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A shift in the emergency department or a psychiatric ward carries an implicit promise: nurses will do everything in their power to heal, comfort, and save the patients who come through their doors. But what happens when the patients themselves become the threat? Across the United States, an unsettling and dangerous epidemic has taken root in hospitals, clinics, and care facilities. Violence against healthcare workers—specifically nurses—has surged to unprecedented levels. From verbal abuse and threats to severe physical assaults, the very people dedicated to preserving life are increasingly finding their own safety at risk. It is completely valid for healthcare professionals to feel exhausted, terrified, and betrayed by a system that has historically asked them to accept violence as "just part of the job." But the reality is that workplace violence is not a clinical symptom to be managed; it is a systemic failure requiring immediate, concrete intervention. As the physical and psychological toll on the nursing workforce deepens, the conversation has shifted from quiet endurance to loud demands for legal protection. The Scope of the CrisisTo understand the magnitude of this issue, one must look at the hard data. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics consistently reports that health care and social assistance workers experience the highest rates of nonfatal workplace violence of any private industry sector. Disproportionate Risk: Healthcare workers account for nearly three-quarters of all nonfatal workplace violence injuries requiring days away from work. The Underreporting Epidemic: Industry experts estimate that actual incidents are vastly higher than reported. Many nurses do not report assaults due to cumbersome hospital reporting systems, fear of retaliation, or an ingrained clinical culture that dismisses patient aggression as an unavoidable symptom of illness or distress. The Breaking Point: The constant threat of violence is a leading driver of the current nursing shortage. It directly contributes to severe burnout, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and a mass exodus of experienced professionals from the bedside. The Legislative Battlefield: Federal Updates for 2025 and 2026For years, nursing unions and advocacy groups have lobbied for stringent federal regulations to hold hospitals accountable for the safety of their staff. While progress has been frustratingly slow, the 119th Congress (2025-2026) has seen renewed efforts to codify protections. The Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act (H.R. 2531)Reintroduced in April 2025 by Rep. Joe Courtney and Sen. Tammy Baldwin, the Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act (H.R. 2531) aims to mandate a preventive approach rather than a reactive one. Key Provisions:Directs the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to issue an interim final standard mandating healthcare employers to develop and implement comprehensive, facility-specific workplace violence prevention plans. Requires unit-specific risk assessments, input from direct-care employees, and robust record-keeping (such as transparent violent incident logs). Guarantees anti-retaliation protections for nurses who report violent incidents. Despite strong bipartisan support, the bill continues to face procedural hurdles in the Senate, largely due to concerns from opponents over an estimated multi-billion dollar implementation cost for private organizations. The Save Healthcare Workers ActWhile H.R. 2531 focuses on prevention, the Save Healthcare Workers Act addresses accountability. This bipartisan bill seeks to establish federal criminal penalties for assaulting hospital personnel. Similar to the federal protections afforded to airline crews, this legislation would make assaulting a healthcare worker a federal crime. Penalties include up to 10 years imprisonment, extending to 20 years if a weapon is involved or if the incident occurs during an emergency. -
METOO???April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month, so what better time to discuss how you can help end sexual violence. Imagine a world in which human beings didn’t have to worry about being sexually assaulted. That’s what #MeToo is really all about. The movement is trying to give voice to a hidden problem. As nurses, we are often present in the darkest hours of our patient’s night, so it’s important that we have knowledge and resources to offer when we discover that a patient has been a victim of sexual assault. As both a nurse and a survivor myself, I often feel overwhelmed with the enormity of the problem. I often feel discouraged -- like no matter how hard we try, sexual violence is inevitable. Seeing Tarana Burke, the founder of #MeToo speak gave me hope and some tools for positive change. I’m going to share some of what Tarana said about ending sexual violence when she spoke at a fundraiser for our local sexual assault support network. She spoke of how hard it is to fight something in the dark. Tarana believes that bringing sexual assault into the light and giving victims a stronger, louder voice will help end sexual violence. Looking at the timeline of this movement gives me hope that it’s possible. It’s been only a year since actor Alyssa Milano tweeted about sexual harassment in Hollywood and brought Ms. Burke’s decade of work