Nurse assaulted

Published

Two nights ago, a nurse at my job was assauted by a patient. The patient who was on methadone came to the ER around 4AM sunday. He was sedated and sent to a telemetry extension in the afternoon. He woke up in the night and asked for his 240 mg 10AM methadone that he missed at the clinic. The doctor could not verify the dose he claimed to get at the clininic because it was too late, so they ordered him 160mg. He got angry and grabbed the 120 pounds nurse and pinned her againt the wall. That telemetry extension is very small and is staffed with only 2 RNs or an RN and and a PCT or LPN. The area is only used when there is no bed in the hospital and the setting is more like ICU, no rooms, only curtains seperating the 8 beds. So a patient that was watching and did not know what to do pulled the fire alarm. Before any one arrived the second nurse who was picking up blood in the lab was back, she picked up a chair and threatened to hit the patient before he let go of the nurse. Ha, you need to see the frightened look on the poor nurse face. She was sent to the ER. Police was not called.

This is not the first time something like this had happened to my hospital. A doctor was nearly hit in the head with a pill crusher by a patient about 2 months ago. His reason was that the doctors was pushing him to sign AMA when he decided to go home before he was discharged. The lucky doctor was able to dodge the pill crusher when it came flying.

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Specializes in Critical Care.

I was assaulted by a patient last spring. A patient was on "white papers" (psych eval) and could not leave legally before being evaluated. Of course, he had a foley, IV lines and monitor lines attached and being young, male, antisocial PD, and an addict; he decided fighting was his best choice since he could not do his usual AMA departure. We were able to restrain him and assist him back to bed. He swung on my fellow RN and I caught his fist (she never saw it). He then spit in my face and made the comment that he had AIDS. I called security who called the police. The charge for assaulting a nurse, EMS worker, doctor or other healthcare worker is Federal Felony Assault. Being that he was found to be sound and able to make his own choices...that carries time.

The hard part is...that trial date has not even come up yet. People who assault others may have to be held in jail for months awaiting a trial date. Life is about choices.

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Specializes in ED, ICU, MS/MT, PCU, CM, House Sup, Frontline mgr.

OP: What is the point of the post? You stated "Ha" when you reported the "look" on the face of the nurse that was assaulted and also mentioned that the police was not called as if that is normal or OK. Do you want our opinions on why we think your place of work is a joke and that no nurse in his/her right mind should ever work there since our safety seems to mean very little???? Or do you think that the treatment of the nurse was unacceptable and the police should have been called??? Very confusing post.

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Two nights ago, a nurse at my job was assauted by a patient...

Bravo for the patient who was watching as this went down. Maybe he didn't know what exactly to do, but at least he did something.

Why were the police not called? Assault is assault, and the nurse was being assaulted by an addict seeking drugs. It's against the law. Nobody has to take that.

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Specializes in being a Credible Source.
The charge for assaulting a nurse, EMS worker, doctor or other healthcare worker is Federal Felony Assault.
I don't believe that any form of assault is a Federal crime. For that matter, neither is murder.
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Specializes in being a Credible Source.
Police was not called.
Why did she not call the police? Sounds like a foolish decision on her part.
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Specializes in Hospital Education Coordinator.

police should ALWAYS be called. If nothing else a pattern evolves and will make prosecution easier in the future, if needed. Also makes staff aware that this behavior is not tolerated.

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OP: What is the point of the post? You stated "Ha" when you reported the "look" on the face of the nurse that was assaulted and also mentioned that the police was not called as if that is normal or OK. Do you want our opinions on why we think your place of work is a joke and that no nurse in his/her right mind should ever work there since our safety seems to mean very little???? Or do you think that the treatment of the nurse was unacceptable and the police should have been called??? Very confusing post.

It is absolutly not a joke, this is very scary as it can happen to any any nurse or doctor at my hospital. I work in a very rough neighborhood where it is impossible to work a shift without taking care of this kind of patient. And there is nothing confusing about this post, I'm talking about how violent some hospital environment can be. The police was not called because management did not allow us. The patient was restraint and I dont know the rest of the story yet.

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Specializes in Clinical Research, Outpt Women's Health.

It is so wrong for the hospital to forbid by policy calling the police and filing charges. This was a violent crime by a patient who had full use of their faculties.

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Why did she not call the police? Sounds like a foolish decision on her part.

She agreed not to call the police because management did not want to be in the news. Some nurses were pushing her to call the police but she refused and decided to go with management decision. It was foolish. She was meeting with our union delegate yesterday and I dont know the outcome. All of us nurses will meet with the union 2pm today.

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Specializes in Med-Surg, Cardiac.
She agreed not to call the police because management did not want to be in the news. Some nurses were pushing her to call the police but she refused and decided to go with management decision. It was foolish. She was meeting with our union delegate yesterday and I dont know the outcome. All of us nurses will meet with the union 2pm today.

In this job market I'm not sure that I'd call her foolish for protecting her job by obeying her management and not calling police, although I certainly think management is foolish for having such a policy.

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I don't believe that any form of assault is a Federal crime. For that matter neither is murder.[/quote']

are you saying in your opinion it isnt a federal crime or it really, in real life, isnt a federal crime?

because i know in new york it is a federal crime

that probably holds true for other states, but i'm not really sure

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