Nurse fired for calling police

[Runman1914]

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!!!

[RN1989]

My guess is that there was no way to handle this internally. I saw someone suggest calling security - most places these days don't have 24/7 security.

I say - go for the attorney and a journalist to print the story.

[flightnurse2b, LPN]

i agree with everything everyone has said! it is so sad how disrespectful people are towards not only health care professionals, but anyone! i love when people see you coming with a wheelchair and slam the door in your face. no one says thank you. no one cares to reply "i'm good and how are you?". its sickening. we truly live in the age of entitlement. and it is NOT just people my age....

people like this patient's daughter think they are so "entitled" and by chastizing this nurse they are only confirming her feeling that someone owes her something. i wish someone would pass a law that says verbal or physical abuse of a health care provider is a felony.

i was once assaulted by a crack head in the ER. he got me down on the floor and put his hands around my neck. we thank god had on duty sheriffs in the ER.. two on the inside, two at the door and one in the parking lot. one of these officers walked by, picked up the patient and flung him off of me. the man ended up with a broken nose. he was treated and was told he was not to come back unless he was in cardiac arrest... and the police told me i had every right to press charges. my boss's policy was "we don't come to work to get abused".

i am proud of this nurse for calling the cops! i hope she finds herself a good lawyer. they need to start teaching how to be assertive in nursing school. i understand the whole customer service mess, and yes without patients we would be out of a job..... but does that give them the right to abuse us???

[RN1982]

Over the last 20 years society has become a society of "me me me"

[woody62, RN]

I have to take issue with our right to call the police to handle an out of control family member. Sorry folks, we cannot just call the police. It is occurring on private property. Private property that has it's own security force. Nor can the police just come on to private property to arrest someone, without either an arrest warrant or TO APPREHEND SOMEONE FLEEING FROM A CHASE. Especially not here in Florida.

A sheriff's deputy once came onto a state hospital property to arrest one of the nurses. Her crime? She and a physician had refused to accept a patient and told the officer to return the person to his county and their mental health officers. He apparently did and then called the other county's department and demanded the nurse be arrested for 'interfering with the performance of the duties of a peace officer'. The arresting officer made several mistakes.

1. He had not authority to arrest on state property.

2. It was not an emergency.

3. No one was in any danger.

4. He came on state property, went to the unit and demanded entrance onto the unit, which was refused.

Hospital security was notified, he was escorted to the main building, the administrator on call was called, the nurse in question was present. The deputy was told he could not arrest her on state property. He was told she had acted correctly. And he was told to leave immediately. A call was then made to his supervisor, advising him of what had taken place. That supervisor agreed that he had acted way out of the scope of his powers.

And I drove home, later, safe in the knowledge that I would not be arrested as soon as I left the grounds.

Sorry but the problem is with the hospital and its administrators. Apparently they do not think very much of their staff and their safety. Perhaps it should be pointed out that the visitor was endangering other visitors. As for filing a suit, Florida is a right to work state. She can file, how successful she will be is another question.

Woody:twocents:

[RN1982]

I have to agree with you on some points, Woody. Here in michigan, you can be arrested on private property, I believe. We had security escort a problematic family member out of the building and on her way out, she bit the security officer. Police met them at the east entrance of the hospital and arrested her.

[MAISY, RN-ER, BSN, RN]

Right to work state or not, that CN has every right to seek legal action against the hospital and the patient's family member. No one has the right to threaten you either personally or during work.

We (as nurses)may be expected to deal with insult and injury if it is a patient, however a patient's visitor is a different story! We are not caring for them. This person was throwing things, and verbally abusive in the nursing station. What would it take-the CN sustaining a head injury, some missing teeth or whatever?

And Woody, you may be right about Florida....after recently having a problem with the legal system down there and their failure to protect young women from nutcases...I'd believe anything

Maisy

[Rnandsoccermom]

We have called the police and have had visitors escorted off the property where I work. We have a patient bill of rights and responsibilities policy. Unfortunately for them and their visitors, they have no RIGHT to abuse the staff according to our policy. It is spelled out quite clearly for them.

We had a drunk visitor yelling and cursing at the staff and the supervisor, up and down the entire hallway. The local police escorted her out and she was never allowed to visit again.

Btw, we have security, the carry pepper spray only.

[greenergrass, BSN, RN]

As a nurse manager & nursing supervisor, I've called & have seen the police called to handle irate situations.

That's what they are there for - even on private property. Usually it is Security that calls, but a nurse should have the right to call if she feels threatened - just the same as if she was a server in a restaurant (also private property).

There is absolutely No Reason why anyone - nurse, patient, etc. - should be exposed to a dangerous situation whether they work in the hospital or in a restaurant or any where else.

We are a civilized society (supposedly) & have rules of behavior to protect that civilization.

I hope the daughter was brought up on charges!!

[RN1982]

I'd like to pull out that patient bill of rights every time a visitor is nasty to me. Unfortunately, I don't want it hitting me in the head when I give it to the visitor.

[lsyorke, RN]

Nor can the police just come on to private property to arrest someone, without either an arrest warrant or TO APPREHEND SOMEONE FLEEING FROM A CHASE. Especially not here in Florida.

Hold on....police in florida can't respond to assault calls on private property?? I must be reading this wrong. If this was fact then you could murder someone in your house and the police couldn't come in to investigate! An arrest warrant is only issued after a crime has occurred...you can't get an arrest warrant if you haven't investigated the crime. You need to enter the crime scene to do an investigation.

[Batman24]

Nurses and other medical staff have called the police directly at my hospital in the past and no one was told they were in the wrong or fired for it. It's our job as patient advocates to keep them safe and if that means I need the police so be it. If any of the medical staff needed assistance I wouldn't think twice of calling the police for them either. And if someone did fire me for it I'd sure as hell sue. I'm a nurse but still a citizen with equal rights inside the hospital as I have outside it. I'm entitled to safety as are all those around me.

[nuangel1, BSN, RN]

i have to disagree with woody atleast in states of ma and ri .i have worked er for 5 yrs .and several times we have called the police to take care of threatening pts ,pts family visitors etc.we have them escorted off our prop .we have also filed assaulkt charges for pt who hit a nurse.we as staff have a right to protect ourselves.