Former pediatric nurse who photographed students in bathing suits barred from profession

A former nurse and college instructor on Vancouver Island has been banned from the profession after taking several hundred photographs of his students in their bathing suits some without their knowledge during an overseas trip three years ago.

Stephen Bishop was chair of the nursing departmentat CamosunCollege in Victoria when he went on a five-week field study trip to the Philippines with students in 2016. Bishop wasa registered nurse and his students'chaperone.

Students filedcomplaints about Bishop after returning home. He resigned from his full-time role at Camosun as the college investigated.

Details of the allegations were scant at the time, but earlier this month Bishop came to an agreement with the provincial regulator for nurses about what happened.

'Inappropriately personal'

A consent agreementsaid Bishop admitted to taking "several hundred photographs of his students in their bathing suits while they were swimming or sunbathing, and/or when they may have been unaware that they were being photographed."

The college said Bishop also made comments "to or about students that were reasonably regarded as inappropriately personal in nature" during the trip. The notice, dated June 19,did not elaborate further on the nature of the comments.

Bishop's nursing registration lapsed during the investigation and he did not apply to renew his credentials in 2018.Bishop spent 25 years working in pediatric intensive care before moving to Camosun, and specialized in caringfor critically ill children.

The notice said Bishop has agreed not to re-apply for his nursing registration for at least four years. If he were to reapply, he would need to take courses and the college would need to reassess his character and competence to practice.

The college said Bishop hasn't taken a job as a nurse in B.C. since he resigned from Camosun in 2016.Without his provincial credentials, he is not legally permitted to practise nursing in B.C.

In an emailed statement, a spokesperson for Camosun College said it hired an external investigator to look into allegations against Bishop in 2016.

The investigation has been completed, but the college said it "cannot disclose the details" of any findings "as this is a personnel matter."