How common is Work Violence?

lilbiskit78 · Apr 29, 2004

Hi all! I am still a student and I have been hit by a patient, and my teacher too (same patient). She was pretty far gone to Alzheimer's, but she kicked me in the face, bit me, ect. We were just trying to give her a bath. This was on the med-surg floor, not LTC.

IMustBeCrazy · Apr 30, 2004

Patients, like children, will push the limits as long as there are no repercussions. I agree about dialing 911 (with certain exceptions which *I* will decide), at least I will have a police report to back me up.

atainey · Apr 30, 2004

For those of you interested in "calling 911" etc... The protocol is to call your local police department's non-emergency line, and state that you need an officer to come take a report for assault.

I currently work at a residential treatment center for adolescents, and we have occasional physical assaults. Formally reporting them has become a very effective way to cut down on attacks, when the patients realize they must pay consequences for their actions.

So list those local police numbers in a visible place, and don't hesitate to call!

sunflowermist · Sep 3, 2004

:crying2: You are absolutely right!

I was the victim of an attack about a week ago by and alert and oriented pt. He was totally out of control until the police walked into his room -at that moment he became very calm and quiet! He acknowledged that he should not have hit me and apologized to the police officer (not to me). I did indeed file charges and am waiting to go to court on this. Nurses seem to be "fair game" for these bullies and unfortunately administration does NOTHING to prevent or control this type of behavior. In fact I believe that this type of behavior is promoted by the motto that "THE CUSTOMER IS ALWAYS RIGHT" Whoever came up with this type of moronic thinking? Of course the customer, patient, client is not always right, how ridiculous this is!

To date no one from administration has even acknowledged that I was injured or that I was attacked, perhaps if it were their mother or their sister they would be more inclined to do something about it!

I would really love to see all hospitals adopt a ZERO TOLERANCE POLICY towards workplace violence be it verbal or physical.

Until nurses start acting then nothing is going to be done about it. I know of several other nurses that have been hit, spit at, cursed at, kicked, slapped etc. all by alert and oriented people and they have done nothing for fear of losing their jobs etc.Nurses.......wake up!!!! Administrators wake up!!

For those of you interested in "calling 911" etc... The protocol is to call your local police department's non-emergency line, and state that you need an officer to come take a report for assault.
I currently work at a residential treatment center for adolescents, and we have occasional physical assaults. Formally reporting them has become a very effective way to cut down on attacks, when the patients realize they must pay consequences for their actions.
So list those local police numbers in a visible place, and don't hesitate to call!

dazzle256 · Sep 4, 2004

You are absolutely right!
I was the victim of an attack about a week ago by and alert and oriented pt. He was totally out of control until the police walked into his room -at that moment he became very calm and quiet! He acknowledged that he should not have hit me and apologized to the police officer (not to me). I did indeed file charges and am waiting to go to court on this. Nurses seem to be "fair game" for these bullies and unfortunately administration does NOTHING to prevent or control this type of behavior. In fact I believe that this type of behavior is promoted by the motto that "THE CUSTOMER IS ALWAYS RIGHT" Whoever came up with this type of moronic thinking? Of course the customer, patient, client is not always right, how ridiculous this is!
To date no one from administration has even acknowledged that I was injured or that I was attacked, perhaps if it were their mother or their sister they would be more inclined to do something about it!
I would really love to see all hospitals adopt a ZERO TOLERANCE POLICY towards workplace violence be it verbal or physical.
Until nurses start acting then nothing is going to be done about it. I know of several other nurses that have been hit, spit at, cursed at, kicked, slapped etc. all by alert and oriented people and they have done nothing for fear of losing their jobs etc.Nurses.......wake up!!!! Administrators wake up!!

Please keep us posted of the outcome of this. I thought I heard somewhere that assaulted a healthcare worker the punishment is doubled. It is sad though that the management didn't come to your defense. I agree there should be a zero tolerance policy for alert and oriented patients.

