Nurse fired for calling police

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Last year while eating at local restuarant i witnessed an irate customer being removed by police for screaming at the staff. Last month i witness a patient daughter screaming at staff for more than a week , security called almost every day. She was 10 times worse than the restuarant customer. Each day the nurse manager and administration kissed her butt and apologized. She would make a scene , throw things, etc...

Everyday she was given a new nurse. Nurses were calling off like crazy to avoid this unpleaseasble daughter. Finally after multiple problems with this daughter it came to a head. She came into the nursing station and began to throw things. The charge nurse called the police and she had to be removed kicking and screaming. One week later the nurse was fired for not handling it internally!!!

Just had to let you know that while I was deling with an extremely combative patient last night, I mentioned this thread to the state patrol (WI) officer that brought him. He thought it was BS that the nurse was fired and told me that there is a law in this state that is specifically "battery against a health care provider". He then further admonshed me to NEVER be afraid to call law enforcement if I ever even had a funny feeling about a patient or family member.

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Specializes in Med-Surg, Wound Care.
Just had to let you know that while I was deling with an extremely combative patient last night, I mentioned this thread to the state patrol (WI) officer that brought him. He thought it was BS that the nurse was fired and told me that there is a law in this state that is specifically "battery against a health care provider". He then further admonshed me to NEVER be afraid to call law enforcement if I ever even had a funny feeling about a patient or family member.

And you will find that this is the way it is in most states. The badge says nurse, not cop. If someone's behavior is so out of control that I fear for my life, or the safety of my patients and it's not being addressed by the facility security force...yup, I'm calling the police.

If this situation happened in any other venue, the police would be called. The guy working at Best Buy isn't trained or equipped to deal with a situation like this, and neither am I. Hospitals should be no different than any other business when it come to violence.

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Specializes in neuro, critical care, open heart..
actually, my charge nurse had summoned security, prior to the patient's discharge because we had received a telephone call from his mother, indicating a possible physical confrontation. i was expected to follow the policies of the hospital i was working in. our policies clearly directed what steps a staff person could take and they did not included calling 911 independently. i might add, the police were called, by our er resident, when brothers told him they had a gun and were coming to icu to shoot their sister-in-law because they blamed her for his suicide attempt. unfortunately, he was one of my two patients. and his brothers showed up before the cops got there, with the gun in one of their hands. i did not panic nor fall to pieces. and a few minutes later the police arrived, took the gun from me, which i had gotten them to hand over and arrested the two of them. so please do not moan and groan about being verbally assaulted. i have had to face a gun and been tossed through a glass room divider. and suffered no ill effects from either incident.

how would you like it, if i had picked up the phone, in my er room, called 911 and reported i was being assaulted and having battery committed against me by a staff nurse. judging on the previous responses i've gotten when i posted about this incident, not one little bit. you would have felt i was over reaching, that i could have done something else, that i didn't have to threat to slap her (which is just about what others maintained).

as for the nurse being fired. i have worked in hospital administration. we don't just fire someone for calling the police. i think there is much more to this story then the op posted. she gave her side only, which was slanted to favor her, not the hospital nor the family. with the exception of a very small privately owned hospital, here in florida, no one has ever been fired for doing one thing wrong. the hospitals i have worked at, all had steps that had to be gone thru before one could be terminated. shorted of harming a patient or stealing drugs would get you fired. and now only the harming a patient does.

if a family member were to continue to abuse me and if the hospital administration refused to take steps to protect me, other staff, other patients and families, i would quit. and after i got another job, i would contact the rpess. they love a juicey story. but i have been verbally abused, sometimes by patient's or a family member but more often by physicians and residents, who take it to physical abuse. and nothing is done to them.

woody:twocents:

if you will read the third paragraph, i think we will see why woody has the opinion he does. he is a "higher up"!:twocents:

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Woody, ther are 2 sides to every story, but if you are saying that hospitals only fire nurses for stealing drugs or just cause.....that just isnt so. MOst states are at will states and they will fire you if the manager doesnt like you,...if you park in the wrong parking spot etc. They dont have to have a good reason. It would be nice if nurses were not fired for crazy things but they are. Some are budget issues where the experienced staff member makes alot more than others and they can hire new grads for a fraction of the costs. They are alot of crazy and unethical reasons why .

