmother always taught me that when you are silent about questionable things, in a way you are agreeing with them, or people might think that you are. I feel strongly about protecting patient rights, and I would be very uncomfortable in this situation if my colleagues were discussing protected health information. I would feel compelled to address it right on the spot and very pleasantly say that I don't feel comfortable with the conversation and ask them to stop. I also realize that I will be discussing situations with my fellow residents that would be learning opportunities. If this was a situation where private information wasn't being shared and the discussion was educational, I would jump right in to learn or help teach more."

First and foremost, talk about the importance of keeping private patient information confidential and explain how you would squash the conversation immediately if your fellow resident were disobeying HIPAA laws. Then, make sure to leave the door open to discussions of situations that can be learning opportunities between yourself and your colleagues as long as PHI isn't shared.