Why Nursing staff harm thier charges??

Published

Specializes in Geriatrics.

Can someone please tell me what would make people harm the patients placed in thier care?? I keep reading about Nurses and CNAs and other staff abusing, neglecting and even killing thier charges. I don't understand why they feel the need to do this. Yes, I take care of patients who are abusive to staff, some are aware of what they are doing others are not. Still I would never knowingly or willingly do harm to any of them.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Why u no ask them? I no harm pt.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Why do parents beat their children? Why do people commit any sort of sins against their fellow man?

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Peds Medical Floor.

My guess is some sick people decide to get into nursing, especially taking care of demented patients, because they can't usually tell anyone what's going on and it gives them a position of power. It's nothing new. It's been documented for hundreds of years.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in PICU, Sedation/Radiology, PACU.

If I could answer that question, I could provide the rationale for every illegal and unethical act ever committed. Sometimes there is no answer. We won't ever know.

What made you ask this on a nursing forum? As though all nurses have some sort of psychic link into one another's psyche? Trying to take a shot at nurses?

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Med/Surg, DSU, Ortho, Onc, Psych.

Anger and hurting people is actually a self protective mechanism. Humans are the only animals who murder without a reason. This is why I don't work with older people or dementias: I cannot stand the whiny, demanding, high-care, entitlement attitude that older people especially have. Not all are like this of course, but the place I worked in last week, they were all high on pain patches & pills and most of them were extremely demanding. I will never go back to working in that field again.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I am reading this thread and at the same time, I see a post in the News section about two nursing home staff that "water boarded" an elderly patient. Weird.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Gerontology, Med surg, Home Health.
Anger and hurting people is actually a self protective mechanism. Humans are the only animals who murder without a reason. This is why I don't work with older people or dementias: I cannot stand the whiny, demanding, high-care, entitlement attitude that older people especially have. Not all are like this of course, but the place I worked in last week, they were all high on pain patches & pills and most of them were extremely demanding. I will never go back to working in that field again.

There is nothing self protective about being abusive. There are evil people in the world and, unfortunately, some of them end up in nursing....or teaching or law...

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in LTC Rehab Med/Surg.

We are all the same. All of us have the potential for violence. All of us have the potential to harm someone else. I don't believe for one second that any segment of our society has the market cornered on atrocities.

The difference is, some of us have self control mechanisms that work better than others.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
can someone please tell me what would make people harm the patients placed in thier care?? i keep reading about nurses and cnas and other staff abusing, neglecting and even killing thier charges. i don't understand why they feel the need to do this. yes, i take care of patients who are abusive to staff, some are aware of what they are doing others are not. still i would never knowingly or willingly do harm to any of them.

what in the bajingers are you reading?

to understand a psychopath is not a good thing....give it up, or seek help.... :eek:

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Some nurses are just terrible people. It's like anything else.

I finally had to report a nurse on dayshift (I'm nights) a couple weeks ago and now refuse to take pts from her. It was always something with my pts when I got them from her. Medications weren't given, labs weren't drawn, the room was a mess, the pt was connected to pumps with no fluids hanging, etc. Then one night she was giving me report on a pt and just talking horribly about her, finally saying "She's from California, which explains what her problem is," to which I informed her, "My family is from California." A little while later while I was at the nurses station looking over my pts for the night, I heard a pt screaming for help. The ward clerk and myself looked up and started looking around and realized what room it was coming from. What'd I find? That nurse sitting on a laptop right by the door ignoring the pt's screams for help. Unacceptable.

There are people like her everywhere and, unfortunately, they are allowed to take care of people. I understand burnout and having bad nights, but there's no excuse for constantly neglecting your pts.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in OB (with a history of cardiac).

Hon, why would ANYONE do those things to people? Why would anyone have the desire to take advantage of someone who is weaker than they? We live in a broken world, plain and simple.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Join the Discussion