into the national spotlight. We are now having an international dialogue about sexual violence. There’s increased awareness, but like all things, without attention and focus, media and public attention will fade. POWER TOOLSRight now, the media is focused on a small portion of sexual violence. Ms. Burke reminded me that it’s not all about sexual harassment in the workplace. Sexual assault is a power tool. It is very much a social issue. Sexual violence statistics reveal that LGBTQIA (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgendered, Queer, Intersex and Asexual)2 and women of color are at higher risk due to the higher rates of poverty, stigma, and marginalization found in these groups.3 According to the National Sexual Violence Resource Center (NSVRC)4, one in three women and one in six men experience some form of sexual violence in their lifetime. Almost half of women of color and over 45% of American Indian/Alaskan Native women were subjected to some form of sexual violence in their lifetime. Studies suggest that around half of transgender people and bisexual women will experience sexual violence at some point in their lives.3 The Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network (RAINN) is the nation’s largest anti-sexual violence organization. RAINN created and operates the national sexual assault hotline(800.656.HOPE) According to RAINN, every 92 seconds an American is sexually assaulted. Every 9 minutes that victim if a child. Meanwhile, only 5/1000 perpetrators will end up in prison.5 Tarana Burke talked about how sexism and racism are both tools of oppression and the intersection of these two problems make women of color more susceptible to sexual violence. Women of color have more difficulty accessing support services or receiving fair treatment within criminal justice system. Experiences with institutionalized racism may make it difficult for women of color to trust the system and institutions that are supposed to help them.6 IT’S NOT ABOUT MENThere's a misconception that #MeToo is about taking down powerful men. Tarana reminded us to ignore the media, who are shaping the stories they tell to sell news -- the definition of clickbait. The media wants us to get caught up in the individuals: Cosby, Cavanaugh, Michael Jackson, R. Kelly. Tarana reminded us, “They’re bad actors, but they aren’t the problem. The problem is unchecked accumulation of power and a misuse of privilege. Those are the ingredients for oppression. Sexual violence is a tool of oppression.” She used an analogy to explain, “It’s like playing whack a mole when underneath it there’s a system creating them. You can’t whack the system.” SURVIVORS AT THE CENTERTarana talked about the lack of accountability. So far no one who has been accused has had the courage or grace to say, “I did it and I’m sorry, and here is what I have done and am going to do to make the world a better place. I am not the person I was when I sexually assaulted that woman. I am sorry.” There’s a leadership vacuum. So, we have to step up. We can’t wait to be led. While people are bickering about who did what, survivors are being forgotten. Tarana encourages us to put the focus back on the survivors, to empower them and place them at the center of the discussion. We need a dramatic narrative shift. We need to educate the public on what it looks like to survive. Even the happiness. It’s okay to tell jokes, laugh and be happy. Tarana said, “I’m not going to give away joy because someone thinks I need to live my life a certain way because I was assaulted.” We also need to understand that survivors may not remember all the details. That’s part of it. Just because you can’t recall all the details doesn’t mean it didn’t happen. I am a survivor, and I have many large gaps in my memory. Trauma has that effect on memory, blotting out some parts, playing up others. It’s frustrating to me that I remember really specific traumatic events all too well, but can’t recall other things I’d really like to remember. Here are some Tarana Burke messages to carry with you (pick your favorite, write it on a post-it note and put it on the mirror at work): We have a global community of survivors who are committed to healing and action. Healing is a life long journey.Your life can be different than what it is now.The pain doesn’t go away.If you’re trying to get to where you don’t feel anymore, all you’ll feel like is a failure.There is no one way to heal. According to Tarana, these are the central questions about sexual violence: How did we get here?How do we stop it?How do we make sure it never happens again?VAWAThere’s something you can do. Today. Now. The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) was drafted by Senator Joe Biden and passed through Congress in 1994. This act focuses on a coordinated community response to domestic violence, sexual assault and stalking. Courts, law enforcement, prosecutors, victim services now work together in a coordinated effort that didn’t exist before the act. This act was a BIG DEAL in 1994. It created the first U.S. federal legislation acknowledging domestic violence and sexual assault as crimes (can you even believe we lived in a world where that wasn’t the case?)7 One of the hurdles this act faced in 1994 was the prevailing idea that women who were abused had somehow “asked for it.” There was also a reluctance in the U.S. to interfere with “private” matters. The stigma about domestic and sexual violence was so strong that many women suffered silently. Thanks to VAWA we now have a national domestic violence hotline (800-799-7233) and an office within the Justice Department that focuses on violence against women. Laws periodically need to be reauthorized to allow them to evolve to reflect the changing times. VAWA was last reauthorized in 2012 by President Obama (Click HERE to read more about the improvements the most recent reauthorization added).7 On April 4th, 2019 a bipartisan bill (HR 1585) to renew and improve VAWA was passed by the House and will soon go to the Senate. One of the additions to VAWA is a bill that would keep intimate partners who have been convicted of abuse and stalking from purchasing guns. What’s interesting to me is that we already have a law that prevents domestic abusers who have been married to the victim, live with the victim, have a child with the victim or are a parent or guardian of the victim from owning a gun (Lautenberg Amendment to the Gun Control Act of 1968). The new bill is proposing is that stalkers, boyfriends and partners be added to the law.7 This bill is being opposed by the National Rifle Association and is not expected to pass the Senate. What if 3 million nurses decided that VAWA is important? What if we all stop what we are doing, right now and contact our Senate Representatives? Nurses have power. We can be a force for positive change. Please consider urging your senators to reauthorized VAWA. There are three key ways to support VAWA8 Call your representative right now and ask them to sign on as a co-sponsor of the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2018 (H.R. 6545) Click HERE to find your state senators. Write an op-ed or letter to the editor for your local paper about the importance of reauthorizing VAWA. There are templates on the National Domestic Violence hotline website.8Sign a letter of support (the NDV website has links to letters already up and running.)DO SOMETHINGTarana said, “Twelve million people used #MeToo in the first 24 hours after that tweet in 2017. What if twelve million people caught a disease? The reaction would have been incredible.” So let’s do something: Advocate for VAWAAsk those running for office, “How are you working to make this community less vulnerable to sexual violence?” Read the sexual harassment policy at your place of work, cover to cover. Print it out and make copies. Have a lunch date to go over it. Compare it to your lived experience at your job. Tarana said, “#MeToo doesn’t have the urgency of a young man being gunned down in the street. You don’t see the sexual assault happening. It happens in secret. No one can see our wounds. It’s not a bomb, it’s a declaration.” “Recognize the urgency of this moment. These things come and go. We may not have much time. You need to be committed to this whether I’m on the cover of Time or not. If you are ready to do the work, I will leave you with two words, me too.” REFERENCES Part 1: What Does #MeToo Really Mean? More info about LGBTQIASexual Assault and the LGBTQ Community National Sexual Violence Resource CenterRAINNRacism and sexual assaultVAWANational Domestic Violence Hotline
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I work on a concurrent disorders unit {addictions/acute mental health}. We have had one hell of a year. We had an off service admission for 8 months {an adult autistic male high on the spectrum that was extremely violent}. Here, I find myself, one of the last 2 full time RNs on my team. The rest have either quit or gone on disability. Everyone is burnt out and suffering from massive PTSD. There's only so many times you can barricade yourself in another patients room to escape a serious physical assault or even death. I just don't know what to do. My specialty is my passion. It just seems like management and some of my junior colleagues seem to think that this crap is acceptable. WTH??? I only received 16 hours of CPI training. I am not a police officer, security officer or corrections officer. I am a highly educated health care provider. Can someone offer me their opinion? I'm feeling on an island with my thought process
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My husband and I shared the same PCP. After my first visit to the practice, no one ever asked me again whether I was safe at home. I wasn’t. But no one asked because everyone had met my husband, the handsome, charming life of the party. The guy that everyone liked. They all “knew” I was safe at home because he was “such a nice guy.” They knew him, you see. A nice guy like him couldn’t possibly be an abuser. They only met Dr. Jekyll. I lived with Mr. Hyde. I’ve written numerous articles on the website about domestic violence, about the ex-husband who strangled me into unconsciousness and left me on the highway with the clothes on my back and my dog. I’ve written about the elephant in the room, what leaving feels like, about starting over again and about the bravest thing I’ve ever done. I lived it; I’m resilient. Thirteen years after I left my abuser, I married again. THIS time I married a friend, someone I had known and worked with for nine years, dated for more than five years. THIS time I was sure I was going to be safe at home because he really loved me. THIS time I knew I had the right person. I had known him for years; I knew all there was to