Corrections Nurses: Have You Been Hit Like This?

Wile E Coyote, ASN, RN · Feb 27, 2007

This is nothing compared to some of the things that go on in a Psych Hospital. The prisoners walk free around the room.

From what little I experienced during my psych rotations to Vegas, I can attest to the hairiness of Intake and 'D' block. Several folks there were just plain criminals who were very good at working the system. ( Could skate the line between in-pt psych and full on corr. facility.) A classmate and I witnessed the assault on a psych nurse standing right with us. I guess being a very built, 6'2" black man in a cowboy hat can make you a target in those circles!

caliotter3 · Feb 28, 2007

My SO worked in a max sec prison once and told me about the circumstances surrounding a CO who would not go in to look after his wife, a medical dept. employee, during one of their famous rioting episodes many yrs ago. The CO continued to work there and had a very bad reputation among the inmates who took him to task for running out, insuring his own safety, and leaving his wife to fend for herself. She was lucky, in that the inmates did not harm her during the proceedings.

**canoehead, BSN, RN** · Feb 28, 2007

In the video I agree that there should have been some kind of restraint. With both arms free and doing a procedure that could be painful that nurse was a sitting duck.

docpsychrn42, ASN, RN · Mar 5, 2007

having worked in a maximum security forensic hospital for the criminally insane, that type of assault was an everday occurrence for the staff. i just wish we were able to get video out to the public to show the kind of abuse we had done to us. personally, i have had 5 concussions, torn clothes, earrings ripped from my ears, busted knee caps, 3 bulging discs, a human bite mark on my calf, 6 broken pair of glasses and the list goes on and on. many of my co-workers have had broken ankles, arms, fingers, hands, etc. a friend of mine had a large part of her breast bit off by a female patient. another one has permanent brain damage from a punch taken to the head. i quit that job after almost 7 years of this and consequently there was nothing any of us could do to press charges against the patients because they were deemed incompetent to proceed. workmans' comp helped out some but not enough to keep us from having post traumatic stress syndrome after having worked there. i don't know how people stay working in that place after all the injuries they have recieved! more power to them. i now work in a prison and have never been hit (thank god). i feel that staff is much safer in corrections than they ever will be in a forensic state hospital. i am so glad that nurse is alright after that assault!

Soup Turtle · Mar 5, 2007

having worked in a maximum security forensic hospital for the criminally insane, that type of assault was an everday occurrence for the staff. i just wish we were able to get video out to the public to show the kind of abuse we had done to us. personally, i have had 5 concussions, torn clothes, earrings ripped from my ears, busted knee caps, 3 bulging discs, a human bite mark on my calf, 6 broken pair of glasses and the list goes on and on. many of my co-workers have had broken ankles, arms, fingers, hands, etc. a friend of mine had a large part of her breast bit off by a female patient. another one has permanent brain damage from a punch taken to the head. i quit that job after almost 7 years of this and consequently there was nothing any of us could do to press charges against the patients because they were deemed incompetent to proceed. workmans' comp helped out some but not enough to keep us from having post traumatic stress syndrome after having worked there. i don't know how people stay working in that place after all the injuries they have recieved! more power to them. i now work in a prison and have never been hit (thank god). i feel that staff is much safer in corrections than they ever will be in a forensic state hospital. i am so glad that nurse is alright after that assault!

:eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek::eek:omg!

caliotter3 · Mar 5, 2007

My dad worked in a facility described by docpsychrn42. I find it hard to describe how it affected him; other than to quote him, "I've earned a room at that place myself", or words to that effect. He realized that he was not "right" and working there was not "pleasant". He would actually talk about it on occasion. As a child, I could not relate what my dad was talking about but when I grew up I could start to understand what my dad was talking about. He took me there on a visit one time when I was old enough to be allowed to be in the facility with an escort. I was scared to death. The place was famous in the world of those places, as being the first in the nation for that type of population: the mentally disordered sex offender. One of the male companions of Charlie Manson was there for a psych eval. My dad's description of him was interesting. Also, I've always remembered that my dad was impressed by the fact that 5 psychiatrists who worked there had themselves committed suicide. I have high regards for anyone who can work in a place like that.

