I can't believe that this happened!!!! >:(

Published

A couple of my classmates were doing their clinical rotation at a med-surg floor. One of the patients was a large man straight out of prison (not sure what he had done, or why he was in the hospital). Anyway, he first tried to make out with one of the female RNs. Then, he slapped her *** the next time she came into his room. So that female nurse requested that someone else should take care of him. The charge nurse (nurse manager?) decided to let a male RN step in.

Later on, the man has some explosive diarrhea and two of my classmates were there to help clean him up. He threw a huge tantrum, saying that there was no way in heck that a man would touch him down there. So he slapped my female classmate, & attempted to hurl a large water bottle at my male classmate's head. Security intervened, and our clinical instructor made sure they were okay & dismissed them from clinical.

I have another friend (goes to the same school as us) who works as a CNA in that building. She said that he was still there when she was working the night shift, still making inappropriate comments to the female RNs and yelling as he pleased.

Why is this acceptable?! Don't the nurse managers have a right to evict a patient? Please tell me this is not normal :(

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Nope, they are there for care. They will try their best to like rotate people in the room so they don't feel so uncomfortable.

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He needs to be sent back to jail ASAP. That is sickening and disturbing.

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Specializes in Acute Rehab, Neuro/Trauma, Dialysis.

The patient is there for care so as nurses we are obligated to give care. However we as nurses have the right to step away from a situation (as long as the patient is safe) and return when the patient has gained some control. We also can request to have assistance (witnesses) from other nurses if we do not feel comfortable entering a patients room. It is hard to get use to when you are first introduced to difficult patients but you have to realize that we are professionals and it is our duty to serve everyone regardless of their behaviors.

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Specializes in psych/dementia.

I work in registration on an ER. Sounds normal to me. I've had security escort me into a room with a patient who tried to assault me, albeit outside of the hospital setting. (He's a neighbor) It is something you get used to in the hospital environment.

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Specializes in Trauma, Teaching.

They should have called the police the moment he made physical contact with anyone, not waiting until he slapped the student. In my state, assault and/or battery on a health care worker on duty is a felony.

You don't have to tolerate being abused. It is not too late for the student to file a police report. Sparrow, we have a legal obligation to provide emergency care in what a reasonable person would consider a life threatening situation (EMTALA ). It is our duty to provide care regardless of gender, race or creed. Nowhere does it say you have to provide care to a competent adult who is abusive/assaultive in a non life threatening situation. If your safety is in doubt, LEAVE. If your employer tells you to keep going in without providing adequate protection, they have created a hostile work environment.

I was physically attacked by a patient. We finished her care, filed a police report, and she was convicted of 2 felony counts.

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Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.
A couple of my classmates were doing their clinical rotation at a med-surg floor. One of the patients was a large man straight out of prison (not sure what he had done, or why he was in the hospital). Anyway, he first tried to make out with one of the female RNs. Then, he slapped her *** the next time she came into his room. So that female nurse requested that someone else should take care of him. The charge nurse (nurse manager?) decided to let a male RN step in.

Later on, the man has some explosive diarrhea and two of my classmates were there to help clean him up. He threw a huge tantrum, saying that there was no way in heck that a man would touch him down there. So he slapped my female classmate, & attempted to hurl a large water bottle at my male classmate's head. Security intervened, and our clinical instructor made sure they were okay & dismissed them from clinical.

I have another friend (goes to the same school as us) who works as a CNA in that building. She said that he was still there when she was working the night shift, still making inappropriate comments to the female RNs and yelling as he pleased.

Why is this acceptable?! Don't the nurse managers have a right to evict a patient? Please tell me this is not normal :(

After the incident with the nurse I am STUNNED that they allowed students to step foot into this animals room. Shame on them.

They are obligated to provide care but the staff have a right to be safe. I have had police escort for staff to make it clear to an individual this will not be tolerated.

It is not the norm but it does happen. I have had hospitals take a firm stand about assault o the staff while I have had others sweep it under the rug and punish the staff when the press charges.http://www.massnurses.org/health-and-safety/articles/workplace-violence/p/openitem/1629

Many state have passed and are in the process of passing legislation to make it a criminal offense and in come cases a felony to assault nursing staff.

Here is what I saw a freind go through with her assault......

Massachusetts Nurses Association - Health & Safety - Articles - Workplace Violence - In her own words: How ER assault has changed RN Charlene Richardson's life, work

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Specializes in Pedi.

Was this person recently released from prison or a current inmate? If it's the latter, why the heck wasn't he guarded? When I worked in the hospital, if we had patients who came from prison (juvie, as this was a pediatric hospital), they were guarded by two prison guards at all times and shackled and/or handcuffed to the bed. If he was a released prisoner, he wouldn't necessarily be guarded from the get-go but as soon as he slapped the first nurse, I'd have called security and requested a security guard at the bedside at all times.

But to answer your questions, no nurse managers do not have the power to evict patients.

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When I worked on med/surg, I was a CNA and 9/10 nights I was a patient sitter. When this happened, I was responsible for 1 out of 2 patients in the room (at least, on paper). Whenever they had a sitter, the charge nurse would take the most hostile pt. on the wing on place them into the room with the sitter. So I would have a pt which I was sitting for the 12 hr shift, who was volatile and had explosive bm's, and another pt who was constantly ripping out IV's and throwing things at myself and the other pt. Mostly they were huge men, or at least much larger than me, and even though there were other CNA males on the floor, they would always put me in the room with the abusive pts. I've come home with black eyes because a pt who was supposed to be in restraints wasn't because the nurse didn't want to put them on (waste of time, she said). When I went to see the DON about all of this, she just shrugged and said "Yeah, that's hospital for you."

Not sure if things are supposed to be this way, but I hope not.

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My first thought is to sedate them into a near-vegetative state, but maybe this is what they're after. No matter, kills two birds with one stone.

Nurses should be issued a cattle prod. Just my opinion.

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Specializes in Oncology, Critical Care.

The short answer is no, he can not be evicted from the hospital. Assuming he is there for need he must be taken care of to the best of the nurses abilities. however if he keeps acting like they that he will probably be placed in the isolation nursing room with a security guard or two placed outside the door. I am surprised that no police or prison guards were escorting him in the prison (usually there are 2-4 of them depending on the crime and their actions). however if he did keep acting up they may turf him to psych or use restraints. In my experiences as an EMT and ER Tech its more of they may have their prison nurse or someone trained to handle the patient. And i am also surprised that they even allowed nursing students into the room to begin with.

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The police should have been involved after the first assault.

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