Katie3

tyvin, thank you for the time you took to respond. Yes, I did tell both of my immediate supervisors at the time it occured, the administrator and I discussed it, and I later talked to our risk manager. I also filled out an incident report. Initially the Risk Manager seemed to "get it" that the issue was my ability to work in a safe environement. Today all I heard about was concern as to if this patient is going to (choose) to return -- not one single word about the fact that this guy commited a crime against me. I am going to "sit" on this a few more days (only because that is the "process" for complaints in the policy) and if I don't get some real responses and real answers - I feel I have no other choice than to contact an attorney.

Hello everyone. I am brand new to this site - just tonight. I came looking for information on what I can/can't, should/shouldn't do in a situation that happened to me today at work. I am a LPNII and work in a small rural hospital in the Cardiac Rehab department - alone. I have been nursing for 15 years. Today is the first time (I remember) a patient assaulting me and I am floored. I've been hit by patients before and threatened but usually they were not of their own mind. In this case, this guy knew full well what he was doing and that what he did was wrong. I have fibromyalgia - he poked me HARD with his finger repeatedly on my back upper left shoulder - right on one of the 'tender spots'. This happened at almost 9 am. It is now almost 11 pm and I am having terrible pain running down my left arm into my hands and fingertips. My administrator is aware of the incident and am 99% sure he will do nothing about it. What are my options. No one- ever- should lay a violent hand on another human being -- and I absolutely do not feel that I should have to tolerate it. Yet, I will have to go back to work on Monday and deal with this patient again and fear the possibility of being attacked again. What can I do?