Does this scare anyone but me?!?!?!?!?

[AngelfireRN, MSN, RN, APRN]

I am an RN in grad school for my ACNP. One of my clinical rotations this semester is in the ER of a local hospital. The other day, I was there, assessing a car wreck with the doc, whiny, crying "Gimme something for the pain, I gotta have something for the pain!" (I can not STAND drug seekers). Anyway, I digress. This guy refused to cooperate with the exam, refused to move his legs, got mouthy, was just a real peach in general.

As we were leaving, I happened to look down and, lo and behold, this guy has a Crocodile Dundee strapped to his belt (a BIG knife, in case you've never seen the movie). I nudged the doc, told the CT tech and the nurse, and told the charge nurse. She refused to take it from him! "We can't do that. He's not a psych case. We don't even search our psych cases."

My qustion is, acting the way he was, demanding what he was demanding, and with all you see in the news about poor nurses getting blown away for not giving people their Lorcets, does this bother you? Would you work here? The nurse that had to take this man to CT informed that charge nurse that if she got cut, she knew who she would be suing, and all the charge nurse said was, "Well, I'm sorry." Just curious as to the ER policies where y'all are.

[Noryn]

In the ER I used to work at weapons were not allowed. I dont know the exact circumstances, if he was strapped to a board after being in a MVA I would have taken the knife and told him he could have it upon discharge. I would have documented well but someone with a potential head injury and is agitated does not need to have a knife.

If he had just walked into the ER with one, security and the police would have been called stat.

[AngelfireRN, MSN, RN, APRN]

Oh,speaking of security, did I mention that we had 3 strapping 6 foot plus 250-pounders guarding a 70 year old who was about 5 foot 4 and weighed about 140. Any one of them could have been helpful in this case, but, nope. "We can't do that."

[zamboni]

My assessment includes a very subtle "pat down". We confiscate weapons, and sign them over to security. I've done it to "regular" patients and police officers. Our policy backs us up, and is the same everywhere I've ever worked (EMS or hospital).

Of course, this is Texas.....it's kinda expected to find armed patients. But I will not treat someone who remains armed with a weapon. Policy be damned, I'm going home safe at the end of my shift.

[Dolce, RN]

Wow. At the hospital where I work it is policy to remove weapons and lock them up for safekeeping. I would have been calling security STAT on that guy. I don't have any respect for a facility that does not seek to protect their own employees. That is shameful.

[Kymmi]

I agree........A weapon is a weapon and if he would have walked in off the street with it it would not have been allowed. What I do not get is why you think he was "drug seeking"....he was just involved in a MVA so how do you know he was not have real pain.....I was in a minor MVA once and just the minor bangs caused me to hurt.

[Batman24]

That's scary. I'm glad no one was hurt. This time. I'm shocked he would be allowed to remain with a weapon.

[AngelfireRN, MSN, RN, APRN]

Kymmi,

Please don't think I was profiling, I have seen enough to know when someone is truly in pain. I am not denying he was hurting, but when someone says their neck hurts because they have a plate in it, and you ask them why, and they respond "It just DOES!", then refuse to cooperate or answer any questions until "I get something", it's a pretty clear-cut case. Also, refusing to go to CT until he had meds, then refusing to be still or cooperate while in CT, and just being a drama king in general usually makes me smell a rat. After he was told he would get a Toradol shot, he was well enough to stomp out of the ER in a snit, so that told me a lot.

[Noryn]

Kymmi,

Please don't think I was profiling, I have seen enough to know when someone is truly in pain. I am not denying he was hurting, but when someone says their neck hurts because they have a plate in it, and you ask them why, and they respond "It just DOES!", then refuse to cooperate or answer any questions until "I get something", it's a pretty clear-cut case. Also, refusing to go to CT until he had meds, then refusing to be still or cooperate while in CT, and just being a drama king in general usually makes me smell a rat. After he was told he would get a Toradol shot, he was well enough to stomp out of the ER in a snit, so that told me a lot.

A bit off topic but shouldnt Toradol gain miracle drug status. You would not believe the patients that suddenly are able to walk out of the ER after being told the doctor only ordered Toradol.

[jojotoo, RN]

The patient may not have been a pysch case, but it sounds like the charge nurse must be. Is she CRAZY?

I have never worked in any ER that tolerated patients having weapons. And that includes peace officers. Even their guns require being secured (by a fellow officer, or sometimes security). Some ERs even have a lock box for that specific purpose.

And the nurse that was going to CT with the patient, she's going to sue if she gets hurt? Maybe her next of kin will be able to.

[BrnEyedGirl, BSN, MSN, RN, APRN]

WOW,..first off,.all pt's become naked asap upon arriving to the ER almost w/o exception, weapons of any kind are never allowed, and if it was a psych pt not only are they placed in hospital gowns asap, they aren't even allowed to keep their belongings in the room! We have armed security in our ER at all times and this would not be allowed,.I wouldn't work at a hospital that allowed this!! (BTW I'm NOT in a big city ER,.it is a Trauma center but we only avg approx. 240 pt a day)

[pagandeva2000, LPN]

One time, when I was an aide working in psych ER, a patient's pocket was moving around, and we called security to assist us in searching the guy. He pulled out a live snake. Yeah, I was scared.