One day I was sitting at a Starbucks near a State run hospital. I saw two healthcare professionals walk in in their scrubs. I don't know what their position was but they had what looked like body cams near the v-cut part of the neck of the top scrub near their badge. Those little Nokia sized devices that police wear. It caught my attention because I know some patients(like meth heads on withdrawal) can't be the nicest people in the world when they don't get what they want when they want it on your shift. I'll admit I was far away but it looked like either a body cam or a walkie talkie but I thought why would they use something that would be loud? A body cam, in this day and age, would sound ingenious. It would be like liability coverage for the professional and the facility.
It was like an eyeopening experience in the field I look forward to growing old with knowing the difficulties I'd experience. Patients would know they're being recorded so they couldn't start with their pathological wants and needs they think they can smuggle by using a stressed out professional in the setting.
Then I thought of the people like security in suits at casinos who watch players. Using those corded walkie talkies to remain discreet and undercover. If hospitals give nurses and doctors including the management ones in charge of the others those kinds of walkie talkies, the nursing field would probably be a lot less stressful.
What do you guy think? With people on tv being shot by police and rants about it on the media and the news, it seems body cams are the perfect insurance when you know your job is always on the line. It would seem to make sense considering police, physicians and nurses all have STRESSFUL jobs. I always had this thought that healthcare professionals had to deal with abuse from combative patients but now I see hope out of that. I don't want to be beaten if there's a way I can get around it.
Also, how do you guys deal with combative patients? How do you deal with the yelling and screaming? and the hitting? I learned in my friends CNA school that stepping away from a patient if they're being abusive is considered neglect. I might not have that right but I know stepping out of the room if their being combative is neglect.
I also learned that straps on the beds used against the patient I believe can only be used by doctor's order and that requires a lot of paperwork because strapping a patient to a bed would be considered abuse and neglect.
I'm starting CNA school soon so I hope I can get some good answers on here that I might not get in CNA school.
I've seen some of these posts on here where nurses, lpn's and CNA's have been fired for something related to something a non-healthcare professional would do that they don't know is actually abuse(the non-healthcare professional not knowing it's actually abuse). The things I've read in a CNA's handbook of what not to do towards a patient when they're being hostile are baffling. Stepping back or away from a hostile patient in their room is considered neglect? Or if they're being aggressive and you step outside their room until they calm down, that's considered abuse? Or neglect? No, unbelievable. Ok so the second one might sound like a no no. That might not be verbatim from what I've read but I think we all know what I mean. How did you feel when you read some of the things you can't do towards patients in situations you're unsure of how to handle? You probably thought about career change. There's something I'm not being told but I'm sure I"ll learn it in nursing school. Right now, when I go to school to learn the job and start working, I feel like I'll have to hug a angry dementia patient holding a syringe(used or new) as a stabbing weapon who can't remember a few hours ago instead of some way the program or actual employer I'll be working for could tell me. When I graduate, maybe my mind will be fully changed and I'll know but right now I have no idea how to handle them.
I think it's pretty back breaking to breakdown something to someone who forgets. I mean how bad can Alzheimers make someone forget? I've read some posts where nurses, cna's and lpns, or at least one of them, was clawed at and scratched from a woman because the patient thought she was sleeping with her husband when her husband died a decade ago. Make believe post or real things?
I'm a guy and I'm hoping male patients who are elderly won't treat me like that. I'd be the type who would tell him "I don't care about your wife or your family, I'm here to do my job FOR YOU so let me do it." 1. I'd probably get fired 2. He'd probably not get the hint.. what the heck am I supposed to do?
If I was allowed to say that only towards severe dementia patients, it wouldn't be G rated like that. I'd probably come equipped with heavy verbal language.
I really hope guys who are nurses, lpns, or cna's have less issues with patients than women do, no offense ladies.
There's a lot I want to say in response to this but I'm focusing on what really annoyed me.
LPNs ARE NURSES!
Not sure why you keep writing "nurses, CNAs, and LPNs" but it is just all kinds of wrong.
