maxsmom

I have definitely been on the receiving end of these behaviors as a nurse. I was smart enough to get out before it cost someone their life or me my license. Thankfully I'm back in a supporting, helpful, team-focused environment and I'm never leaving! Frankly, there is no place for bad attitudes in nursing, whether it's towards co-workers, students or whatever. It's a hard enough job without the added pressure of peer abuse. Is it so hard to remember that we're all members of the human race? What happened to treating people the way you would want to be treated?

Why can't you tell anyone at work? You need to report the incident to protect yourself. Have you ever been HIV tested? If not, do it immediately to confirm that you are indeed NOT infected and then report the incident. You will be entitled to support/services from the hospital. They should do free testing for you, assist with medications if necessary (in the event you become positive), etc. It's not like the patient needs to be tested - her status is known. I know this is a very scary thing. Take care of yourself.

I have no doubt about whether to report it, just if I have to do it in a professional capacity. I'm definitely concerned about these exact potential outcomes.

Sorry if this is long. I live in an apartment on the ground floor. My neighbors upstairs are an older couple and I'm aware that the wife has Alzheimer's disease. In the last year she has attempted to flush various items down the toilet (three separate occasions) and it overflowed into my bathroom (one time it flooded about 1/4 of my apartment - it was SO gross). With the past occurrences I was reassured that the woman was usually at adult daycare or had an adult son home with her during the day. I'm now aware that this is untrue. Instead, her husband leaves for work in the morning, checks in at lunch and then returns late afternoon when finished working. I've also been made aware that their apartment is relatively unkept and she appears to be "bruised" (although I think this is NOT the result of physical abuse, but possibly falling). I believe this constitutes neglect. It also seems to me that she poses a potential danger to herself and others (at least this time it's just an overflowing toilet, what happens when she decided to cook something?). I can't tolerate her situation, but I'm worried about reporting it. So, can I report the neglect as an anonymous, concerned neighbor or am I obligated to report it as an RN? It would seem that because she's not a patient of mine, I could report it anonymously. I'm concerned about getting into a battle that involves my professional status when it's not actually related to my work (does that make sense?). Opinions would be greatly appreciated!