I too have worked in places where we had to call security ...but not the actual police. I have worked in places where we had metal detectors because of incidents like yours. In your case...yes that was appropritae to have the police there......and in the OPs case too. What the OP was stating, unless I am wrong is that this person was hurling objects at the staff and ...ummm....I know I dont get paid combat pay....so if it be me.....Id be calling the police too.I wouldnt be talking anyone out of a gun....or diving to avoid being hit by hurled objects. I think the OPs hospital could have avoided this easily by protecting their employees and addressing this when the incident first began...but they failed to do that. And what is up with the times nowadays....when families think it is ok to exhibit this type behavoir and they get their a** kissed by administration when they behave like that?:banghead:

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Specializes in ER, Tele, Cardiac Cath Lab.
Actually, my charge nurse had summoned security, prior to the patient's discharge because we had received a telephone call from his mother, indicating a possible physical confrontation. I was expected to follow the policies of the hospital I was working in. Our policies clearly directed what steps a staff person could take and they did not included calling 911 independently. I might add, the police were called, by our ER resident, when brothers told him they had a gun and were coming to ICU to shoot their sister-in-law because they blamed her for his suicide attempt. Unfortunately, he was one of my two patients. And his brothers showed up before the cops got there, with the gun in one of their hands. I did not panic nor fall to pieces. And a few minutes later the police arrived, took the gun from me, which I had gotten them to hand over and arrested the two of them. So please do not moan and groan about being verbally assaulted. I have had to face a gun and been tossed through a glass room divider. And suffered no ill effects from either incident.

How would you like it, if I had picked up the phone, in my ER room, called 911 and reported I was being assaulted and having battery committed against me by a staff nurse. Judging on the previous responses I've gotten when I posted about this incident, not one little bit. You would have felt I was over reaching, that I could have done something else, that I didn't have to threat to slap her (which is just about what others maintained).

As for the nurse being fired. I have worked in hospital administration. We don't just fire someone for calling the police. I think there is much more to this story then the OP posted. She gave her side only, which was slanted to favor her, not the hospital nor the family. With the exception of a very small privately owned hospital, here in Florida, no one has ever been fired for doing one thing wrong. The hospitals I have worked at, all had steps that had to be gone thru before one could be terminated. Shorted of harming a patient or stealing drugs would get you fired. And now only the harming a patient does.

If a family member were to continue to abuse me and if the hospital administration refused to take steps to protect me, other staff, other patients and families, I would quit. And after I got another job, I would contact the rpess. They love a juicey story. But I have been verbally abused, sometimes by patient's or a family member but more often by physicians and residents, who take it to physical abuse. And nothing is done to them.

Woody:twocents:

Woody im the OP on this thread. I just want to add that shortly after this charge nurse was fired the nurse manager, nurse administration and hospital administration called all of us to a meeting. They made it very clear that calling the police is definitely what got her fired. Furthermore they made it clear this matter should have been handled INTERNALLY. We were not allowed to ask any questions and were told this is how it works here period.

I do not work at this hospital any more. I was only doing per diem there on occassion. After the meeting another 5 nurses left.

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Specializes in ER/EHR Trainer.
Woody im the OP on this thread. I just want to add that shortly after this charge nurse was fired the nurse manager, nurse administration and hospital administration called all of us to a meeting. They made it very clear that calling the police is definitely what got her fired. Furthermore they made it clear this matter should have been handled INTERNALLY. We were not allowed to ask any questions and were told this is how it works here period.

