psych help!!!

ImThatGuy, BSN, RN · Apr 19, 2011

Our rotation is at a mental hospital.
I am afraid of getting hurt. ALOT of these pts are there bc they cannot function in prison. The first thing we were told was about a nurse getting her cheek bone fractured by a resident last week. I am terrified of this. I am 115 lb and my "parter/buddy" is about the same. We would have NO hope of gaining control over a pt who is haveing a psychotic break(which apparently happens often as they are of course not forced to take their meds and thus their conditions are not controlled) The whole time I am there all I am focused on is how to keep myself nad my partner safe and not so much on the pts care or being an effective nurse. I just am not really sure what to do. I am really overwhelmed. My instructor basically says we need to get over it(Im not the only one to feel this way).

You're a student. You won't be there much. Although the potential of getting injured is present it's probably unlikely. It doesn't really matter if they're patients. I can't see them locking you down with "dangerous" patients all by yourself. Like all men attacking you, kick them where it hurts. Use whatever you've got to use to escape. I could offer you a host of nuggets that I've learned over the years from people wanting to injure/kill/escape from me, but it doesn't really matter. You'll do what you want. You can also do a lot of things with an ink pen if the need came down to it. If you're being held down, chocked, etc then that'd be the time to use it. Keep your head on a swivel, be attentive, if they look like they're going to hurt you then they probably are, always have an escape plan, never sit or stand directly across from anyone, and try to keep a barrier (such as a table or chair) between you while you're conversing. Watch the body language and listen to their voice tone. Trust your gut, and you won't go wrong. If you reach out to hand someone something already have it in your mind that the person is going to grab your arm so get ready to strike out fast and hard with the other. Don't stand and fight. Do what you have to do to extract yourself from the situation. Know where the escape is, and don't let them get between you and it. I've survived a lot in law enforcement, as have a few other officers on this forum, by acting under the pretense that everyone I interact with on the job has it in their mind to kill me. Call it paranoid if you want, but it's a subculture that you have to live to understand. As a result I've always gone home alive thus far. You can too, and you can leave uninjured. A couple of things you can do are be confident and look sharp. You're less likely to be assaulted by a person if you look like you're a match for them be they psychiatric or not. Don't wear dangly ear rings, stethoscopes around your neck, lanyards with pens or IDs, and put your hair up so it's not as grabbable. Yeah, yeah, we know they're patients, but you, yes you, can defend yourself. The "we never hurt patients" mentality doesn't apply here. You're there to do a job, but you're also there to go home safe. Be brave. You can do it.

ddunnrn · Apr 19, 2011

In my earlier reply I forgot to mention what the previous poster eloquently said, and which has been my mantra thru 25 years of psych, and orienting newbie psych staff: NEVER let the patient get between you and the door (which also means NEVER be in a room with your back to the door). I can't tell you how many times I have seen people injured who ignored this simple safety measure, including some alleged "managers". It is so important I think all new nurses should have it tattooed inside their eyelids! Ha!