OP, it appears that just about every thread you post is you putting the cart before the horse. More like you already built the cart before the horse was conceived lol.
Its obvious you are VERY new to this field. And there is nothing wrong with that. We were/are all new at some point and have tons that we don't know. However, you need to slow your rolls. You've been told multiple times that you are overthinking things and to just wait until you are further in your program and you will learn.
Not it is not abuse or neglect to step out of a combative patients room. What is abuse or neglect is if you tie them to the bed before you leave or just plain never come back.
Alzhiemers is very real. It is tally sad that you would completely doubt the possibility that these people could be reverting back to a different time and completely forgetting days of their lives. It does happen and it sad to see. Get educated before making remarks like that.
You ou appear to think you are going to come into contact with every combative patient in the building every shift and you certification/license will be at risk every time you click in. Get over that. You can't possibly know how ridiculous you sound until you start working.
Lastly, LPNs ARE nurse alongside RNs. It's disrespectful to refer to an LPN as anything less than a nurse.
Please get educated. You sound ignorantly areogant and it's getting old. Go ahead an ask your questions and get excited about learning. That's truly great. But stop arguing or pestering people about things you are overthinking.
I don't know what manual you're reading from but people don't get fired for leaving an aggressive patient's room to get help. If you refuse care for the patient then that's a different story.
How did you feel when you read some of the things you can't do towards patients in situations you're unsure of how to handle? You probably thought about career change.[/QOUTE]
Uh no I didn't, I knew what I was getting into. In almost any job you can't curse, or be rude, or neglect your job. that's part of life. It's part of being a professional.
I feel like I'll have to hug a angry dementia patient holding a syringe(used or new) as a stabbing weapon who can't remember a few hours ago...
What???
I think it's pretty back breaking to breakdown something to someone who forgets. I mean how bad can Alzheimers make someone forget... Make believe post or real things?
It's very real. It saddens me that you would doubt that.
I'm a guy and I'm hoping male patients who are elderly won't treat me like that.
Because dementia only happens to females?
If I was allowed to say that only towards severe dementia patients, it wouldn't be G rated like that. I'd probably come equipped with heavy verbal language.
Please refer to what I said about professionalism.
I really hope guys who are nurses, lpns, or cna's have less issues with patients than women do, no offense ladies.
You were both new at this field too. It's referring to everybody. Not just "favored" or "elite" people.
Being an LPN does not mean that someone is a new nurse. Just like being a CNA, LPN, RN, or NP does not make someone more elite. LPNS are nurses and highly regarded individuals. I would sooner have an experienced LPN as my nurse than an "Elitist" newbie RN. Please look up the definition of LPN before making a statement like that.
I've seen some of these posts on here where nurses, lpn's and CNA's have been fired for something related to something a non-healthcare professional would do that they don't know is actually abuse(the non-healthcare professional not knowing it's actually abuse). The things I've read in a CNA's handbook of what not to do towards a patient when they're being hostile are baffling. Stepping back or away from a hostile patient in their room is considered neglect? Or if they're being aggressive and you step outside their room until they calm down, that's considered abuse? Or neglect? No, unbelievable. Ok so the second one might sound like a no no. That might not be verbatim from what I've read but I think we all know what I mean. How did you feel when you read some of the things you can't do towards patients in situations you're unsure of how to handle? You probably thought about career change. There's something I'm not being told but I'm sure I"ll learn it in nursing school. Right now, when I go to school to learn the job and start working, I feel like I'll have to hug a angry dementia patient holding a syringe(used or new) as a stabbing weapon who can't remember a few hours ago instead of some way the program or actual employer I'll be working for could tell me. When I graduate, maybe my mind will be fully changed and I'll know but right now I have no idea how to handle them.
I think it's pretty back breaking to breakdown something to someone who forgets. I mean how bad can Alzheimers make someone forget? I've read some posts where nurses, cna's and lpns, or at least one of them, was clawed at and scratched from a woman because the patient thought she was sleeping with her husband when her husband died a decade ago. Make believe post or real things?