know about him. And we were happy, for a time. For years. And then I got sick and I needed him. Suddenly, he was not the center of attention at all times, because I had to focus on my health; on getting better. And my happy marriage and perfect husband were never the same again. I beat breast cancer, and a serious back injury. I had two joint replacements -- he dropped me off at the hospital for the surgery and had to be BEGGED to come and get me when I was discharged. He had a bad cold, you see. It was such an effort to come to the hospital to get me. I had a post op infection and a fever that registered as “HHH” on our cheap electronic thermometer. AT one point, he actually told me, “I know it must seem strange to you, me whining about my bad cold when you have a potentially lethal post op infection . . . But it’s a really. bad. cold.” After 48 hours of me peeing every 15 minutes, he finally deigned to take me to the doctor. After he took a nice, long nap. My best friend asked me if I was safe at home, and I assured her that I was. I had lived with abuse; I had survived it. I knew what it was like and this wasn’t it. My husband, the man I thought loved me more than anyone on earth except his daughter, only talked to me to nitpick. Or criticize. Or scream at me that I was fat and useless. I was pretty useless -- I’d just had a joint replaced, I had a fever and a CAUTI and was exhausted from trying to get down the stairs to the bathroom every fifteen minutes with my cane and my brand new artificial joint. Eventually, I recovered, but rather than stopping, the screaming and the criticism just escalated. Soon he was having tantrums three or four times a day. I was tiptoeing around him, trying to avoid setting him off and trying to please a man who could not BE pleased. He was always right, he was never wrong and if I dared to disagree with him -- or even failed to agree with him quickly enough -- there was punishment. One day he opened the kitchen cupboards and smashed all of my coffee mugs. There were shards of my coffee mug collection on the floor, in the sink and in the dog’s coat. Another time, he swept everything off the dining room table -- almost everything -- and sent it flying into the next room. Just my stuff, it seems. One time I came home from work to find that he had painted the closet doors, and “somehow” got white paint on every one of my jackets. It was an accident, it just happened. He didn’t mean to. But HIS jackets somehow escaped the carnage. That winter I was always cold because I didn’t have a winter coat. HE was warm enough -- and was I harping on THAT again? He SAID he was sorry that my coats “got paint on them.” It was an accident. Why couldn’t I just get over it? My old friend asked me if I was safe at home, and I assured her that I was. I had lived with domestic violence, I knew what REAL abuse was like, and this wasn’t it. There was no perfect Ruby-shaped dent in the drywall, no purple fingerprints on my neck. I was safe. There was a letter from the mortgage company telling us that we were going to have to find another lender as one of the conditions of our loan was keeping homeowner’s insurance. My husband admitted that he had let the homeowner’s insurance lapse because, and this is really special, he was angry at me. Somehow this became my problem and I had to scramble to get the house insured. He had so many single cars or at-fault accidents that the car insurance was cancelled. I got that reinstated as well, at an exorbitant cost. Then we took a 900-mile car trip to see his daughter graduate from college, and I drove because I was frightened of riding with him. I stopped to go to the bathroom and foolishly left the keys in the car -- he was sleeping. When I came back, he was behind the wheel and raging at me because I stopped to go to the bathroom too often. For the next three hours, he wove in and out of traffic, changing lanes and exceeding the speed limit by 30 mph or more, tailgating, cutting people off, screaming at me the whole time for being fat, ugly and useless. In a deluge, with standing water on the roads and people sliding off the road right and left trying to avoid him. I was terrified, clinging to the armrest and promising God that if I lived through this, I would leave him. When we got to our destination, he dropped me off at the hotel and took off in the car to “see friends.” If there had been an available hotel room or rental car, I would have left him that night. There wasn’t, and I didn’t. And then, in a domestic violence thread on AN, one of our members recommended Patrica Evans’ book about the verbally abusive relationship. And I realized that my happy marriage and perfect husband had deteriorated into a verbally abusive relationship. “It’s not that bad,” I told myself. “I’m strong. I can deal with this. It’s not as if he’s VIOLENT. I lived with that, but he isn’t like that. But maybe it’s time he got back on his Prozac.” In an extreme act of courage -- or perhaps idiocy is more the word -- I brought up the Prozac discussion with my husband, whose depression had always manifested as anger. Get the depression under control, and he’s easier to live with. That was the night he had such a tantrum that I left “walk the dog” and was afraid to go back. Instead, I sat on a park bench in the rain and called the National Domestic Violence Hotline. They asked me if I was safe at home. I thought I