I once worked with a nurse who was immediately fired after a patient complained about something extremely petty. His complaint was how he felt burdensome to her because she told him he needs to stop calling every 5 minutes. Nurses are always getting reprimanded for little things, and oftentimes the BON gets called about the nurse, putting our license at risk for oftentimes petty complaints.
I’ve been in situations where the patients realllllly challenged my patience, hit me, acted violent, cussed me out. I know all of you have, too. And we handle it, it takes teamwork and sometimes chemical or physical restraints, but at the end of the shift, we did it and we did it well. And then we’re called about some BS complaint or minor documentation error.
Never once have I worked with a nurse who needed to put a knee on someone’s neck to get “em under control. Hell, George Floyd would’ve been one of my easy patients from the footage I’ve seen. I could’ve handled him with some soothing but stern words. Can you imagine what the nurse would go thru if we put our knee on someone’s neck? OMG.
Or recently in my town, a cop body-slammed a person and caused a seizure after being told by the person to STFU. And it’s been that cops 4th major offense in 5 years, with the first three offenses requiring anger management and counseling. How many of you had patients call you every name under the sun and you still kept your composure? It really doesn’t even phase me when it happens. But can you imagine what would happen to us if we got in that patients face? Or body slammed that patient? Most of us endure some form of physical abuse from patients if we work the bedside, especially ED nurses. Yet, we handle it, and rarely file police reports ourselves, and we certainly never flip out and go ape ***.
Why double standards? Why aren’t police officers held to the same standards as nurses? It’s sickening.
Specializes in Former NP now Internal medicine PGY-3.
On 4/24/2021 at 8:43 PM, raindrop said:
Actually I love the ER, it is wild and crazy alright. But despite getting smacked, spit and punched more times than I can recollect, I’ve never had to put my knee on the neck of a patient, or tase them, or tackle them to the ground with 5 others. I handle it. And ironically, most of the people that police officers brutally attack already have handcuffs on; handcuffs make the suspect less of a threat, so why tase or attack or grind the knee into their carotid? The EGO.
With only stern words is a bit confident of a statement
This is the first person who I've seen get this. Many years working as a nurse and even other nurses appeared to not really understand this mad situation.
I've been rattled by police so hard that my ears still ring 6 of them piled on top of me years ago and I got done for police assault.
I've caught them out lying so many times over the years and they want to dominate areas of public health like substance use with enforcement over evidence based health.
All the stake holders/partners just fawn roll over and never call them out in their ***.
Of course there are good officers but the system is rotten
I am not advocating for unjustified excessive force, but I believe it's because officers are put in much more dangerous situations than we are. They have to be ready to use force, and are more likely to get shot at or in a physical confrontation, have to answer calls in dangerous neighborhoods.
Also, police departments are always hiring because of understaffing and no special tests and no academic rigor to get in.
bunch of nurses were fighting with a patient on a gurney in the hallway, losing, when a guy RN comes out of the code room, puts the guy in a head lock and says "stop fighting or I'll break your go**amn neck". The guy stopped fighting...go figure...no doubt in my mind that nurse would have followed thru...all I can say about the OP is that the courage of non-combatants is pretty breath taking.
Police have UNIONS! That's the difference! Every police dept.
Many of us believe that unnecessary force was used on George Floyd. But the police union is standing behind that officer.
I like the idea that police and law enforcement officers should be somehow licensed like nurses. With all the oversight. But it will never happen as the police unions with its members would just not tolerate it. Never get off the ground.
Every police dept does not have a union. Maybe in the state you live in but not Georgia.
I am not advocating for unjustified excessive force, but I believe it's because officers are put in much more dangerous situations than we are. They have to be ready to use force, and are more likely to get shot at or in a physical confrontation, have to answer calls in dangerous neighborhoods.
Also, police departments are always hiring because of understaffing and no special tests and no academic rigor to get in.
Police officers in all states are POST certified. Tests are given in addition to training. They have to go through an academy - varies in length by state. MANY officers do have college educations - most in criminal justice. To keep their POST certification they DO have to have continuing education - just as nurses do - so many hours a year.
This is the first person who I've seen get this. Many years working as a nurse and even other nurses appeared to not really understand this mad situation.
I've been rattled by police so hard that my ears still ring 6 of them piled on top of me years ago and I got done for police assault.
I've caught them out lying so many times over the years and they want to dominate areas of public health like substance use with enforcement over evidence based health.
All the stake holders/partners just fawn roll over and never call them out in their ***.
Of course there are good officers but the system is rotten
Tegridy
583 Posts
With only stern words is a bit confident of a statement