I'm a guy and I'm hoping male patients who are elderly won't treat me like that. I'd be the type who would tell him "I don't care about your wife or your family, I'm here to do my job FOR YOU so let me do it." 1. I'd probably get fired 2. He'd probably not get the hint.. what the heck am I supposed to do?
If I was allowed to say that only towards severe dementia patients, it wouldn't be G rated like that. I'd probably come equipped with heavy verbal language.
I really hope guys who are nurses, lpns, or cna's have less issues with patients than women do, no offense ladies.
As others have said, there is SO much wrong here. I'm going to focus on the fact that your instinctive reaction is to belittle and curse at a person with BRAIN DYSFUNCTION who cannot comprehend what is going on. You sure as hell had better step up and learn to respect your patients before anyone lets you loose with a vulnerable population. People who say they DO NOT CARE about what is causing real fear in the mind of a patient are the types who escalate the situation by worsening the patient's terror and agitation. You treat people like that and YOU are responsible for winding up with a violent situation.
I sincerely hope that you have the capability and willingness to learn how to deal with real people and patients with skill and care beyond impulsive retorts.
I think it's pretty back breaking to breakdown something to someone who forgets.
Too bad.
I mean how bad can Alzheimers make someone forget?
Alzheimers made my beloved Grandma forget to remain in the safety of her home, to the point where her husband had to make the painful choice to place her in a memory care facility. Alzheimers also made her forget that this was a place she was suposed to be safe. Anti-elopement technology failed...and the night that she eloped, she forgot that she needed pants, shoes, and a jacket when it's
How bad is it really? My grandma died cold, wet, and alone shortly before she was found, because of her diseased brain.
You're welcome for sharing that painful memory to help fix your ignorance.
Stepping back or away from a hostile patient in their room is considered neglect? Or if they're being aggressive and you step outside their room until they calm down, that's considered abuse? Or neglect?
Not true.
I feel like I'll have to hug a angry dementia patient holding a syringe(used or new) as a stabbing weapon who can't remember a few hours ago
This would clearly be the worse choice. This would not end well for you.
If I was allowed to say that only towards severe dementia patients, it wouldn't be G rated like that. I'd probably come equipped with heavy verbal language.
Nor would this.
If your behavior in your personal life is any indication of your behavior in your professional life...and based on this post I have my concerns...you need serious help.
I really hope guys who are nurses, lpns, or cna's have less issues with patients than women do, no offense ladies.
Quite offensive. It's also offensive to licensed practical nurses, male or female.
Specializes in Palliative, Onc, Med-Surg, Home Hospice.
I've seen some of these posts on here where nurses, lpn's and CNA's have been fired for something related to something a non-healthcare professional would do that they don't know is actually abuse(the non-healthcare professional not knowing it's actually abuse). The things I've read in a CNA's handbook of what not to do towards a patient when they're being hostile are baffling. Stepping back or away from a hostile patient in their room is considered neglect? Or if they're being aggressive and you step outside their room until they calm down, that's considered abuse? Or neglect? No, unbelievable. Ok so the second one might sound like a no no. That might not be verbatim from what I've read but I think we all know what I mean. How did you feel when you read some of the things you can't do towards patients in situations you're unsure of how to handle? You probably thought about career change. There's something I'm not being told but I'm sure I"ll learn it in nursing school. Right now, when I go to school to learn the job and start working, I feel like I'll have to hug a angry dementia patient holding a syringe(used or new) as a stabbing weapon who can't remember a few hours ago instead of some way the program or actual employer I'll be working for could tell me. When I graduate, maybe my mind will be fully changed and I'll know but right now I have no idea how to handle them.
I think it's pretty back breaking to breakdown something to someone who forgets. I mean how bad can Alzheimers make someone forget? I've read some posts where nurses, cna's and lpns, or at least one of them, was clawed at and scratched from a woman because the patient thought she was sleeping with her husband when her husband died a decade ago. Make believe post or real things?