I do not work at this hospital any more. I was only doing per diem there on occassion. After the meeting another 5 nurses left.

Personally I think someone should've notified the newspapers. The whole thing was BULL!

jmo

Maisy

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Specializes in icu, er, transplant, case management, ps.

In response to one poster, I haven't worked in administration since 1980. I moved to the 'good old boy state' of Florida and found it impossible to get a position in administration, I wasn't the correct sex. Second, I was taught, first by my father and then by my nursing instructors, every organization has rules. If you don't agree with the rules you can either pick up your marbles and move on to another game or you can attempt to work within the organization to change the rules. But in either case, when you were hired you agreed to abide by the hospital's written policies. And if you violate the rules, no matter how righteous you and others may feel you are, YOU VIOLATED THE RULES. And violating rules brings all types of punishment with the violation.

I do not apologize for my stance on abiding by the rules. When I served in the Air National Guard, we had rules. But when you were given an order, which is what policies are, you didn't question it. It didn't make any difference if you agreed with the order, you obeyed it. You were free to bring it up to your CO but not in the group and you certainly didn't didn't disobey.

What makes me laugh is that so many of you complain about your treatment by patients and physicians, or supervising nurses. And what you all do so freely is disobey the policies of your employer and then scream bloody murder when the employer bites back. If you don't like your employers policies, pick up and leave. No one is forcing anyone to remain working where they disagree with policies. I am sure both your employer and you would be a great deal happier if you did.

I didn't like the policies of the first hospital I worked in here in Florida. It took me just six months to figure out they were never going to change. I quit and I got out of hospital nursing. I was a lot happier and I made a lot more money working for Jane. I did go back and do staff relief but I never went to my old hospital. And the agency was very aware of what I would and would not do. And so weren't the hospitals. And they didn't have a problem. And Florida is a right to work state, so anyone can be fired for no reason at all.

Woody:twocents:

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Specializes in icu, er, transplant, case management, ps.
Woody im the OP on this thread. I just want to add that shortly after this charge nurse was fired the nurse manager, nurse administration and hospital administration called all of us to a meeting. They made it very clear that calling the police is definitely what got her fired. Furthermore they made it clear this matter should have been handled INTERNALLY. We were not allowed to ask any questions and were told this is how it works here period.

I do not work at this hospital any more. I was only doing per diem there on occassion. After the meeting another 5 nurses left.

I have a question. Did this hospital have written policies concerning how to handle this situation. I find it interesting that the hospital had the need to gather the staff to explain why they did what they did. And Texas, like Florida, is a right to work state, they do not have to allow any questions. They didn't even have to explain and warn the staff. And they did warn you all, it was the way they worked, period.

Woody:twocents:

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Specializes in ER, Tele, Cardiac Cath Lab.

But you said administration doesn't fire for just calling the police. Now you say anyone can be fired for no reason at all. Im confused. Not to sound fasicous. I have been a travel nurse for years . I have worked at 11 different hospitals in florida. I have read many policies, procedure, rules etc... Not one ever addresses employees not being able to call the police.

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Woody im the OP on this thread. I just want to add that shortly after this charge nurse was fired the nurse manager, nurse administration and hospital administration called all of us to a meeting. They made it very clear that calling the police is definitely what got her fired. Furthermore they made it clear this matter should have been handled INTERNALLY. We were not allowed to ask any questions and were told this is how it works here period.

I do not work at this hospital any more. I was only doing per diem there on occassion. After the meeting another 5 nurses left.

Ok, that is just TOO MUCH! Somebody shud have stood up and demanded to see the hospital policy that says that, and taken it straight to the local TV station. It's no damn wonder they lost nurses afer that. THe administration is obviously a bunch of power-mad autocrats who rule by decree and no dissention is allowed. There has to be some recourse.

