assaulted by my patient--one year later

Nurses Relations

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  • Specializes in critical care, PACU.

You are reading page 2 of assaulted by my patient--one year later

Specializes in ICU.

OP, check to see if your hospital (assuming its a acute care hospital) has a clinical documentation department. our Department works closely with HIM ensuring HP are in the chart within 24 hours of admit. If not we have a policy we follow to try and get it tin there. We work most closely wth case management because we concurrently code the cahrts basde of DX and get them a lenghth of stay. You read through charts ensuring documentation is correct for billing. For example, if a dr writes low NA this doesnt equal hyponatremia for billing till hyponatremia is in the chart and its being treated. You still use your nursing skills bc doc and NP dont always document correctly and their is alot of interpretation of the documentation. Last week one of my charts had trichamonas in the UA. Doctor and nurses on floor did not catch it till I called doc.i have the time to read the chart with a fine tooth comb). With the implementation of ICD 10 in the next year and a half my hospital is upping this department of 25 nurses system wide to add 10 new nurses. A local hospital also has 10 openings. Some hospitals require rounding on the floors and some dont but then at least you wont be in direct care of the patientand hopefully you wouldnt need grad school at this time. Good luck in your decisions.

Specializes in Critical Care.

Sorry to hear you are still struggling with daily pain! I think this is a silent epidemic in nursing and nobody will do anything to help us! Why did it take an act of congress to get safe needles in the hospitals! We need an act of congress to mandate a safe NO LIFT environment in all hospitals and nursing homes throughout the country! I'm so sick of being subjected to daily pain and wear and tear because the hospitals choose to be cheap and refuse to provide adequate staffing and lift equipment that would protect us and the patients and give dignity to all!

I personally believe that this should be the first priority for the ANA and govt to mandate safe staffing levels and a no lift environment. The unions spend so much time on mandatory overtime, which is wrong and ridiculous, but I'm more likely to be injured due to lack of lift equipment than mandatory overtime! That should be the first priority!

I can't afford to go back to school either, though I would gladly if I had the money, but I don't want to have my social security garnished from the student loans. For many of us going back to school is not the answer because we don't have enough time to pay off the loans before retirement. Student loans are becoming mortgages without a house!

fiveofpeep

1,237 Posts

Specializes in critical care, PACU.
Have you considered an online graduate program? Visit the college section here on AN. Some schools also offer hybrids which are part classroom and part online, so even while "in school" you could be with your dogs.

That is a great idea that I had not thought of. Now I just need to figure out what type of MSN I'd want ;)

Not all "non bedside" jobs pay less than bedside jobs not sure why you think that? You are going to have to think outside of the box. You can't say you won't get hired until you try. There are a lot of nursing jobs that you CAN do so focus on what you CAN do and not what you can't.There are Dr offices where you would not be lifting. Outpatient type of jobs have a lot less lifting. Occupational Health, Case Management, research nurse, telephonic nirsing, health insurance company,school nurse etc. You could also try public health working for the state or local govt. I have a friend who is a public health nurse. She gets busy during flu shot season, but mostly she just does bp screenings etc. I'd kill for her job. She has great hours, holidays off, and great benefits.

I did have a PHN course but didn't get certed but maybe I could look into them doing it retroactively.

Hope you feel better soon! Glad to hear it is getting better. Try to stay positive and focus on that. Don't let the past be your present. Was the offender arrested? Did he have any consequences? I really hope he did.

Thank you so much! The patient was not arrested. I didn't even think to press charges but now that I have gone through everything I would never hesitate to call the police if it happened again. Although I still can't hold the patient accountable I still feel that if we don't stand up for ourselves and show there are real consequences for assaulting nurses, there will never be any change.

fiveofpeep

1,237 Posts

Specializes in critical care, PACU.
I am so sorry this happened to you. You could definitely do an online option and still work as the PP mentioned. Most offer part-time and full-time options, and obviously, the part-time option will take you longer to complete. I assume you went from ICU to m/s? I guess you were hoping not as much total care in m/s, but like you said, most positions in the hospital are going to require a significant amount of lifting.

I'm still in ICU but it's a much lower acuity hospital. Many of the patients would be like a tele patient at my old place so the running around is definitely decreased but the lack of resources make it more physical labor.

How long have you been in this other position? NICU would be a good fit for you, and who knows, you may decide to do a NNP program instead of CRNA. Your back pain sounds pretty severe; do you think you would be able to complete and work as a CRNA?

