Nursing is really a dangerous profession

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Nurses really put their life at risks every day they go into work. I don’t care if this is a hipaa violation or not but I really feel I need to share this. So 1 resident at my job decided to commit suicide by hanging himself in the bathroom and he succeeded. After a whole investigation was done with notes he left behind they found out he had a plan B to get access to a gun and to take some of the administrative and nursing staff along with him. but thank god he didn’t have any money to get access to a gun. I’m just shocked by this news that myself and my coworkers could have been a victim to such a selfish act.

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Specializes in Pediatric Hematology/Oncology RN.

People dont really talk about it but there is a high suicide rate with residents. This is an unfortunate situation. And very disturbing to know that it could have turned into a dangerous situation for others.

Hopefully your hospital takes that knowledge and considers security measures to make sure it cant ever happen.

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I don't understand what type of nursing facility you work in? The resident was physically healthy enough to hang himself in the bathroom. Was mentally organized enough so that he could plan and carry out his suicide?

What diagnosis or mental or physical disability did he have that he required some level of nursing care?

I only feel sorry for this sad man and how much emotional pain he must have been in the for the last days, weeks, or months of his life.

I highly doubt any ones else's life was in danger.

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6 hours ago, emilygirl89 said:

I’m just shocked by this news that myself and my coworkers could have been a victim to such a selfish act.

Selfish act? Please educate yourself on mental illness/disease. It will benefit both you and your patients.

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Specializes in Critical Care; Cardiac; Professional Development.

I think a reaction of fear is pretty understandable, but I would encourage you to ponder more how much pain this individual had to have been in and what the facility could have done better to ease his suffering and keep him safe. That is the only thing that will make any of us safer in the long run.

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Specializes in Urgent Care, Oncology.
16 hours ago, beekee said:

Selfish act? Please educate yourself on mental illness/disease. It will benefit both you and your patients.

The OP said "could have been" so I presumed the selfish act meant buying a gun and going after co-workers.

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Specializes in EMS, ED, Trauma, CEN, CPEN, TCRN.

I am reading this as a nursing home (or similar) resident, or did the OP mean resident physician?

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Specializes in Psychiatry / Hospital Administration.

It’s sad that the patient passed away. I work with the psychiatric population mostly and there is considerable risk with much of the population. Some people you can reach and others not so easy. I don’t know if this is relative, but it is noteworthy. I use respect each and all the time, every time. No matter what kind of rapport I build and it’s not always easy, the patient can never say I didn’t demonstrate respect and care. This is important to reducing the risk of unpredictable outcomes as uncontrollable as they may be. It works. Nursing is about being intimately close to a persons trust and that may be uncomfortable sometimes. But demonstrating respect and care every time has never failed me.

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I would be cautious about believing the story about him not having the money to get a gun. If he can get into a residency program, if he can get a DEA license, he could go out and buy any legal firearm he wanted. You can get a semi-automatic pistol for under $500 brand new.

Somebody on a suicide mission isn't going to care about holding back money to pay rent next month.

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Specializes in Adult Primary Care.

Please define Resident.

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I don't think HIPAA would have been mentioned at all if OP meant resident as in physician. Sounds like a patient.

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On 9/8/2019 at 11:59 PM, brownbook said:

I don't understand what type of nursing facility you work in? The resident was physically healthy enough to hang himself in the bathroom. Was mentally organized enough so that he could plan and carry out his suicide?

What diagnosis or mental or physical disability did he have that he required some level of nursing care?

I only feel sorry for this sad man and how much emotional pain he must have been in the for the last days, weeks, or months of his life.

I highly doubt any ones else's life was in danger.

You might be more scared if this had happened with one of your patients.

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