recent nursing news-violence in the workplace

[ksurette]

I live in Canada and i'm studying to be a nurse- this is not homework so no specific question.. just curious about everyones thoughts and experienece. New around the industry always me me think about the world I am about to enter. Over the last few months there have a been alot of articles here that nursing -and that nurses are finding themselves in roles of working with patients that are violence regularly. Many are around patients with mental illness, kicked, being hit, etc. They are saying most never report it --and here in Canada virtually none are ever charged for the violence. One nurse was fired for bringing it up at a union meeting and she now has a case. Im curious, is it like this in the states? I know everyone one here is from every where- i'm just curious if this is a canadian problem with to relaxed laws...Do the hospitals you work for charge patients for their behaviour? Im not sure why any act of violence would treated less then if it was done to a police officier..

[OlivetheRN, ADN, BSN, RN]

Sadly this isn't a new problem, but it's something that is finely starting to be taken more seriously by more states. More states are now making it a felony to assault a health care worker. Whether or not patients are actually charged largely depends on the situation. Have I been assaulted by patients? Heck yea, more times than I can count. But the majority of the time, it's the little old lady who legitimately has no idea where she is, who she is, and thinks that it's 1938 and that she's in the garden and that it's a bee stinging her when I'm trying to draw some blood. But you better believe that when a patient's husband hit me because I didn't get his wife her ice because I was tied up with a code but "he didn't give a **** about that other *******" I pressed charges and my employers stood behind me.

[ksurette]

I know they are currently reviewing the laws here. I see what your saying many of the articles say similar things of nurses thinking the patient was old, etc. Its tough --happy to hear that one time you did move forward your employer stood with you.