Do all nurses get assaulted by patients?

RazorbackRN, BSN, RN · Jun 2, 2008

Sorry, but this question is like asking "Do all people who smoke die from cancer?". Of course not ALL get assaulted. As a matter of fact, I would think that the vast majority do not, but I do not have the exact statistics.

allnurses Guide · Jun 2, 2008

The vast majority of the time you are safe with your patients, the only times I have been hit has been from patients who were elderly and disorientated because of a change in environment or ICU when the

patient were confused because of the drugs they were recieving.

You do tend to get a idea if the patient may be getting aggitated and this is when you make sure that you attend to that patient with another member of staff.

I have been nursing for 20 years and have only been hit out at 3 or 4 times and the once I was kicked was by a young lad with burns who didn't want his dressing changed.

So maybe in a long career you will have a patient become aggitated and hit out, but no you will not be reguarly assaulted.

winterbot428 · Jun 2, 2008

I am not yet a nurse but am halfway through nursing school. I work in a group home for congnitively disabled adults. I get assaulted on a monthly basis. After a while....after you have a relationship with your patient you don't mind so much. My bunch especially, cannot help themselves. After a while you will develop a paternal or maternal feeling about your clients and it will be ok. Don't avoid a great career in nursing because of this! You can overcome it!

~Dan

aeauooo · Jun 2, 2008

I imagine a lot of the risk depends on where you work. If you work in an inner-city county hospital, you may be at higher risk of being assaulted. On the other hand, in those types of environments the staff have experience and sometimes training to deal with situations in which a patient or visitor may become assaultive.

There are warning signs that someone may become assaultive - learn them, and pay attention. No one expects a nurse to put themselves in harm's way.

It also depends on who your patient population is. With my background, I'd have to say that if you are worried about being assaulted, stay away from head injured patients.

Finally, there are the out-of-the-ordinary, more-than-two-standard-deviations-from-the-mean, ya-just-never-know, Richard Speck-type events.

What are you going to do? Everything in life worth having involves risk.

snowfreeze, BSN, RN · Jun 2, 2008

Watch for the warning signs that someone is aggitated, get help and get some medication for the patient.

If you find that a patient is likely to hit, just remember that "the closer you are the less the impact". If a patient is looking like they will swing and you are not going to be able to move away, just move closer, give them a hug.

I have been hit once in 16 years of nursing, and have avoided being hit 3 times by seeing it coming and moving to the side once, getting closer once and grabbing the wrist once.

I have worked in many aspects of nursing, ICU, CCU, Trauma, Neuro, Med-surg, flight, behavior dementia, geriatrics, rehab and sub-acute.

Assaualt does not happen often.

TiffyRN, BSN, PhD · Jun 2, 2008

There are specialties that limit your exposure to assault. In neonatal ICU the worst that might happen to me is some baby's sharp nails might scratch me (then I file them down). Of course the parents could potentially be aggressive but it you get that specific there are no jobs that have human interaction that don't have a potential for violence.

In the nine years I worked with adult in-patients in a hospital, I was never truly assaulted. I have had little old ladies try to bite me (with their toothless mouths) and multiple old folks hit me over and over though it was no stronger than a mild tapping. But not to minimize your concern, the potential is surely there. I admit I've been lucky in that violence would occur on the next shift or in the room next to me. At some point I'm sure my luck would have run out.

If you deem the risk for assault as too high, you need to either consider a safer specialty or a different career path. Many places are working on making conditions safer for their nurses but it's not there yet.

llg, PhD, RN · Jun 2, 2008

My bedside experience is all in newborn nursing. I was never assaulted -- unless you count being vomited on, pooped on, peed on, etc. Babies also hit and kick us as they wave their arms and legs, but I don't think that counts, either.

Your risk vary depending on where you work.

Medic2RN, BSN, RN, EMT-P · Jun 2, 2008

Does verbal assault count?

Southernurse · Jun 2, 2008

i am just curious if all nurses get assaulted by patients and is this just part of the job. this might make me reconsider starting a nursing program this fall. i am a petite woman (not strong) and yes, the thought of being punched, hit, or kicked by a patient terrifies me. i feel like i would not be able to concentrate on my duties if i was constantly having to look over my shoulder. i am intelligent, but i tend to be on the anxious side somewhat. are there any areas of nursing where this does not happen? i have read all of these horror stories on here about this happening all of the time. maybe at my age, i should just stick to my home medical transcription! any honest thoughts would be greatly appreciated.
thanks

this is purely from my own experience, but i had trouble in 2 areas: psych and the alzheimer's unit. there is a lot you can do simply with your approach. if you are nonthreatening but confident, it goes a long way with most situations. unlike many professions, nursing has many different areas of practice. it is pretty easy to avoid the psych hospitals and wards themselves, (except for school of course!) but you will occasionally have one on the hospital floor if that is where you work. it is impossible to avoid altogether, but, at least where i worked, if there was ever a question about safety, there was always a co-worker who would enter a room with me. :twocents:

Tweety, BSN, RN · Jun 2, 2008

Unfortunately I've been assaulted, not bad, by confused patients, especially patients going through DTs, but I've never been hurt and I'm always on my toes.

The entire hospital just went through training to help protect ourselves. I think this is a Joint Commission mandate (which lets you know how rampant it is) and hopefully you'll get some training.

prmenrs, RN · Jun 2, 2008

I'm w/LLG--and don't forget the big newborns screaming in your ear while you're trying to get an IV or holding for an LP!