preparing and coping with an emergency

[abbaking]

I am not a psych nurse. That said, Often times at my job - over the walkie-talkies we hear "Code Gray 1100" -How does a psych nurse prepare themselves for patient violence or suicidial behavior? How does your unit/facility debrief you? How do You cope with it?

[NeoPediRN]

It's the same way you respond to a code blue. We've had specialty training and hands on practice. In the moment you're adrenaline rushes. Getting that patient calm and keeping everyone safe is like your tunnel vision. Your senses are on fire and you're acutely aware of everything. If the patient has a weapon like a pencil or pen one staff is dedicated to that object solely. You offer them everything to de-escalate them, coping skills, go through HALTT. Give them space if they're safe enough. Talk them down. Humor goes a long way a lot of the time. If it's a really dangerous, violent situation you may not have time to do any of these things. This is where have strong teamwork and identifying a team leader is important. Know who is taking what limbs, who's doing the talking. The nurse always gives the meds/injection. After it's over there's a meeting with staff to make sure everyones okay and to share thoughts on what went well, what can be better got next time. There's also a milieu meeting held to make sure the patients are okay. Some have horrendous trauma histories and they always know what's going on on the floor despite your best efforts to isolate the patient, and restraints can be very traumatic for them, especially if the restraint bed is involved. Hope this helped.