Abuse support by colleagues

[Anthony Marc]

The ugly reality of abuse support for colleagues by colleagues rears it head too

frequently, I believe, in this world of "care and compassion". It is not unique to any one entity of vocation but it becomes untenable when it renders its potentially dysfunctional outcomes upon those who are the receiptents of nursing care. It becomes even more untenable when one's reporting of patient abuse meets an inmovable object of

"silence by omission" and some times "by intent" by professional colleagues,who,for

some undescribable rationale, put their individual and/or collective heads in the sand. Are my observations too generalized or have others experienced this professonal malaise of see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil when it comes to professionals reporting on professionals. (the term "professional",in

this context, is a misnomer)

[Sharon]

What to do when you are the victim of abuse from a co-worker (including doctors and managers).

1. Contact the Employee Assistance Manager and register as a battered person.

2. File a police report for assault and battery.

3. Go to EEOC and file a complaint of hostile work environment.

4. File an occupational occurrence report.

5. Notify the facility's legal department of what you have done.

6. Write a letter to the mother of the person abusing you. It is amazing how much influence parents have on adult children.

Resources:

Nurse Advocate: Nurses and Workplace Violence http://www.nurseadvocate.org /

American Society for Industrial Safety http://www.asisonline.org/index.html

9 to 5 National Association of Working Women's Job Survival Hotline:[phone]

Women Work!The National Network for Women's Employment 1800-235-2732

[Anthony Marc]

Thank you for that input. Now, do you have a process relevant to the abuse by a professional upon a patient to whom the

care of that patient has been entrusted as opposed to the professional being abused. And, secondly, are you able to identify the process that may be used by a professional who, in concert with other professionals ,have witnessed said abuse of patient but would rather NOT get involved by witnessing

against their peers.

[ecb]

Hi

Write one letter, cc it to yur DON, Admininstrator, CEO, Locan Umbudsman, or state (you know the folks that come in and everyone gets upset{I cannot think of the office title now} State Inspectors who can shut us down) and your State Board of Nursing. They might loose their licence but the job will folow through (thay have to)

Good luck, I hate that part too.

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*** May we all have the serenity to accept what we cannot change, and the determination to change what we cannot accept. ***

[Sharon]

I have only seen it happen twice with adults. (I am assuming that this is an adult issue because most professionals know what to do with children.) The first was an LPN and the second time was a physician who did the abuse. The case involving the LPN occurred in a state that had mandated abuse reporting of "at risk persons" regardless of age.

Both individuals had abused other patients prior to my becoming aware of the situations. I filed a police report and reported the abusers to their respective professional boards. Additional charges were brought against the professionals who did not report the abuse once they were aware. Some of the non-reporters, after negotiating a gag order, surrendered their licenses. In the state with mandated reporting, some of the non reporting professionals had to hire criminal attorneys to defend themselves. At one point charges of torture were brought against the physician and the non reporting professionals.

1. I report all abuse to the police. By no means do I know the ins and outs of the criminal code in the many locations I work so I let the police decide the criminality of the event(s).

2. I notify the professional board. I am not going to lose my license for the people who shouldn't be licensed.

3. I notify my supervisor and the hospital risk management department.

4. If I am aware a person is in a regulated protected group, I also contact social services. I have had experiences were the police and social services did not notify each other.

Once you have reported to the police, any intimidation by facility representatives or co-workers is a federal offense, also known as witness tampering.

[Anthony Marc]

Thank you! Your response certainly indicates

your comittment to professionalism and a safe

/secure environment for those under your care.

The process you have defined is clear and

direct... I am going to pass it along to

my colleagues and more importantly, I am

going to place it on the Nurses Bulletin

Board , at work! It just might awaken one

to an awareness state, of how serious an act patient abuse is and how severe the

outcome will be to the abuser.

[diapercity]

Hi it is me the student again. Okay... patients daughter (power of attorney) has refused hearing aid for mother (per mother's wishes?) So the staff "bellows" at patient, hence the patient becomes angry and uncooperative after such visits. Does"nt this boarder on abuse?

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[Anthony Marc]

Describing that as abuse or eclipsing on

abuse could , in turn, be described as

a "quandrant leap of logic"...what you have

here , it would appear,(without knowing

all the facts) ,is, a daughter's refusal that may be abusive and not the staff's response to their perceived hearing dysfunction of the patient.

If the facts support the daughter's position that her mother does not need a hearing aid

and the nurses are "bellowing" at the patient

in order to support their position that

"mother" needs an aid, when ,in fact, she

does not, then, it may reasonably be assummed

that the professionals ,under this scenario,

are being abusive. However! I stress , one

must have the facts. If your concern is of

such intensity re: abuse vs non-abuse, in this instance, I would contemplate placing

a concern to your immediate supervisor..Your clincial Instructor(tress). Excellent Question,by the way!

[This message has been edited by Anthony Marc (edited December 27, 1999).]

[ecb]

ok

the abuse may infact be (active)neglect or passive neglect.

Active is where someone KNOWINGLY denies needed service or care (wil not pay for hearing aides) passive is allowing neglect to occure thrugh lack of thought or aquiessing to the whims of the resident/patient (mother does nt think she is deaf so i will not upset her by FORCING her to wear hearing aids)

staff should be speaking in a tone just loud enough to be heard by the patient, bellowing implies that they are going through the whole facial changes that make the volume visual as well as audatory (THIS is a dignety issue and can be abuse, in the form of belittling, or making jest of. {I have seen family members intentionally be obnoxious about a SUPPOSED hearing deficite whenin fact it was a dementia related response}

I am NOT saying staff is making fun of or belittling this resident, but the residents response indicates that there are hurt feelings on the residents part:-(

Am I making any sense?

I hope so

JMHO Good luck

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*** May we all have the serenity to accept what we cannot change, and the determination to change what we cannot accept. ***

[Anthony Marc]

ecb... I forwarded a response but the

Major difficulty with this process, I find,

it does not return one to the text of the

response after one has clicked the "submit" icon, having made an error in entering one's login name or password.

It is so frustrating! Hopefully I will

try my respose at another time. Thank you

for your response.

[tavalon]

What to do when you are the victim of abuse from a co-worker (including doctors and managers).

1. Contact the Employee Assistance Manager and register as a battered person.

2. File a police report for assault and battery.

3. Go to EEOC and file a complaint of hostile work environment.

4. File an occupational occurrence report.

5. Notify the facility's legal department of what you have done.

6. Write a letter to the mother of the person abusing you. It is amazing how much influence parents have on adult children.

Resources:

Nurse Advocate: Nurses and Workplace Violence http://www.nurseadvocate.org /

American Society for Industrial Safety http://www.asisonline.org/index.html

9 to 5 National Association of Working Women's Job Survival Hotline:[phone]

Women Work!The National Network for Women's Employment 1800-235-2732

Alas, most of those predicate on physical abuse. The vast majority of us have been verbally abused. Verbal abuse is actually far more prevalent and in some ways, more damaging.

[veteranRN]

One time I reported "suspected" physical abuse by a CNA towards residents. It seemed everytime she care for residents they received bruises and skin tears. The DON told me it was my responsibility to catch her in the act and therefor prove she was abusing the residents. Luckily, the state board of health didn't have the same belief and took immediate action.