chickadee123

Hello everyone, I have been offered a job at a psych hospital in my area. I just need some advice before I accept the offer. The facility accepts many patients who have violent tendencies from children to adults. One of my nursing colleagues states that it can potentially be very dangerous, and that many patients spit, kick, bite etc. I understand that like all nursing careers, there are risks. I'm just nervous about potential violence and exposure to HIV and Hepatitis due to IV drug use. How do people deal with environments where violence is possible? Thank you so much for your help!

I have a dementia resident that I cannot redirect. This person spends all day pacing the unit, grabbing anything within reach. This includes blankets on residents in bed, folding tables, chairs, art on the walls, all the christmas decorations, other resident's possessions etc. Also, this person walks up to others and invades there space, causing constant fights. When attempting to redirect, resident will become violent, slapping and screaming. I do incident reports weekly. Resident is nonsensical, and cannot answer even basic questions. What should I do? We do not have the staff for 1 to 1. Resident will continue doing behavior even after multiple attempts to redirect. Very concerned for other residents, as they are scared of this person. Any suggestions?