I was all alone in this hallway around 4am, charting on a computer- when out of the blue, somebody tried to choke me from behind. As I tried to twist free from him while screaming my lungs out, I saw that it was a patient. Amidst the fear and horror I felt, I somehow was thinking, "He's a patient. I MUST NOT HURT HIM." I pried his hands off my neck but he went for my hair & wouldn't let go. By then staff members arrived to help me.
My new admission arrived a few minutes after. So I had to suppress everything and carried on. After settling the patient, I was brought to our ED for assessment. But I was a crying mess as soon as I got to the car.
It has been 4 days & I thougt I was okay til I see men walking on the street who look like him, then I feel palpitations and fear, even if my conscious mind thinks it cannot be him.
Has anybody been physically assaulted by a patient before, whether yours or another nurse's? How did you recover from this? How did your management handle it? Did law enforcement get involved? Do some hospitals still exist out there wherein they discouraged getting police involved? How did your family/ co-workers take it? What are our rights as nurses under duress?
Mostly, I need your help to heal from it emotionally & psychologically. I feel weak & silly for reacting this way, but I'm still scared of going back to work. Thank you.