Bad day in the psychiatric hospital

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I'm new here, and i'm sorry for my bad english, i'm from israel.

I'm working a few years in a psychiatric hospital, it isn't easy to work in a place like that, but today it's become more bad.

I had to take care of a patient old no more then 12 year old, but very strong! And he become a very aggressive temper, he was danger for himself and for the persons around, i tried to calm him with containment holding, but it didn't work, he struggled out..

Finely i must to put him on the floor and i sat on him for aboute 5 mins, and his mom come into the room, and when she see the situation, she become angry on me. I tried to explain her that i had no choice, but it didn't help to calm down her angry, she argue with me why i sat on her son, i could hold him with other ways, and etc.

Any way she told me that she will give a complain on my behavior.

I hope for beter days then today.

Reute?

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I'm just a nursing student (maybe I dont know everything yet...) but isn't it illegal to sit on your patient in order to restrain them in case something happens and they stop breathing?

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I'm new here, and i'm sorry for my bad english, i'm from israel.

I'm working a few years in a psychiatric hospital, it isn't easy to work in a place like that, but today it's become more bad.

I had to take care of a patient old no more then 12 year old, but very strong! And he become a very aggressive temper, he was danger for himself and for the persons around, i tried to calm him with containment holding, but it didn't work, he struggled out..

Finely i must to put him on the floor and i sat on him for aboute 5 mins, and his mom come into the room, and when she see the situation, she become angry on me. I tried to explain her that i had no choice, but it didn't help to calm down her angry, she argue with me why i sat on her son, i could hold him with other ways, and etc.

Any way she told me that she will give a complain on my behavior.

I hope for beter days then today.

Reute?

You work by yourself?????? I don't know what nursing is like outside the U.S., but I do know what psych pts. are like, regardless of race, religion, nationality, or gender and I guess I gotta say I'm glad the worst that happened when a patient became aggressive was the mom getting mad at you. If I'm understanding, you sound quite fortunate...now find somewhere else to work.*

*note--this applies only if you work alone.

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Specializes in Med-Surg/Peds/O.R./Legal/cardiology.

Reute,

In this country you just CAN'T sit on your patient! :lol2: You must get some help!

ebear

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Specializes in Operating Room Nursing.

I agree sitting on your patient is completely inappropriate and probably illegal...

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I was in a situation i fill that this is the only way to stop him.

Of cours that i take care on is breathing!

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...I tried to explain her that i had no choice, ...

Reute,

Hang in there. Your patients need good care, and you need to remain safe.

Respectfully, you did have choices. Can you think of something else you might have done prior to the situation getting "out of hand"?

Others have suggested that you should have asked for help. Anything else you could do, if this happens again in the future?

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hi, reute, welcome to all nurses!

if the mom does complain and your supervisor talks to you about it, ask him/her what else you could have done. don't say it in a defensive manner, but in a manner that shows you want to learn more effective ways. for example, "i had tried everything else i could think of and nothing was working. could you please tell me other ways that i could have restrained him?"

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I was in a situation i fill that this is the only way to stop him.

Of cours that i take care on is breathing!

Let me try this question. Why were you sitting on a patient for 5 minutes? I'm not focusing on sitting on the patient, because maybe it's ok in your country (I know it's not ok in the US), but 5 minutes alone seems dangerous, no matter what country you are in. Would you still be sitting on the kid if mom hadn't come in the room? Was no other nurse or staff member within in yelling distance to help you?

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Sometimes patients do need to be restrained. You need to ask your supervisor what the policies are - for what reason do you restrain a patient, how do you keep yourself and the patient safe, what the acceptable holds and restraints are, how do you summon help. What would you have done if it was someone much bigger? And you must report and document it also.

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Not a gr8 idea to sit on your patient, especially when they are so young. Kinda makes it worse. Nway, if the situation was such that (1) You were left alone (2) You were not trained any other skills to restrain (3) You were not competent enough to deal with the situation you were left in, then you have grounds to attempt to justify your interventions. I do sympathise with the fact that you got into this mess so innocently, wish you all the best.

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:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

oy.

that's one way, i suppose.

you need a proper orientation to your unit, which includes how to manage escalating behaviors.

thanks for the laugh.

i needed this today.

leslie

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