probably was -- after all, all he did was scream. And throw things. And smash things. And punch things. And drive recklessly and terrify me. “Abuse is about power and control,” they said. “Verbal abuse can escalate to physical abuse. They can kill you.” But we were on vacation on our boat, in a town too small to have a hotel or an Enterprise. I got back on the boat with him, and we cast off to go to the next town. My husband went to his PCP and asked for anti-depressants. He was referred to a psychiatrist. For Prozac? Or Zoloft? I wasn’t sure he needed that. Turns out I was wrong. He came home from the psychiatrist's office, a study in rage. “That guy doesn’t know a thing,” he raged. “I am NOT a narcissist.” He was kicking the punching bag (a safe enough thing for him to kick, I thought) and I went to “walk the dog.” Only I was too afraid to go back, so I sat on the bench cleverly placed at the school bus stop, and cried. A neighbor lady sat down next to me. I had nodded at her at the mailbox but had never talked to her, unlike my husband who frequently stopped to talk to her and her husband when they were outside. “He’s a narcissist,” she said. “Run.” Who was this woman to tell me my husband is a narcissist? She’s the clinical psychiatrist who lived a house over from us, and who could easily hear his rages through her open windows. She started the domestic violence program in our state -- and in another state. She’s an expert. She knows. “Are you REALLY safe at home?” She asked. “Really?” “No,” I had to admit. I wasn’t really safe at home. Just the other day, my new PCP asked me if I am safe at home, and I assured her that I was. I am, you see. I left my husband, the love of my life, with what I could carry and my dog. I rented a car and drove a thousand miles AWAY. I’m safe here. I’m living with a generous friend who lost her husband to cancer. I have my own bed now, and a bed for my dog. I bought a car last year, and this year the divorce is final. I don’t have much, but what I do have is MINE. I don’t have my house, or my lovely dishes or my leather sofa or any of the things that I once thought were so important. But I have me again, me without the soul-crushing load of abuse. I’m getting my sense of humor back. One day it will be my superpower again, but for now, my superpower is resilience. Really. I am finally safe at home. Ask your patient if she is safe at home. Even if her husband is handsome and charming; even if you KNOW him -- he works at your hospital, he's a good guy. Because perhaps you've only met Dr. Jekyll and she lives with Mr. Hyde.
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Violence is rampant across low-income black neighborhoods across the nation as police have withdrawn from their communities. Within inner cities, street violence is reaching historic proportions and the perpetrators are as young as ten in Chicago. Chicago and New York city have seen high rates of homicides and crimes under the disguise of Black Lives Matter. Answers to rampant violence will be found within the communities suffering from the crisis. Fathers and Mentors Wanted! Fatherless societies since slavery throughout the twenty-first century! We need to know where we come from in order to move forward. Deep rooted in slavery times, the effects of such are still affecting the black community. Some might say, slavery occurred four hundred years ago or whatever, why are you bringing this up. Yes, fellow nurses, history put a dent in the black society, as such, we cannot keep putting band aids, and not treating the cause, a spade is a spade, let’s talk. Slavery occurred when blacks were stolen from their mother countries and brought to America and other European countries. Once they landed, they were stripped of their identity, forced to change names and not practice their traditions. Once stripped of their identity, families were separated and not allowed to live together (Comer). The living and working conditions in the plantations impeded the formation of stable families adhering to the nuclear model slavery may have negatively influenced family formation and sexual mores among blacks (Williams). The slave trade, with the frequent division of family members, has represented a further factor in impeding the formation of stable families adhering to the nuclear model. Black men were forced to have children they could not claim as family nor provide for, and expected to watch their children being sold as property (Caldwell & White). The Black father enslaved was helpless and required to accept his fate without resistance or concern. It is arguable that centuries of this patterning have helped render him invisible today (Caldwell & White). The tendency to matrifocal was strengthened by laws mandating that the children of slave women would also be slaves and prohibiting free men to intermarry with slave women (Stampp). Depriving black males of both authority and responsibility also led to a marginal role for black husbands and fathers within the household, resulting in the reinforcement of the single-mother family model (Stampp). The alleged inadequacy of the slave father and husband, the absence of male ‘models’ for young slave children to emulate, the prevalence of the father’s personality has persisted to modern day post slavery. Black children are indeed more likely to reside with a single parent female headship. When families are broken, there