That's true and honestly I don't really want to go to grad school. I just feel as if I have to so that I don't get injured.

I love love love bedside nursing which is why I am pushing through the pain instead of choosing a different job. I was just telling my BF yesterday that if I could just find a specialty that is good on my back and my heart, I could do that forever.

I also worry though when I hear stories about old timer nurses with 30+ years of experience getting screwed over because they are too expensive.

Maybe you could do something that isn't as strenuous as bedside nursing. Even as a CRNA, and NNP, you will still have to be more mobile, and have long hours. How about something with shorter hours like clinical nursing research? You'd do a great deal of sitting, too, but still be challenged. You'd probably be better off with 8 hour shifts, and I don't know that CRNA's really have that luxury. Don't they have call hours, too? Maybe go to the CRNA forum to see what they say. Best of luck to you!

Those are all good points. I think that's my problem. None of the APN options agree with me for one reason or another (probably because I'm not ready) so I am trying to choose the most tolerable option which isn't the right way to go about things.

Specializes in ICU.

[quote)if we don't stand up for ourselves and show there are real consequences for assaulting nurses, there will never be any change.[/quote)This is so true.. This morning, I watched the today show cover the Kennedy case where Dad wanted to leave the nursery area with his new born. Assulted 2 nurses while in the elevator. He said he was just " wanting some fresh air". brother please!! everyone knows u don't leave the hospital with a newborn unless u are discharged. He is charged with a misdemeanor. anyone assaulting a nurse should be facing a felony IMHO.

fiveofpeep

1,237 Posts

Specializes in critical care, PACU.
my heart goes out to you as i type this. reading your post angered me. in just a few years of practice, i have already met other nurses with scarily similar stories. it is sad indeed when the hospitals refuse to step up and assist our injured colleagues. our jobs are difficult enough; having to deal with the threat of violence then be left to deal with it alone is beyond the pale. i would echo the pps and suggest online programs (totally understand you not wanting to leave the dogs for long periods of time). i know you mentioned crna, but have you any interest in education? you could be an amazing asset to a nursing program, particularly with clinicals within icus. would a msn in education really throw you off track in your quest for crna (honestly not sure what all requirements the crna programs have).

i guess i mostly just want to send you good thoughts and gentle, virtual hugs. :hug: good luck in whatever you choose and may no nurse ever have to deal with this again! (fat chance, i know)

thank you so much for the support :) i agree that we need to unite together about this. i think it is a very important issue. nurses are faced with the threat of violence every day. and you're right, that's on top of everything else we have to deal with. some states have harsh laws about assaulting nurses (protecting them much like they do when you assault a cop) but i don't know how well they are enforced.

i have actually always been interested in education. i wanted to be a teacher as a kid and in nursing school and pre reqs i would make practice tests for every exam and hosted wildly popular study groups each week.

i love preceptoring nursing students. it really helps you to learn yourself. i am definitely passionate about teaching other nurses.

i suppose the only thing holding me back from that has been that i've always been told you make even less than a staff nurse. i guess i could always keep my license active and pick up perdiem shifts here and there to augment my income.

there's also the fact that i just don't feel qualified with my measly 2+ years of experience. how much experience do you think is enough experience?

i would definitely love to do education though. do you have more thoughts about this?

fiveofpeep

1,237 Posts

Specializes in critical care, PACU.
Good luck, sorry for your travails. Have you tried chiropractic and/ or yoga? Works wonders for my back.

I was an avid yogi for years before my injury but now I lack the strength to hold my body up and it just frustrates me, so I've picked up swimming which works miracles for me. I can actually swim to make my pain go away and increase my ROM.

The chiropracter helped alot but my back spontaneously healed when I had a break from the chiro so now I am superstitious about it. It's silly, but I'm just so terrified that any little thing could bring on the full blown pain I had initially so I just avoid most things. I do get massages with cervical tension and that seems to help.

fiveofpeep

1,237 Posts

Specializes in critical care, PACU.
i was attacked by a 400+ pound ****'* angel when i worked psych. he outweighed me by at least 325 pounds and was more than a foot taller. he grabbed me by my right shoulder and left hip and suddenly i was airborn! that was my first shoulder tear.

i missed several weeks of work while i healed. my hip was badly bruised but it healed eventually. my shoulder has torn again and has

begun to separate, but i am no longer a candidate for surgical repair.