docpsychrn42, ASN, RN · Mar 5, 2007

i know that working for doc is much safer for a nurse than working in a state forensic hospital. for one thing, an offender can get 5 years added to their time for assault against a doc employee. there are consequences to their behavior unlike the hospital. i will admit i have nightmares of where i worked and i have certain phobias that i never had before. i sit my back to the wall in public places, i don't let anyone sneak up behind me without having the tendency to swing on them and anytime i hear someone raising their voice for any reason my first instinct is to respond. at the prison i am not allowed to get involved with a use of force, but there have been a few times where i wouldn't have had any other choice than to jump on try to prevent an attack. i know i conquered my fear of not being afraid of them though. i may be scared on the inside but i have learned through years of practice to not show it on the outside. they see it. they know that they are scaring you and they will use it against you everytime. i have stood face to face with female murderers in conflict. but had to...i had to earn my respect from certain ones of them or they would have made sure i got hurt when i least expected it. again, doc has been a great place to work after working that dark and violent hospital for the criminally insane. i could tell you some horrific stories of the crimes those people have done! and to think i actually spent 7 years of my life "taking care of them"! i guess you could call it experience...never again if i can help it. god bless your dad for making it through. i know employees that are trying to retire from this hospital and for what? the benefits are good but is their lives worth it? i was a single mom when i worked there and my kids' needed me too much to continue working there and coming home bruised, bleeding, and emotionally wrecked.

caliotter3 · Mar 5, 2007

docpsychrn42

bless you for putting up with that place as long as you did because your family needed your income. My dad was the same way. In the end, the system, (as well as the environment) got him. They got rid of my dad before he was eligible for social security (age 65). Put it to him. And, to his credit, he fought back. Got a fancy lawyer and sued his employer and actually won. But it was a hollow victory. He got very little in cash. His biggest award came in the form of getting a disability rating when he was eligible for one to begin with d/t his WWII experiences. He was not even in his 50's, I believe, and never worked again, but was drawing a check from the disability people, so our family didn't starve. I have often considered psych or law enforcement nursing but have always turned away because I remember what it did to my dad. His ending days were pure h***. He was hounded until he died by authorities trying to slap him with fraud charges. He was so paranoid he wouldn't/couldn't leave the house. There was no use for his former employer sending investigators to his home to harass a harmless, disabled old man who had served his country and put up with so much at that institution. Again, I applaud anybody who can do medical caregiver work in mental hospitals, prisons (especially those for the criminally insane), and even in institutions for the developmentally disabled. Thankless work, even worse than working in long term care facilities, and those places are bad.

BlissfulinAZ · Mar 16, 2007

I have yet to work in Corrections (next week!) but was attacked by 3 adolescents in an inpatient psych facility. I had my face, head, stomach and arms kicked repeatedly.

I wasn't badly injured (although I didn't find my contact lens rolled back in my eye until 3 days later) but it was very traumatic.

The worst part? I was NOT allowed to go home and the facility did not have me seen by a doctor. It happened at 10 pm and I had to stay at work until 7 am. I was the one who had to call all the people (psychiatrists, parents etc.)

It was my first year as a Registered Nurse. No way would I put up with it now!

WYDiceDancer · Mar 25, 2007

This nurse should have exchanged assignents with another nurse, even if for just this treatment, if he had already threatened her that day. If you have to treat an inmates hands, that could be done with wrist-to-waist restraints. He also should have been restrained to the exam table. If he only needed treatment to his hand, they could have done that thru the cuff port. There are many options to correct this problem, I hope both the nurse and the correctional officers follow up and employ policies to prevent this from happening in the future.

GoldenLove · Apr 18, 2007

Danggggggg!! I have only been spit on, kicked on occasion and verbal altercations :uhoh3: ...but NOTHING like that. HOLY!

nomadicV · Apr 19, 2007

You know Siri, that's exactly my point. I never worried about my safety while working behind the fence; there are always officers around but in the acute care non correctional environment, help is scarce and people are not alert