17 replies to this topic

[NawlinsGirl]

PLEASE EXPLAIN IF YOU ANSWERED YES TO THE POLL QUESTION .

[Pete]

PLEASE EXPLAIN IF YOU ANSWERED YES TO THE POLL QUESTION .

Before I say anything I have to say the greater majority of clients in mental health are not violent.
Yet, one of the problems in mental health is that some clients do not have insight into their presenting illness and may have been admitted under the Mental Health Act. They may not see that they are a risk to themselves or others or that their thoughts are based upon delusions. Yet they are still restricted by the law from leaving the hospital. This puts members of the team and especailly Nurses in a negative light by the client. Many of us recieve verbal abuse and occasionally we are hit. We are the ones with the most contact with the client (24/7) and the ones who have to enforce the act even if a Doctor and a Social worker may have written the section papers. Its not nice sometimes.

[Jessica]

I was attacked on the job (hospital). A code NP (patient out of control) was called for the psych ward. I ran to that floor and as soon as I entered, I was attacked by the patient - trying to escape. I was not injured and the patient was returned to the ward (in seclusion).

[NawlinsGirl]

I WORKED IN A TRAUMA ICU FOR OVER 9 YRS.. IVE BEEN SLAPPED IN THE FACE SEVERAL TIMES AND IVE BEEN KICKED COUNTLESS TIMES..ONCE EVEN IN THE THROAT.. MY ARM HAS ALMOST BEEN BROKEN OFF I COULD GO ON AND ON.. BUT IM SURE YOU GET THE PICTURE....

NAWLINSGIRL

[Pete]

Yes, I am aware also that many Nurses get hit and injured working in casualty too. Nurses there often have to deal with the impatient, aggressive person, drunk or drug addict wanting a fix. Again, because Nurses have the greatest contact, they are the ones most hit or verbally abused.

[IV-RN]

while working in the ED, on several occasions patients would become combative and lash out at the nursing staff. This would include hitting, kicking, biting etc..

[mattsmom]

Sadly nurses take a lot of abuse and it is seen as part of the job. Over the years, I have been distressed at the hitting, kicking, biting I've seen go on...and the management team frequently blames the nurse for it, not the patient. And too often, the patient is 'not in their right mind' or can make a case for that, so we have no recourse. If we call the police we can lose our jobs in an at will state without any protections. But..if I was ever seriously injured, I WOULD call the police. Up to now, just bruises thank goodness.

I have seen nurses badly injured by psych patients on medical wards, where behavioral restraints were not considered necessary, and the nurses were not quick enough in obtaining chemical restraints. .

[vkw]

yes I have been injured on the job. Once on a travel assignment, I suffered a greenstick fracture from an elderly gentleman in a posey restraint. He woke up in the middle of the night believing the hospital was on fire and that I would not let him out. He grabbed my arm, twisted it until it snapped, then just let go. Ended up in a cast for eight weeks. Spent the first two of them back at home on paid leave. Thank goodness. The poor old guy didn't even remember it the next morning when I went back to check on him before leaving after I got out of the emergency room.

[Dirk]

Hello !

There was no serious injury on me until now, but there where a lot of assaults during my work-shifts.
Once , as I worked in a psychiatric hospitak, we had to calm down an 18 years old patient, 1m90 high and 220 (or more) pounds heavy man. He was very aggressive, and we needed 4 man to hld him. A lot of stria, a shredded shirt and a lot of headache was the result.

[Abbeygirl]

Yes we all have been there. My worse experience was when an uncontrolled female was brought into ER. We had 5 large security men and 2 female nurses besides myself in room tring to get her in restraints. She managed to get one foot loose and it just had to be the one near me. She kicked me in the side of my face and knocked me across the exam room. I saw stars for quiet awhile. Face bruised and eys swollen. What made me the madest was I had just purchased a new pair of glasses at $600 dollars. Glasses went one way I went the other. I was so mad. I finished helping them restrain her and tied my leg a littler tighter then the others of course, then went to be checked by ER Doc. Things happen.

The verbal abuse we all get. It is not fun but we can tune it out.

[Lucy S]

Sadly the abuse front line staff are now facing here in the UK is on the increase. However, here in the UK our NHS has a Zero Tolerance policy where by we can take action against those patients that to cross the line and attack staff. We can now ban persistant patients from a hospital and refused to provide all by emergency care.

It makes patients think when they are suddenly faced with no hospital to be treated in.

[aussie-margaret]

as an emergency dept nurse,
I have been

verbally abused
spat on,
hit at (but have got out the way most times)
scratched

emergency dept's in Australia have a zero tolerance to abuse and this is signposted in the waiting room. it states that police will be called to all physical and verbal abuse of staff

[JanuaryGirl]

i was punched as a student by an elderly patient who was confused (which i could totally forgive because they didn't know what they were doing) but i can gladly say its the only time i have been attacked physically. Probably because most of the patients i come in contact with are under anaesthetic or sedated, but i know of quite alot of nurses especially those working in a+e who get attacked quite alot, its so wrong but unfortunately part of the job. People dont seem to respect nurses anymore?

[ranchwife]

While working as a "correctional nurse" at a state pen, I was pushed, shoved and had one convicted felon attempt to stab me with a used insulin syringe!! I was one of the lucky ones....believe it or not, I was well-liked and well-respected by many of the felons compared to other nurses there!!

[HeatherG]

I have never been injured but my life has been threatened. One person was very serious in her threat so that was the last time I had any dealings with her. I was protected by my fellow nurses. I still have no idea what caused her anger against me. She was told she had to apologize to me but of course she never did.

Such is the life of a nurse. I don't think that the public realizes what we go through sometimes.