is lack of growth and development as noted by Erick Erickson theory of development (Mcleod). Growth and Development: Erick Erickson Erickson theorized that developing children identify the traits, habits and ideas from people around them (McLeod). As a result, children develop a sense of competence, confidence, adequacy, efficacy and a sense of worthwhile and belonging. Some black families are poor, have inadequate housing, inadequate healthcare. Parents living under severe economic hardships are unable to give their children child bearing experiences that promote adequate self-regulation. Development is hampered and interferes with self-control, ability to concentrate, learn and manage social environment. According to Erickson, the challenges of stages not successfully completed may be expected to return as problems in the future “arrested development” (McLeod). If fathers and mentors are lacking in the black community, where children are not taught or told that they matter at an early age results in the behavior mentioned above. Looting, not respecting self and others, black on black crime because lack of instilling of values at an early age. Unless, the black community starts loving and respecting themselves, providing emotional support to children, defunding the police is only a band aid to their issues. It has to start with them because of arrested development, they need police in their communities. Resources of course should be channeled into education, housing and other needs, but this has to be resolved first. Generative fathering takes into account the dynamic nature of parenting. It requires that adult African American men commit to participating in the lifespan of children as an obligation for cultural and community continuity (Caldwell & White). ‘’I was lucky to have parents, teachers and mentors who’d fed me with a consistent, simple message: You Matter!" (Michelle Obama). Resources Racism and African American adolescent development (Comer, J.P) Generative fathering: Challenges to Black masculinity and identity. Black fathers: An invisible presence in America (Caldwell, L.D., & White, J.L.) Erik Erikson (McLeod, S.) Becoming (Obama, M.) The Peculiar Institution: Slavery in the Ante-Bellum South (Stampp, K.A.) Help me to find my people: The African American search for family lost in slavery (Williams, H.A.)
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Hi all, I am looking for some thoughts here on the high-anxiety I’m facing as a new grad RN. I work in a busy inner-city ER that sees a fair amount of COVID, as well as a high amount of psych disorders in our local population; this area also serves our largest homeless population, and also an alarmingly high rate of methamphetamine abuse. It is almost nightly that staff is either verbally or physically assaulted. Last week it was my turn. As I calmly and politely cared for a meth-intoxicated patient, explaining what I was doing, the patient abruptly tried to attack me, and only missed because I got out of the way quick enough. I am now feeling all the feels-not only am I new to nights, but I’m a new grad, and already a bit overwhelmed with COVID and the constant flow of hostile patients. I am trying to decide if this is all new-grad anxiety, or if this is truly an unsafe environment. It seems the staff just accepts the treatment from the patients here and the scary thing is no one is surprised at the amount of violence we are exposed to-it seems like it’s a “badge of honor” the staff accepts, so it’s hard for me to accept that this is just how it is. Can anyone relate or share your thoughts on this? I have terrible anxiety prior to going in every night and wonder if I made a bad choice becoming an RN. I hate seeing people I work alongside treated this way, and am becoming concerned about my safety going there.
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Our professor gave an article (published in 2005) to read. We will discuss it tomorrow. It is about colleague violence in nursing. There is a passage in it: Theories abound Researchers have proposed several theories to explain horizontal violence. "Low self-esteem. Most nurses are women, and studies consistently show that women have lower self-esteem than men. In general, women undervalue their work and themselves. But people with low self-esteem become angry more easily, manage their anger poorly, and lash out at others." Which studies? I have searched on Google, Google scholar, yandex. There are a few scientific articles and they are old. There are news articles and they are old, for example, an article from 1987. Most of the articles that I found, are discussing low-esteem and women who are (insert any bad thing, such as abuse, violence, illness...) None of them are saying "low-esteem because they are women." I have found some news articles and all of them are from trash media like oprah, atlantic. They are manipulating by directly assuming it as scientific information. "Nurses show violence because they are women and women have low-esteem." I am disappointed at this stigmatizing.
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A man in Canada has punched a nurse in the face for giving his wife a Covid vaccine. Just wondering what sort of abuse has other nurses suffered from the public or even patients and it doesn't have to be just giving Covid vaccines. Man punches Nurse for giving his wife a vaccine!
