Assault question

caliotter3 · May 28, 2009

If you want to know your legal position after filing a police report, you should see an attorney. Did you tell the police you wanted to press charges?

berube · May 28, 2009

i am sorry this happened to you,,,may i share my experience i jus went thru this week in home health,,,while approaching my patients home (still in my car) 3 men surrounded my car slamming their hands down of it , one grabbed my drivers side window and started with threatening talk,,,i was so thankful i was still in my car and i kept on driving, and drove away, i called my office, called the patient and said i wasnt coming, they knew what occured outside their house!!!! and asked me to come back,i said NO,,,,my office is now sending someone else out there that "isnt afraid"!!!!!!! i was not "afraid" been doing this job for a long long time....in this case i guess money was more important than safety!!!there is not an abundance of jobs in this area or i would be looking.

didnt mean to take away from your incident, just needed to share mine, thanks and be safe

beckylpn1 · May 28, 2009

I can kindof relate to your situation except I was threatened by a fellow employee whom I considered to be a very close friend. She did not threaten me to my face but to the administrator of the facility. When the DON and Admin spoke to me about what she had said, naturally I was in fear for my life. They told me not to worry that they had everything under control and that I was safe. Well, to make a long story short, they placed her working short hours but several of the hours were on my shift. I ended up resigning my position due to the fear of not being safe. Now, at my present job, I feel safe and don't have to worry about being threatened.

rn/writer, RN · May 28, 2009

Did you call hospital security? That parent should have been escorted off the property and not allowed back until there was some kind of meeting to establish that such behavior would not be tolerated again. I understand that parents can become distraught and emotional when their child is suffering, but threats and violence should not be allowed. Ever. To do so gives the message that employee safety ranks low on the list and will be sacrificed when visitors become upset. Bad precedent all the way around.

Did you file an incident report? Leave a paper trail whenever you can. This doesn't replace filing a complaint with the police--it can actually enhance it. Document everything you can recall about what happened.

I'm all for meeting people where they are. But if they aren't willing to go someplace else once they have been met, they shouldn't be allowed to visit. Period. Yes, that may upset the child, but it could be a lot worse if the parent has to be locked up for assaulting hospital staff. Offer counseling, comfort, other accommodations, but ONLY with the understanding that there will be no more threats or violence. This should be non-negotiable.