nurse abuse

[fungez]

What do you do when you're being verbally abused?

Today's scenerio: patient "falls" in bathroom. I'm using scare quotes because the fall was highly suspicious and dramatic. Pt won't hold still for f/u CT. Pt continues to get out of bed unescorted. Charge insists on bedcheck, pt screams at charge, pt screams at me. Pt states she's in a prison and wants to leave. Yay! I get AMA form. When pt realizes she won't get bye-bye script for norco she starts to have second thoughts. I say she can stay. No, she wants to leave. We are all mean and evil and she's a nurse too (she's not) and she's not leaving AMA but she's not staying either. We are all poopyheads and we suck.

At which point I'm done. I tell her and her equally unpleasant husband that she was wrong on certain details of the day and I didn't appreciate her twisting my words around. My charges kept looking at me like "shut up, Fungez" but I didn't pay them no mind. Maybe not the smartest thing to do, but I'm tired of this customer service nonsense. And I'm tired of being a victim. That sounds dramatic, doesn't it. But that's what I feel like. That's what I feel like when I'm implicitly told a patient or family can say anything they want to me but I'm not allowed to respond, even in logical and reasonable manner. And yesterday, family yelled at our unit clerk, the nicest, sweetest person you'd ever want to meet, and when she tried to defend herself, the house supe. told her SHE was wrong.

What do you guys do? And when you do it, does administration back you up or are you told you should have just walked away?

[Ruby Vee, BSN]

i blame the "customer service" craze engendered by those lovely folks at press gainey. management, in their zeal to fill beds, recruits patients by telling them that they can "have it your way." we all know that doesn't work. there are times we have to make patients do things that are uncomfortable or just plain hurt. start ivs, draw blood, cough and deep breathe after surgery . . . but press gainey surveys have convinced folks that they're staying at the hilton, not at the hospital.

i've been kicked, punched, slapped, spit upon, scratced, had my hair pulled, my arm twisted and my top yanked nearly off by "confused" patients. patients families have threated me with knives, guns and in one case, a homemade machete. one of my colleagues was shot in the gluteus maximus by an irate patient. one wonders who brought him the gun. another colleague was threatened by a "service dog." (a filthy german shepherd with a big chain around his neck and another chain used for a leash.) the nurse involved had the family member arrested, but then the patient spent the next several days begging everyone to let his son out of jail.

people seem to think they can say or do anything they wish to a nurse, and there are no consequences. unfortunately, they're usually right.

[gonzo1, ASN, RN]

Had a pt in the ER continuously threaten to stalk and kill me for 8 hours. All I wanted to do was fill out an incident report so it would be on record somewhere if I did really turn up dead later.

The facility made me a do not return, because they said I was overreacting and that ER nurses should know that this is part of their job.

I have noticed that since hospitals are cutting hours and census is down that we as nurses are being treated worse and worse by management because they know they can replace us in a minute.

Things didn't seem to be this bad a few years ago when there was a shortage.

[gentlegiver, ASN, LPN, RN]

I have been thrown out of a room (physically picked up and thrown, 6 weeks PT for pulled muscles in entire back), slapped so hard I had Whiplash & a red face for 3 days, scratched, bit, & kicked. Response from various places I worked at ?

What did you do to upset the patient? The thrower was attempting to kill another CNA, there were 4 of us trying to get her away from him. Whiplash was caused when I refused to send a patient to the ER because the CNA's had thrown out his food (left in a window all day with sun beatting down on it and stinking to high heavens). Go figure!

[Mulan]

We have all been a patient in some fashion or other.

Do we act like that?

[wooh, BSN, RN]

I stayed with a family member when they were in the hospital. I thought that maybe afterwards I'd be more understanding of the crazy BS that families try to pull. Instead, I'm LESS understanding. All I cared about was my family member getting well. Not about the nurse not getting ME ice or coffee (I'd get my own), not about the pull-out chair being uncomfortable (as long as family member was comfortable, that was what mattered), not about them not bringing ME more blankets (brought my own from home.)

[Penelope_Pitstop, BSN, RN]

Any time a patient begins to speak with me in a certain way I let him or her know that this will not be tolerated, as I am a professional doing my job ("You are not going to talk to me like that. That's unacceptable. I am your nurse and I am doing my best to keep you safe and help you get better.")

Does that work? No, not always. A lot of times it makes the patient think, though. And usually I learn that the patient isn't angry with ME, but is projecting.

Occasionally I ask a male patient if he has a sister, daughter, wife, whatever. Then I ask how he would feel if a man talked to her in that manner.

Now, in the cases y'all are describing, these tactics will not help. And when I've been in these situations, management has done nothing (except for my wonderful ex-manager, who actually took over the care of the patient herself for a time...but she's a rare breed). I document, tell the charge nurse, warn my coworkers, and pass it on in report.

Also, I've been physically assaulted by a patient and given a concussion. Nothing was done in that case, because the patient wasn't in his right mind. At least I was sent home early...

[jbluehorseh]

in my ltc when a patient attacks any staff, we have to 1.)contact the shift supervisor (if she's there), 2.) call the on-call (wait for call back) 3.) call the administrator (wait for call back), 4.) after getting permission from all three people, contact behavioral health, 4.) wait for them to find a room, 5. contact the police to attend a section 12. in the mean time, we have to watch the patient (while neglicting the other 47 patients on the unit) as they trash the place, keep them from leaving the building, keep them from going after staff or other patients. 9 times out of 10 when sent out they will be returned quickly (within 2 or 3 hours) because they were perfectly sweet & charming to the hospital staff and they can't understand why we don't like the patient!

in the mean time, while waitting for call backs from everyone,

two words video camera

[jbluehorseh]

a hospital has a duty to protect your safety, if a verbal or physical of any kind is made then they have to protect you. if they fell, they are liable, check with your union if you have one and or the state labor board for your rights. they cannot interfere if you choose to call the police, nor can they discipline you in any matter. they might try have a good lawyer. going to work should not endanger your life.

[Ruby Vee, BSN]

we have all been a patient in some fashion or other.

do we act like that?

that's an extremely good point! nor do i allow my family members -- even my poor demented mother -- to behave like that!