Today I was speaking to a nursing recruiter for a facility that I won't name. In one moment it sounded as if he was trying to convince me to join the facility and in the next breath it sounded like he didn't want anyone to join who wasn't able and willing to suffer assaults from their patients on a daily basis. During the discussion I didn't think about it too much but after I came home and continued to think about the conversation it made me wonder about the fine line of abuse that nurses should take.
On one hand I can understand that a patient may have a hard time dealing with whatever is happening to them and they try to find an outlet for their frustration. Sometimes that outlet is the nurse because they are there.
However, where does it end? Where do you say "Ok this amount of verbal/ physical abuse is ok but one more and it is over the line"?
And as for the abuse- if it sounds like the facility is allowing the nurses to go through abuse by the patients, are they off the hook if they tell the nurses up front that they condone/ allow patients to abuse the nurses?
I wanted to hear others take on this especially since there have been discussions about poor work conditions and how much should nurses condone and whether or not they should speak up.
I believe that anyone will do what they believe they can get away with. Patients, sales clerks, the cable guy, bank teller, they will all resort to some type of abuse if it is allowed. I believe in drawing a line, which neither the patient, the physician, or myself is allowed to cross. The first attempt is shut down immediately. The only one who gets a bit of a lee way is the patient suffering from dementia. I don't approach them alone. The one time I came close to being assaulted by a patient, an aide had put the patient up to it and allowed her into our locked nurse's station. I got myself into our locked med room. Needless to say it didn't go over well with the rest of the staff.
I would love for a TV network to do a series on real nursing. Actually following nurses around, seeing what we do on a daily basis, how we are treated by patients and peers. The public needs to see the good, the bad and the ugly side of nursing. Then they might understand why i cannot bring you your percocet as fast as you would like because i have another patient who is delerious, combative and in 4 pt restraints and my other patient on a venturi mask has a pulse ox of 70%. All the shows out there are depecting a nonexistant type of nursing. Unfortunatley everyone perceives nursing as what they see on tv. A show about REAL NURSING would be great. That would be the end of the "all you do is wipe ass" and comments of the like. Maybe we will start to receive some respect from those outside the medical field. Too bad a show that would accuratley protray real-world nursing would be a complete HIPPA violation. hey at least its a good thought I'll keep dreaming
hey at least its a good thought 
I'll keep dreaming 
grannyrn65
102 Posts
I believe that anyone will do what they believe they can get away with. Patients, sales clerks, the cable guy, bank teller, they will all resort to some type of abuse if it is allowed. I believe in drawing a line, which neither the patient, the physician, or myself is allowed to cross. The first attempt is shut down immediately. The only one who gets a bit of a lee way is the patient suffering from dementia. I don't approach them alone. The one time I came close to being assaulted by a patient, an aide had put the patient up to it and allowed her into our locked nurse's station. I got myself into our locked med room. Needless to say it didn't go over well with the rest of the staff.
GrannyRN65