i was terrified when i first returned to work and, yes, he was still there. he could not see my fear though. he was eventually charged with assault and battery and pled no contest.

i wish you well and send you many many hugs.:hug:

holy barnacles! that is insane!

see this is what i always try to remind myself: no matter how bad i may feel, i know that there are people out there who have been through so much more and are dealing with much more but are able to go through life with more grace than i. i need to be like that.

thank god you survived such an aerial assault!

fiveofpeep

1,237 Posts

Specializes in critical care, PACU.
Iam so sorry for your assault. Our job is tough. I injured my back 10 years ago and still have chronic pain issues. When I first injured it my doctor was staight forth and said once you injure your back its for life. This really helped me get through my depression of never being able to work the floor. I took some time off and now have been back to the grind for many years. I have my good days and bad days with pain issues. But I try my best to be conscious at work and listen to my body. When dealing with agitated patients. I stay on guard and always position myself with a way out when entering a room. Just remember how far you have came in one year and always think of yourself first. Good luck too you!

This is very good advice and I you are right. Once I just admit to myself that bedside nursing is not the best option for me and I can start to grieve that loss of the idea I had in my head of being in the ICU for decades, I can start to see why other fields of nursing are better for me. I guess I'm just not there yet. I keep holding on to this idea that I wanted to be an ICU nurse since before nursing school and I worked hard and I should be able to do what I want to do as a consequence of that hard work, but life doesn't work that way.

Edit: And I'm very sorry you are injured too. I wouldn't even wish it upon my worst enemy

fiveofpeep

1,237 Posts

Specializes in critical care, PACU.
OP, check to see if your hospital (assuming its a acute care hospital) has a clinical documentation department. our Department works closely with HIM ensuring HP are in the chart within 24 hours of admit. If not we have a policy we follow to try and get it tin there. We work most closely wth case management because we concurrently code the cahrts basde of DX and get them a lenghth of stay. You read through charts ensuring documentation is correct for billing. For example, if a dr writes low NA this doesnt equal hyponatremia for billing till hyponatremia is in the chart and its being treated. You still use your nursing skills bc doc and NP dont always document correctly and their is alot of interpretation of the documentation. Last week one of my charts had trichamonas in the UA. Doctor and nurses on floor did not catch it till I called doc.i have the time to read the chart with a fine tooth comb). With the implementation of ICD 10 in the next year and a half my hospital is upping this department of 25 nurses system wide to add 10 new nurses. A local hospital also has 10 openings. Some hospitals require rounding on the floors and some dont but then at least you wont be in direct care of the patientand hopefully you wouldnt need grad school at this time. Good luck in your decisions.

So you're the one I see leaving notes in the chart that say "Dr. So and So please change your charting to reflect blah blah blah?" I always wondered who that was.

This sounds very interesting and a great way to use my knowledge and critical thinking. Do you need to go to school for it?

fiveofpeep

1,237 Posts

Specializes in critical care, PACU.
Sorry to hear you are still struggling with daily pain! I think this is a silent epidemic in nursing and nobody will do anything to help us! Why did it take an act of congress to get safe needles in the hospitals! We need an act of congress to mandate a safe NO LIFT environment in all hospitals and nursing homes throughout the country! I'm so sick of being subjected to daily pain and wear and tear because the hospitals choose to be cheap and refuse to provide adequate staffing and lift equipment that would protect us and the patients and give dignity to all!

I personally believe that this should be the first priority for the ANA and govt to mandate safe staffing levels and a no lift environment. The unions spend so much time on mandatory overtime, which is wrong and ridiculous, but I'm more likely to be injured due to lack of lift equipment than mandatory overtime! That should be the first priority!

I can't afford to go back to school either, though I would gladly if I had the money, but I don't want to have my social security garnished from the student loans. For many of us going back to school is not the answer because we don't have enough time to pay off the loans before retirement. Student loans are becoming mortgages without a house!

This is so true but it's also disheartening. In my state it's supposedly punishable by fining to not have lift help, but they can obviously get around it somehow. There needs to be enforceable laws.

sharpeimom

2,452 Posts

Specializes in ortho, hospice volunteer, psych,.

fiveofpeep,

some days it's much much easier to go through life with grace and other days it can be darned near impossible! just ask

my husband!

also i do much better when i don't let myself dwell on the future and what will happen, what might happen, and what could

happen...

the online programs sound great! wish i could do one too.:hug:

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