edrn09

nope, no key card pin pad, anything. All our security has to protect themselves and us is a baton and mace.

Alright, here's the story... I work in a small community hospital's ED just outside of a major city in Ohio. We are not the level one trauma center in the area however we are about 15 minutes away from it. We are located in a terrible part of town (high crime rates and high drug use) and things are really headed down the toilet lately. I love my job and I don't want to have to quit but my safety comes first. On thursday our two unarmed security guards heard a gunshot in the parking lot. Police were called since we don't have an officer on duty until sat sun and mon nights. They found a loaded .45mm handgun under our PA's car. T[WIKI][/WIKI]his all unfolded about 100 yards from our unlocked ambulance entrance to the ED. They shot once and would've kept shooting if the gun hadn't jammed. Thank god no one was hurt. Security came in and warned us, a report was filed with the PD and that was that. I also found out that night that administration had taken away security's access to our reporting system had been taken away because what they see are "observations" not events. (and a month ago we were told security was supposed to be reporting everything in the ED so admin would see how bad things were and we would get locked doors, more police coverage, any other safety measures). Now fast forward to tonight we had a drunk woman hitting kicking cursing slappig biting etc. Us and one security guard on duty. While placing her in restraints she kicked security. He had another call to go to and he couldn't stay to keep her under control. Our only security guard responded to someone stealing food from the cafeteria. The thief returned the items And as security was eacorting him out the thief picked up a sewer grate and threw it at our guard. Our guard was also punched in the face with only a small police baton to protect himself with. Our police officer showed up and called the PD to arrest the thief. Meanwhile, while security and our one police officer are tied up with the assault on our security the crazy drunk lady in restraints is getting even more out of hand - even cursing at other patient's visitors as they passed by her bed. Also, a visitor witnessed a patient beating her child and wanted to file a police report oh and we were running a code 3 curtains down from crazy drunk lady. I guess my question is what can I do? Admin doesn't seem to care if we're safe or not. They don't want security reporting a GUNSHOT in the parking lot yards away from an unlocked door with access to staff, patients, visitors, and the rest of the hospital. Oh and admin just CUT security's hours because we don't need that much. They also want to completely get rid of our PO. oh and our ED is completely unlocked; the only door with a keypad is the Pyxis room. What do other ED's do for safety? How can we lock the ambulance bay to thugs but not to squads? What about metal detectors? Anyone have luck with those? I am honestly scared to death that someone is going to run through the ambulance bay and start shooting up the place. I don't know what or dept can so to help admin see what a problem this is. I need suggestions.

So tonight I was working and picked up a patient with an "abscess" to his thumb, when I went in to assess him it was clear that he would be admitted for cellulitis and get IV ABX. Doc goes in and examines him, then orders 1 gram vanc, and 900mg clindamycin IV. I go in to start this guys IV, and he had ROPES for veins, they were gorgeous. However, when I stuck him the first time, it was like sticking a needle through steel. That one blew. All the while pt and pt's girlfriend are asking me if doc ordered pain med (he hadn't - but I said I'd talk to the doc and get an order). So I try and stick him again, and once again gorgeous vein that is hard as a rock. So I send my much more experienced charge nurse in to start an IV. It took her 3 sticks and she finally got an IV in the back of his hand. After sticking him the first time she asked if he ever used IV drugs. He said no, but his girlfriend pulled me aside and said that he did "but he was clean for 6 months." Well, after the IV is in, he gets 4 morphine, 4 zofran, and I start the vanc. Not even 10 minutes later, I walk by his room to the IV beeping and he is GONE. Gown on the bed, IV tubing UNSCREWED, and tubing clamped off. So I do the search around the ER, we go outside, and we send security to check all the cars in the parking lot. I mean the guy with the drug history just disappeared with a main line to his veins! After talking with my charge nurse, I try and call his home (bogus number), and then she told me to contact the police, to either have him come in to get the IV out, or have the paramedics take it out. About 20 minutes later, I get a call from an Officer stating they are at his address and no one appears to be home. She wanted to run his social to make sure that it was his address. I gave it to her, and he turned up to have 19 - count them NINETEEN - FELONY WARRANTS! She said that if he returned to call the police to have him arrested. Well, an hour and a half after her went missing he returns with IV still in reeking of pot, saying some story about he had to get a babysitter for his daughter blah blah blah, and he said he had to hurry out, but he told someone he was leaving... (Which no one in the ER was told). So when he showed up I sent him to the lobby to wait for a room, and I called the police. They showed up right as my shift was ending. But from what I understand, he will be arrested. I guess my concern is did I do the right thing??? What do you do if a patient shows up missing and has an IV still in place? I mean even if he wasn't a drug user, that's a HEALTH RISK to leave that in there. Also, he has just gotten morphine, so if I believe his story and he was taking his daughter to the babysitter, he was driving under the influence of MORPHINE! ugh. I just need someone to tell me what to do in that situation. The doc didn't want us to call the police, our nursing supervisor did... I was just generally confused. Has anyone ever been in this situation? IF SO PLEASE HELP! :confused: