nurse abuse

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What do you do when you're being verbally abused?

Today's scenerio: patient "falls" in bathroom. I'm using scare quotes because the fall was highly suspicious and dramatic. Pt won't hold still for f/u CT. Pt continues to get out of bed unescorted. Charge insists on bedcheck, pt screams at charge, pt screams at me. Pt states she's in a prison and wants to leave. Yay! I get AMA form. When pt realizes she won't get bye-bye script for norco she starts to have second thoughts. I say she can stay. No, she wants to leave. We are all mean and evil and she's a nurse too (she's not) and she's not leaving AMA but she's not staying either. We are all poopyheads and we suck.

At which point I'm done. I tell her and her equally unpleasant husband that she was wrong on certain details of the day and I didn't appreciate her twisting my words around. My charges kept looking at me like "shut up, Fungez" but I didn't pay them no mind. Maybe not the smartest thing to do, but I'm tired of this customer service nonsense. And I'm tired of being a victim. That sounds dramatic, doesn't it. But that's what I feel like. That's what I feel like when I'm implicitly told a patient or family can say anything they want to me but I'm not allowed to respond, even in logical and reasonable manner. And yesterday, family yelled at our unit clerk, the nicest, sweetest person you'd ever want to meet, and when she tried to defend herself, the house supe. told her SHE was wrong.

What do you guys do? And when you do it, does administration back you up or are you told you should have just walked away?

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When I worked fast food (which is truly a "customer service" job) I had more leeway to not take abuse from customers than I do now as a nurse. Because in fast food, at least I wasn't supposed to have angelic empathy powers that "understand" why the patients/families are "sooooo upset." Wah. You got admitted to the hospital and I dare come in the room for a blood pressure during the night? Oh nos! How dare I make sure you aren't dead or dying! (Of course if I let you "sleep" and you are dead, I'll get sued for that.) So generally it boils down to walking the tightrope between fired and sued.

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When I worked fast food (which is truly a "customer service" job) I had more leeway to not take abuse from customers than I do now as a nurse. Because in fast food, at least I wasn't supposed to have angelic empathy powers that "understand" why the patients/families are "sooooo upset." Wah. You got admitted to the hospital and I dare come in the room for a blood pressure during the night? Oh nos! How dare I make sure you aren't dead or dying! (Of course if I let you "sleep" and you are dead, I'll get sued for that.) So generally it boils down to walking the tightrope between fired and sued.

hahaha reminds me of a shirt i saw once, it said...."*NURSE*...here to save your a$$ not kiss it," ...LMFAOOOO....i wanted to get it so bad. In this profession seems you have to jump through hoops for everybody.

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Specializes in burn ICU, SICU, ER, Trauma Rapid Response.
What do you do when you're being verbally abused?

Today's scenerio: patient "falls" in bathroom. I'm using scare quotes because the fall was highly suspicious and dramatic. Pt won't hold still for f/u CT. Pt continues to get out of bed unescorted. Charge insists on bedcheck, pt screams at charge, pt screams at me. Pt states she's in a prison and wants to leave. Yay! I get AMA form. When pt realizes she won't get bye-bye script for norco she starts to have second thoughts. I say she can stay. No, she wants to leave. We are all mean and evil and she's a nurse too (she's not) and she's not leaving AMA but she's not staying either. We are all poopyheads and we suck.

At which point I'm done. I tell her and her equally unpleasant husband that she was wrong on certain details of the day and I didn't appreciate her twisting my words around. My charges kept looking at me like "shut up, Fungez" but I didn't pay them no mind. Maybe not the smartest thing to do, but I'm tired of this customer service nonsense. And I'm tired of being a victim. That sounds dramatic, doesn't it. But that's what I feel like. That's what I feel like when I'm implicitly told a patient or family can say anything they want to me but I'm not allowed to respond, even in logical and reasonable manner. And yesterday, family yelled at our unit clerk, the nicest, sweetest person you'd ever want to meet, and when she tried to defend herself, the house supe. told her SHE was wrong.

What do you guys do? And when you do it, does administration back you up or are you told you should have just walked away?

*** I am sorry you had to put up with that. I work in a VA hospital and find that the management does have our back when we are clearly in the right. At my last hospital not so much.

Two years ago I had a patient punch me in the groin (I am a guy) as I was standing next to his bed hanging a new IV. I had just delivered the news that he could not have any more narcs for another two hours and when I called his doc and informed him the patient (long drug abuse history) wanted a specific narc (dilaudid, 2mg now please) the physician declined to order it.

I immediately (well as soon as I could walk) walked out to the nurses station and called the local police. When they got there (this all happened at like 0200 AM) I told them I wanted to press charges for battery they placed him under arrest, but didn't take him away until he could be medicaly cleared. You should have heard the rucus the nursing sup and nurse manager threw when they heard I had the patient arrested. You would have thought I was the one who had struck a patient.

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Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.

Nurses fall toward the bottom of the respectability totem pole these days.

A customer will be escorted out of the bank by security if he/she acts unpleasantly and starts behaving in a menacing manner toward the tellers. A person who is riding an airplane with a major airline must behave, or else the air marshall will keep them in line with brute force. A customer who starts threatening the cashier at the local McDonald's will be asked to leave the restaurant by management. If a visitor starts verbally abusing employees while at the local museum, he/she will be escorted to the parking lot.

However, family members and visitors can behave in the most horrid manner toward nursing staff and get away with it at many healthcare facilities. Some visitors have even gone so far as to assault or batter nurses. It is pathetic that management does not think much of our safety or welfare, or else they'd also be asking these ridiculous visitors (a.k.a. circus clowns) to leave the facility.

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*** I am sorry you had to put up with that. I work in a VA hospital and find that the management does have our back when we are clearly in the right. At my last hospital not so much.

