Have you been assulted as a nurse?

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Building on the news article of nurses who work in ER being assulted, I am curious as to the number of nurses assulted that work throughout acute, long-term and other settings. I don't know how to do polls, but would appreciate someone making a bar thing for me. But I would like additional information. Who assulted you? Was it the patient or family member? Did you see it coming? What area of nursing do you work in?

I would say yes, I have been scratched (still have a scar), bit, punched, kicked at and threatened. Also had a family member threaten me once or twice. Actually, I would say the safest I ever felt as a nurse was when I worked in corrections. Always had a burly deputy with me when I was with a patient.

Specializes in ICU.

I've been choked with my stethoscope and kicked in the head by confused LOLs. Had a very threatening confused middle-aged man who wound up with two security officers at his side until the IM Haldol kicked in.

:paw:

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Specializes in Psych, med surg.

Scratched, kicked, slapped. Those old ladies are mean!

Verbally abused by doctors countless times.

Med-surg floor. Managers did nothing.

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Specializes in -.

Groped, punched,kicked, pinched, spat at, sworn at...this is working in Aged Care though with confused patients and dementia patients, so I don't really mind. I mean, it's never fun but they mostly are unaware of what they are doing.

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Specializes in Peri-op/Sub-Acute ANP.

I work in an OR and patients quite often come out of anesthesia swinging punches or kicking. Although I've been involved in too many tussles with such patients to count, I have only been hurt twice. Once was a woman who got me with a left hook to the jaw that just about put me out, and the second time was a man who horse kicked me in the stomach as we were transferring him.

Given the situation, with the patient coming out of general sedation, I've never really felt like they were true assaults in that the patient just felt like they could treat us that way.

Now if I felt a patient was behaving badly just because they thought they could get away with it, I would have a completely different attitude about the whole thing.

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Specializes in Emergency, Trauma, Critical Care.

Multiple times

Alzheimer's mostly.

I even had one grab a insulin syringe from my hand and try to stab me with it. That was a scary day......there was enough insulin in that thing to put me in a hypoglycemic coma quick....

Just my last shift a 96 year old kept punching me in the stomach and pinching my arm while we were changing him. He was so cute and apologized for it right after.

Can't blame him, he was in a lot of pain.

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It is a damn shame that it seems to be the norm to be a nurse and have been assaulted on the job. Where the hell are our rights?

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