Are your hopital security armed?

[sharann, BSN, RN]

I just wondered. There has been such an increase in violence and crime lately and I work in an area considered "dangerous" even though bad things can happen anywhere. We are a medium sized 450 bed hospital and have "security" which are I am sorry to say are pretty useless in protecting us if something happens. They will call 911 if there is a threat but so can we. They are not armed and don't even have transportation(

used to have bikes but I think they were stolen). Not even a nice guard dog. I see them let anyone in as long as they say where they are visiting(they can make up a room or dept). As long as they have that stupid "visitor" sticker on. Well let me tell you I have seen people(witnessed myself this) walk right past the guard booth while the guard was busy checking in someone else. I see people in scrubs and lab coats with no ID badges and it steams me. I should not have to be the nurse police.

The last time I called for them to help with a combative patient they stood there looking confused, I had to yell at them to hold a flailing body part down.

So what security do you have?

[ccusherry]

Sharon,

Where I work, the security system is fairly decent. If a visitor comes in after 8 pm, they must enter through the security entrance, the guard then calls the floor where they are visiting and verify that the pt is on that unit and if they can have visitors. All of the doors in the hospital require a badge to open. As far as carrying a weapon, the hospital guards do not. We have a large penitentiary near the hospital and receive many inmates as patients. Up until recently, they carried a gun but they no longer do because there was a tragedy a couple months ago. A inmate managed to wrestle a gun from the guard with him and shot the guard in the head before he escaped. Unfortunately the guard did not survive. Now, not even the prison guards are allowed to carry a weapon.

[MS._Jen_RN, ASN, RN]

Our security is pretty good. Visitors don't have to check in, but if there is a problem our people are right on it. They patrol the campus in vehicles as well as on foot in the building. We have two bomb/drug dogs. Our guards carry mace, cuffs, and sticks and put on restraints well. They are also good with take-downs. (have seen a couple)

[clee1]

If they don't, the should! An unarmed guard is like a male without...... equipment. :imbar

Not to say that you need a SWAT team in a Hospital, but their should be a few armed officers around.

[Princess74]

I do not work in a hospital but we do have armed uniformed police in our local ERs.

[ragincajunstudent]

I remember when I used to work in the ER, the guards did not have guns. All the ER staff went on record in their files, that they wanted an armed guard at the ER if something ever happened. So that the hospital was responsible if something ever did happen.

[Daytonite, BSN, RN]

It has to do with what the hospital administrators and state law allow. I worked for one large city hospital where the security staff all carried guns. While I was an employee there was a shooting incident where a crazed patient was able to grab the gun of one of the security guards out in the parking lot, starting waving it around threatening to shoot at people, and was shot and killed by city police officers who also happened to be on site when he refused to stop what he was doing. Whether security guards carry guns at a facility or not probably has a lot to do with the Liability Insurance carried by the facility as well. I worked for the V.A. where the security guards carried guns. However, they are a federal agency and can pretty much do whatever the federal gov says they can do.

[katrina, rn]

one of our security guards is like a 58 year old woman that is like 4 feet 8 in tall... and she doesn't carry a gun... the other ones also do the same thing as someone else reported.. just stand there and stare at you while someone is beating the crap out of you. if the need be though, out police dept is there within seconds. but i just don't feel very safe with our security.

[sharann, BSN, RN]

At the very least they should carry handcuffs.

If there was a strong wind any of our guards could easily get blown away. We are a heavy gang area and have an extremely active ER especially at night. I personally am afraid to walk to my car alone at night so I always get one of the "guards" to walk me. I figure at least there is strength in numbers.

I hope nothing happens.

[ICRN2008, BSN, RN]

The security in my building is lax to say the least. One guard is about 50 years old and at least 50 pounds overweight. I don't think she could run if she tried. The other officer is about 5 feet tall and 100 pounds. I am sure that neither carry a gun. I have gone on record about the security situation in my building, because there was an incident a few years ago and they had to call the SWAT team in (no kidding!). I have seen many people walk right past the security booth with no questions asked.

At a teaching hospital in a safer locale, I had trouble getting into the building in the evening because I did not have a photo ID badge. (I was a student lab assistant at the time). They had to call my supervisor at home and verify that I was indeed there to check on some experiments, and after that I had to show my driver's license after hours.

I have heard rumors of an employee being raped in the stairwell of another hospital in my area. I don't know if it was true, but I see how it could happen because there are many unsecured stairwells where people could hide.

It is amazing how easily administration brushes off employee concerns about safety and security, even in light of previous incidents. I just hope that the next place I work takes my well-being a little more seriously than my current employer.

[SouthernLPN2RN, MSN, RN, APRN, NP]

Our inside security carry guns and have to be registered to do so. Outside security doesn't. They have vans they use to patrol and one sits at the main road crossing during shift change. I have to say that our guys know what they're doing and they're very reliable.

[galenight, BSN, RN]

We don't have guards of any type at my small rural facility, but if we did I would hope they would be armed... with a right and a left one..