I'm a guy and I'm hoping male patients who are elderly won't treat me like that. I'd be the type who would tell him "I don't care about your wife or your family, I'm here to do my job FOR YOU so let me do it." 1. I'd probably get fired 2. He'd probably not get the hint.. what the heck am I supposed to do?
If I was allowed to say that only towards severe dementia patients, it wouldn't be G rated like that. I'd probably come equipped with heavy verbal language.
I really hope guys who are nurses, lpns, or cna's have less issues with patients than women do, no offense ladies.
I certainly hope you never have a loved one with dementia. My father had lewy bodies dementia. My uncle had Alzheimers, my aunts father had Alzheimers, and my MIL has vascular dementia. It's very real and very tragic. My first nursing job was working in SNF with dementia patients. And yes, they sometimes become combative. The one thing you never do is yell at or cuss at a dementia patient. You learn how to deescalate the situation.
At my current job, I deal with patients going through alcohol withdrawal, drug withdrawal, dementia, etc. When they get violent, I call security and I call the MD to get an order for meds. If any patient threatens me or hits me, I walk out of the room and call security. If a patient is throwing stuff around, I walk out of the room. So far, I haven't gotten sacked for walking out of a dangerous situation because I follow policy of my facility.
I've seen some of these posts on here where nurses, lpn's and CNA's have been fired for something related to something a non-healthcare professional would do that they don't know is actually abuse(the non-healthcare professional not knowing it's actually abuse). The things I've read in a CNA's handbook of what not to do towards a patient when they're being hostile are baffling. Stepping back or away from a hostile patient in their room is considered neglect? Or if they're being aggressive and you step outside their room until they calm down, that's considered abuse? Or neglect? No, unbelievable. Ok so the second one might sound like a no no. That might not be verbatim from what I've read but I think we all know what I mean. How did you feel when you read some of the things you can't do towards patients in situations you're unsure of how to handle? You probably thought about career change. There's something I'm not being told but I'm sure I"ll learn it in nursing school. Right now, when I go to school to learn the job and start working, I feel like I'll have to hug a angry dementia patient holding a syringe(used or new) as a stabbing weapon who can't remember a few hours ago instead of some way the program or actual employer I'll be working for could tell me. When I graduate, maybe my mind will be fully changed and I'll know but right now I have no idea how to handle them.
I think it's pretty back breaking to breakdown something to someone who forgets. I mean how bad can Alzheimers make someone forget? I've read some posts where nurses, cna's and lpns, or at least one of them, was clawed at and scratched from a woman because the patient thought she was sleeping with her husband when her husband died a decade ago. Make believe post or real things?
I'm a guy and I'm hoping male patients who are elderly won't treat me like that. I'd be the type who would tell him "I don't care about your wife or your family, I'm here to do my job FOR YOU so let me do it." 1. I'd probably get fired 2. He'd probably not get the hint.. what the heck am I supposed to do?
If I was allowed to say that only towards severe dementia patients, it wouldn't be G rated like that. I'd probably come equipped with heavy verbal language.
I really hope guys who are nurses, lpns, or cna's have less issues with patients than women do, no offense ladies.
I just cannot express how clueless you appear to be. Part of me thinks that you must be joking and are merely getting your kicks out of baiting us. Sadly, the rest of me believes that you probably are serious and that these unfortunate posts are real. My personal advice to you as an aspiring nurse is to back away from your keyboard and continue to research your questions as a reader only. After all, pretty much any subject you have questions about regarding nursing is covered here already.
Keep in mind that your fellow students, current & future instructors, and current & future co-workers may recognize your distinctive personality and views from your posts. I don't know about you, but I prefer to be anonymous while online. Just something to think about.
Nurse Leigh
1,149 Posts
There's a lot I want to say in response to this but I'm focusing on what really annoyed me.
LPNs ARE NURSES!
Not sure why you keep writing "nurses, CNAs, and LPNs" but it is just all kinds of wrong.
Just had to get that off my chest.