THe remaining ER Nurses shud just pack a sidearm, and next time an irate family member or patient threatens their lives, just pull the gun, and "handle it internally!" (I hope you know that I am being facetious....pse don't go packing a gun under your scrubs.........:) )

Steve

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Woody im the OP on this thread. I just want to add that shortly after this charge nurse was fired the nurse manager, nurse administration and hospital administration called all of us to a meeting. They made it very clear that calling the police is definitely what got her fired. Furthermore they made it clear this matter should have been handled INTERNALLY. We were not allowed to ask any questions and were told this is how it works here period.

I do not work at this hospital any more. I was only doing per diem there on occassion. After the meeting another 5 nurses left.

What hospital is this so I can avoid working there? I say this ONLY because what hospital did was illegal by stating or even hinting at why that nurse was fired. If that nurse were to find out she can press charges for that alone. (At least in my state its sorta like a hippa violation to discuss why someone was fired or quit. All your legally allowed to say is how long someone worked for you and that they no longer work.)

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Specializes in icu, er, transplant, case management, ps.
Actually, my charge nurse had summoned security, prior to the patient's discharge because we had received a telephone call from his mother, indicating a possible physical confrontation. I was expected to follow the policies of the hospital I was working in. Our policies clearly directed what steps a staff person could take and they did not included calling 911 independently. I might add, the police were called, by our ER resident, when brothers told him they had a gun and were coming to ICU to shoot their sister-in-law because they blamed her for his suicide attempt. Unfortunately, he was one of my two patients. And his brothers showed up before the cops got there, with the gun in one of their hands. I did not panic nor fall to pieces. And a few minutes later the police arrived, took the gun from me, which I had gotten them to hand over and arrested the two of them. So please do not moan and groan about being verbally assaulted. I have had to face a gun and been tossed through a glass room divider. And suffered no ill effects from either incident.

How would you like it, if I had picked up the phone, in my ER room, called 911 and reported I was being assaulted and having battery committed against me by a staff nurse. Judging on the previous responses I've gotten when I posted about this incident, not one little bit. You would have felt I was over reaching, that I could have done something else, that I didn't have to threat to slap her (which is just about what others maintained).

I would think that you had common sense, frankly. This is apples to oranges, she made you uncomfortable inserting an IV, is what I got out of this. You are a nurse, you more than anyone else know how to file a complaint. (By the way, threatening to slap her, is not justifiable in my opinion.)

It sounds like you are demeaning the nurse for calling the police when she had things thrown at her. I mean in comparison to your incident, what is she whining about, right?

Actually, I am not demeaning the nurse that was fired. I am just attempting to point out that all organizations have rules and policies. If I do not agree with the rules and policies of my employer, I move on. I have done it in the past. As for me being out of bounds for threating to slap the nurse, funny how you take her side and lessen mine. No one has addressed the fact that she continued to use the same needle to dig around the back of my hand and that she was causing me a great deal of pain. You all seem to focus on the fact that I threaten to slap her. And the threat was made on my third request for her to stop. Tell me, what should I have done. Continue to beg her to stop hurting me. As a patient I am never suppose to get angry at any of the staff because they are only there to help me, right? I really hate to tell you guys this, there are just as many bad, nasty, mean nurses out there, as there are patients and families. It is time we all admitted to this short coming. I saw them when I worked and I have had the misfortune to experience them once in a great while when I was a patient. And believe me, when as a patient or family member has suffered abuse from a nurse, they remember it. And some swear never to be abused again, even if they have to abuse first.

A poster question the change in the behavior of patients and families towards staff. I have also noticed that a lot of the younger nurses do not feel that they have any responsibility in defusing tense situations. Too many of you feel the need to pick up the phone and call the police. When I was in school and when I worked, we were responsible for assisting patients and their family. You had to make a situation work, no matter how much you might disagree with the behavior. Now it seems, if you can't handle the behavior, call the cops.

It sounds more like you guys are the ones who are whining, not me.

Woody:twocents:

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