Two years ago I had a patient punch me in the groin (I am a guy) as I was standing next to his bed hanging a new IV. I had just delivered the news that he could not have any more narcs for another two hours and when I called his doc and informed him the patient (long drug abuse history) wanted a specific narc (dilaudid, 2mg now please) the physician declined to order it.

I immediately (well as soon as I could walk) walked out to the nurses station and called the local police. When they got there (this all happened at like 0200 AM) I told them I wanted to press charges for battery they placed him under arrest, but didn't take him away until he could be medicaly cleared. You should have heard the rucus the nursing sup and nurse manager threw when they heard I had the patient arrested. You would have thought I was the one who had struck a patient.

Good for you!!!

When I was charging, years ago, a husband threatened to come after my tech with a baseball bat. For wanting to get the patient's vital signs! So I called security, they had a Come to Jesus with him, and that was that. Until the next morning when my manager told ME I overreacted!

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Specializes in CVICU, ED.

I can sympathize that it really sucks to lay around in a hospital room, sometimes for days or even weeks at a time. However, that does not open the door for abusing others.

I am all for telling patients and family members how it is, and I've never been "called into the office". Over time I have learned to be more tactful in my delivery.

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Specializes in CVICU, ED.

I immediately (well as soon as I could walk) walked out to the nurses station and called the local police. When they got there (this all happened at like 0200 AM) I told them I wanted to press charges for battery they placed him under arrest, but didn't take him away until he could be medicaly cleared.

AWSOME!!:yeah:

We had a similar situation in the ED I worked at a few years ago. This pt, who played herself off to be "frail and decrepit", started wailing (and I mean wailing) on the tech who was drawing her blood. The tech did exactly the same thing. Called the popo and pressed charges. After going to court, the pt was placed in the state's mental hospital (long story concerning this particular patient).

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Specializes in burn ICU, SICU, ER, Trauma Rapid Response.
Good for you!!!

When I was charging, years ago, a husband threatened to come after my tech with a baseball bat. For wanting to get the patient's vital signs! So I called security, they had a Come to Jesus with him, and that was that. Until the next morning when my manager told ME I overreacted!

*** Hmm, ya threatening people with a baseball bat in not overreacting, but calling security is!?

Here is a true story you will love. I used to work with a cardiologist who was famous for losing his temper at anyone and everyone when things didn't go exactly according to plan. He was talking on the phone in the ICU and apparently he didn't hear what he wanted to hear because he ripped the phone off the desk and threw it across the hall. I was just walking out of a patient room and the phone hit me in the side of the head and raised a nice goose egg. The cardiologist took off (I think to avoid getting smacked upside the head by me). I called the cops and when they got there I told them I wanted to press charges against him. Well they went and talked to him. Next thing I know I get a call from the medical center (attached to the hospital but different entity) and it was the cardiologist. First he apologised and then asked if there was anything he could to do avoid me pressing charges. Well it just so happened I owed the medical center (owned by the physicians) a 5 figure bill from my daughters treatment.. He agreed to make it go away and I agreed not to press charges.

I wish he would throw another phone at me, I could use a new boat :)

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Specializes in critical care, PACU.

we have abusive patients all the time because of the neuro issues and Ive noticed a real change in the past few weeks where we are getting sitters and calling code greys instead of just doing nothing. Its not okay for me to be a punching bag, no matter how sick the patient may be. If they are neurologically intact enough to land a blow to a jaw without ataxia, they arent sick enough ;)

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Specializes in Chemo.
What do you do when you're being verbally abused?

Today's scenerio: patient "falls" in bathroom. I'm using scare quotes because the fall was highly suspicious and dramatic. Pt won't hold still for f/u CT. Pt continues to get out of bed unescorted. Charge insists on bedcheck, pt screams at charge, pt screams at me. Pt states she's in a prison and wants to leave. Yay! I get AMA form. When pt realizes she won't get bye-bye script for norco she starts to have second thoughts. I say she can stay. No, she wants to leave. We are all mean and evil and she's a nurse too (she's not) and she's not leaving AMA but she's not staying either. We are all poopyheads and we suck.

At which point I'm done. I tell her and her equally unpleasant husband that she was wrong on certain details of the day and I didn't appreciate her twisting my words around. My charges kept looking at me like "shut up, Fungez" but I didn't pay them no mind. Maybe not the smartest thing to do, but I'm tired of this customer service nonsense. And I'm tired of being a victim. That sounds dramatic, doesn't it. But that's what I feel like. That's what I feel like when I'm implicitly told a patient or family can say anything they want to me but I'm not allowed to respond, even in logical and reasonable manner. And yesterday, family yelled at our unit clerk, the nicest, sweetest person you'd ever want to meet, and when she tried to defend herself, the house supe. told her SHE was wrong.

What do you guys do? And when you do it, does administration back you up or are you told you should have just walked away?

In my hospital we have a thing called a behavioral contract, if someone is verbally abusive, not following the rules, just being a pain or disruptive. We have them sign a contract to behave or we will kick them out of the hospital. (safely of course)

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Specializes in Geriatrics.

In my LTC when a patient attacks any staff, we have to 1.)contact the shift supervisor (if she's there), 2.) call the on-call (wait for call back) 3.) call the administrator (wait for call back), 4.) after getting permission from all three people, contact Behavioral Health, 4.) wait for them to find a room, 5. contact the police to attend a section 12. In the mean time, we have to watch the patient (while neglicting the other 47 patients on the unit) as they trash the place, keep them from leaving the building, keep them from going after staff or other patients. 9 times out of 10 when sent out they will be returned quickly (within 2 or 3 hours) because they were perfectly sweet & charming to the hospital staff and they can't understand why we don't like the patient!

In the mean time, while waitting for call backs from everyone,

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