Wow! Who knew it was like this? Well, actually, we did. Just ask any ER staff member, or hospital staffer for that measure, and they can name you a whole list of incidents right off the top of their heads...
Bitten, shot, spat on: Violence in hospitals common for staff.
It's sad that it takes a national incident like the one at Johns Hopkins for this to become headline news. I've only been a nurse for less than two years, but already the number of times I've been verbally assaulted has been too many to count. Physically assaulted? Also quite a few. It's not acceptable to press charges, since I should have "talked the patient down." Perhaps now, after yet another incident of violence in hospitals, people will finally see what we deal with on a daily basis, and realize that is it Not Okay.
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4 comments:
Not even out of nursing school and I've already witnessed it, been involved in it.
It is not suprising to me. As an EMT, see it all the time. Always laugh since they call us, then don't want our help.
My favorite moment is when I stepped away from a patient and calmly asked "are you assaulting me?" The whole scene mood changed. :)
I think one of the best moments I have seen this made public was on the short lived tv series "Mercy". Where there was some really accurate scenes very simmilar to ones I saw in Urban NJ on a daily basis.
In the state of Washington it is a felony with a strike to assault a health care worker. I am an RN who recently pressed charges and I couldn't be happier with myself for doing it!
It's terrifying how many news stories you hear about nurses being attacked by patients. A lot of drunk patients too, or strung out ones. So how are you supposed to "talk them down"?? A couple friends of mine in nursing wear these buttons on their scrubs so if they are in danger, they can just press a little button and help will arrive. Nurses need to protect themselves!
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