RN4NICU, LPN, LVN · Sep 5, 2004

You are absolutely right!
I was the victim of an attack about a week ago by and alert and oriented pt. He was totally out of control until the police walked into his room -at that moment he became very calm and quiet! He acknowledged that he should not have hit me and apologized to the police officer (not to me). I did indeed file charges and am waiting to go to court on this. Nurses seem to be "fair game" for these bullies and unfortunately administration does NOTHING to prevent or control this type of behavior. In fact I believe that this type of behavior is promoted by the motto that "THE CUSTOMER IS ALWAYS RIGHT" Whoever came up with this type of moronic thinking? Of course the customer, patient, client is not always right, how ridiculous this is!
To date no one from administration has even acknowledged that I was injured or that I was attacked, perhaps if it were their mother or their sister they would be more inclined to do something about it!
I would really love to see all hospitals adopt a ZERO TOLERANCE POLICY towards workplace violence be it verbal or physical.
Until nurses start acting then nothing is going to be done about it. I know of several other nurses that have been hit, spit at, cursed at, kicked, slapped etc. all by alert and oriented people and they have done nothing for fear of losing their jobs etc.Nurses.......wake up!!!! Administrators wake up!!

Perhaps if they were held liable for putting your safety at risk they would be more inclined to do something about it. :angryfire

Any employer that would threaten to terminate nurses who take legal action against violent patients would be free to TAKE the job and STICK IT in their orfice of choice as far as this nurse is concerned. I won't work where my safety is of no consequence.

Absolutely ZERO TOLERANCE - Call the police.

berry · Sep 5, 2004

A stiff chop to the throat will slow any attacker, think I'm a **hole whatever if its them or me i will take a pt out in an instance. It it complete crap for anybody to be attacked at work. I have NO 2nd thought hitting a pt in self defense. Any of you who put up with physical abuse have you ever seen what happens if a client at a bar acts up and some bouncers get a hold of them or better yet a suspect who strikes a officer of the law talk about a beat down. I will call a "code 1" as instructed in hospital policy but if someone (pt, doc. coworker whatever) makes an agressive move at me I feel within my rights to take action and defend my self.

Dinith88 · Sep 5, 2004

I cant quite remember the source, but i once read that nurses working alzheimers wards in LTC were the most exposed to violence and/or violence related injury. Even more often than in-patient Psych-units.

P_RN, ADN, RN · Sep 5, 2004

Helping a second shift nurse put restraints on her patient a very confused man(w/MD order of course) and he got his left leg out and kicked me in the left cheekbone. Fractured it, LOC , raccoon eye, concussion. The other nurses had to drag my "body" out by my ankles because the guy was ripping the telephone receiver and hitting anyone and anything he could get to. I spent about 4 hours in the ER totally disoriented. Police came (My BIL :) ) and I gave a report. Nothing ever happened because he was a secret alcoholic and had lied about no alcohol. He was "not responsible for his actions".

That's the physical kind. Emotional kind....well lets say that hurts at least as badly. And that hurt lasts longer than the physical.

laughing weasel · Sep 5, 2004

We have been to three clinicals and have had two students assaulted one (me) by an eighty-five year old dementia patient and the other by a forty-something patient. Is this par for the course? It takes a lot of restraint not to break someone who is attacking you. I have never been one who believes in defense. However, the person did not know what he was doing. If an oriented patient attacks a fellow nurse or me what measures am I allowed to take in their defense?

Genista, BSN, RN · Sep 5, 2004

I too have had patients try to bite and kick me, punch me etc. Usually these are demented patients. The scariest threat, however was from a family member of a patient. This woman was threatening to "punch me out" in the hallway. I have never seen someone with so much hate in their eyes. She basically hated all the staff, and I think that day I was the unlucky one to meet her when she was at her breaking point. She seemed very unstable, and I was nervous about running into her for quite some time afterward.

RN4NICU, LPN, LVN · Sep 5, 2004

I too have had patients try to bite and kick me, punch me etc. Usually these are demented patients. The scariest threat, however was from a family member of a patient. This woman was threatening to "punch me out" in the hallway. I have never seen someone with so much hate in their eyes. She basically hated all the staff, and I think that day I was the unlucky one to meet her when she was at her breaking point. She seemed very unstable, and I was nervous about running into her for quite some time afterward.

Family members do not just automatically have the unquestionable right to be there. Any time a visitor threatens the staff, a police report should be filed and a restraining order sought. You never know when an unstable wacko is going to snap - no sense putting yourselves at risk.