Abuse

ABQLNDRN · Jul 25, 2007

All I can respond with is what I would do. I would return the patient to her room and try to calm the patient as much as possible. I would then let the nurses know that I will not be a party to such patient treatment. I would document everything and talk to my nurse manager. I hope that this really is a hypothetical situation. No patient should be treated that way.

ohmeowzer RN, RN · Jul 25, 2007

i'd report it .. job or not..there is no way i would allow anyone to treat another human being like that. i'd hang those people out to dry. after i reported the abuse to my supervisor i'd call the ombusman and the state.

iheartyou · Jul 25, 2007

I would immediately assume care for the patient, whether anyone else liked it or not. Then I would document every single thing that occured. Will you still have a job? Who cares. You don't need THAT job. There's a million jobs out there. I would personally hand to the DON the documentation I took. If they do nothing about it, I would call the Division of Aging. Then I would call the BON on the nurses you saw doing it, and the DON who did nothing about it. Hopefully it wouldn't come to that; I would hope that the DON would act responsibly to take appropriate action. This is not okay and even though you said it was hypothetical, you would know it was wrong if you saw it. Trust your instincts. :wink2:

EmmaG, RN · Jul 25, 2007

Anyone even witness any verbal/emotional abuse of patients by nursing staff? Like keeping an old demented patient in a wheelchair at the nurses' station all night, and laughing at the patient and taunting the patient. Standing over her. Trying to intimidate her into being compliant. Which she can't be, of course, because she's demented, and there are no restraint orders and no sedatives ordered. What did you do about it? All of this just a hypothetical situation of course. If you reported it, did you still have a job when everything was over?

Yes, I've witnessed abuse by staff, I've reported it, and I kept my job.

BellaTerra · Jul 25, 2007

Thanks, Ladies. I know what I would have to do now. I did before. I would still be scared but I would still do it.

buildingmyfaith57 · Jul 25, 2007

its to bad you can't use your camera on you cell phone and record everything and turn it in. job or no job no has the right to be treated that way.

sticknurse · Jul 25, 2007

I reported abuse when I saw it, a nurse I worked with at my first job decided she would cut a patient's fingernails with her bandage scissors, the poor guy was crying, and she basically told him "that doesn't hurt" while he was crying in pain. She had been a nurse for years at the facility and I was a new grad. I was disgusted. The nails of the elderly are brittle and prone to cracking. This was the case for the poor guy. I told the DON what I'd seen. Nothing was done. I have seen more than my share of sick behavior over the years. Imagine someone cutting your nails with bandage scissors, she just grabbed him and forced it upon him while he struggled to get away. Nails are curved, these scissors were straight. It had to hurt like you know what.

bethin · Jul 25, 2007

When I was a student aide I witnessed verbal abuse and taunting by another aide. I'm ashamed to admit I did nothing. Part of me was dumbfounded that someone could treat another human being this way. I was also appalled that this aide went on to become a nurse.

Her abuse didn't go unnoticed. She was fired for abuse shortly before I quit - she wasn't the only one verbally abusing residents. I have no idea why this aide would want to be a nurse if she seemed to hate the residents so much. And I don't know how she got a license.

But, I learned and now I report these things. Thankfully, in the hospital where I'm at there's been very little abuse. It occurs only on the hospitals LTC wing.

Dalzac, LPN, LVN, RN · Jul 25, 2007

I have been a victim of abuse from a tech that took care(?) of me when I was in rehab for a total hip. I told the charge nurse and she did nothing. They just thought I was some crabby old nurse that complained all the time. when I would have to go to the bathroom it would take her forever to get there and when she did help(?) me she would just jerk me in to the bathroom and physically force me to sit down.

I ended up just blowing my top at the tech and told her if she ever came back to my room I would go far, far above her superiors. Then my doc unloaded on the manager when he found me on the floor. I had been screaming for help for over an hour.

I don't know if anything was done about it my doc moved me out of rehab to another floor and told admin he was never going to use the hospital rehab again for any of his patients. I never minded family staying with patients after that. My daughter and son and DH took turns staying with me for the rest of my stay.

BellaTerra · Jul 25, 2007

Wow, and I was stupid enough to believe abuse was a rare happening. Was I wrong. Thank you all for replying and for your encouragement to do the right thing!