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The prevalence of drink spiking has made us hesitant to leave a drink unattended in public places. It's a scary thought that someone could put alcohol, "date rape drugs" or other substances into your drink without you having a clue. Now, reports of an alarming variation of drink spiking are coming out of England, spiking by injection with a syringe. This disturbing trend adds another layer of concern to the country's already high rate of violence against women. What is Needle Spiking? Lizzie Wilson1, 18, felt a sharp pinch (like a needle prick) in her back while she stood in a crowded nightclub with friends. Moments later, she began having trouble standing. After being rushed to the hospital, she spent the next hours disoriented and without sensation in her legs. Wilson isn't alone. Other women have reported finding a pinprick on their body after waking up and being unable to remember what happened the night before. Wilson's experience isn't isolated as women in Scotland, Nottingham, Exeter and Northern Ireland have reported similar experiences. Reasons Why There are numerous reasons2 why a person would spike another person with a dangerous drug. Common reasons may include: To sexually assault To physically assault To carry out a theft For entertainment In Wilson's case, the physician suggested she was injected with ketamine, a powerful anesthetic. It's also important to note that anyone, not just women, can become a victim of spiking. Date Rape Drugs It's not yet known what drugs are most commonly used for needle spiking. However, date rape drugs used for drink spiking are likely being used. The three most common3 date rape drugs include Rohypnol (flunitrazepam), GHB and ketamine. Let's look at a few facts about each drug. Rohypnol (flunitrazepam) Also known as roofies, forget-me-pill, R-2 A benzodiazepine that requires a prescription Not approved for use in the U.S. Effects felt within 30 minutes and last for several hours May cause severe drowsiness, confusion, difficulty moving body and memory of what happened after the drugs take effect GHB Also known as cherry meth, scoop, goop A central nervous system depressant that is prescribed for narcolepsy. Can take effect in 15-30 minutes and effects may last 3-6 hours. Can cause vomiting, slow heart rate and difficulty breathing High doses can cause coma or death Tasteless and odorless drug and colorless when dissolved in a drink Ketamine Also known as cat valium, k-hole, purple A dissociative drug used as an anesthetic in surgery (human and animal) Distorts hearing and vision, causes hallucinations and a feeling of detachment from the environment Can increase heart rate, blood pressure and cause nausea Effects last for 30-60 minutes. Incident Numbers As of October 37th, 56 cases4 of needle spiking were reported by police in England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland during September and October. During this same time period, 198 confirmed cases of drink spiking were reported. Andrea Simon, coalition director for End Violence Against Women, warns cases of needle spiking are likely5 underreported. Simon explains two reasons why victims may be reluctant to report being drugged. First, victims may not remember what happened the previous night. Secondly, some people may not think authorities will believe their story. Bars and Clubs Boycotted Concerned individuals boycotted bars6 in cities across Britain during the week of October 2nd. Students led the "Night In" protest and called for bar staff to be better trained in how to protect customers from spiking. Clubs in Nottingham and Oxford closed to show support for the protestor's cause. The University of St. Andrews in Scotland implemented bag searches, safety patrols and drink testing at its venues in support of the campaign. Moving Forward Yvette Cooper, chair of the Home Affairs Select Committee, recently called the incidents "obviously vile crimes" and tasked police to review recent reports. Cooper directed police to submit a comprehensive countrywide assessment to better understand the problem's scope. Update According to Independent, two men were arrested8 this week on suspicion of spiking victims by both injections and in drinks. The men, ages 19 and 28, were charged with poison with intent to injure. Both men are currently out on bail. What have you seen on the job or through social media about injection spiking? References 1,6,7Needle Spiking' of Women in Britain Stirs Alarm Over New Kind of Assault 2Drink spiking and date rape drugs 3Date-Rape Drugs 4Demonstrators take to streets across UK to protest against 'spiking epidemic' 5'Spiked by injection’: Women's group says spiking victims are reluctant to speak out as they feel shame 8Two men arrested on suspicion of spiking by injection and in drinks
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Hello all, last night I had a horrible shift and was kicked by a patient in the stomach. I was trying to help my fellow nurses control an aggressive patient and put mittens on and somehow got injured and went to the ER the rest of my shift. I am traumatized and I wanted to know if anyone has a similar experience and how you've dealt with it? I've been working for almost 4 years now as a nurse and this is my first experience like this... An incident report was filed but I'm still suffering from nausea and stomach pain.
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I filled the anniversary of Adam's murder with busy things so that I would not have to think about it so deeply. How does one mark the day when everything changed forever? It has taken me most of my life to see past the violent details of the day. Some say that an event is like a ripple of water that continues to expand in circles until it reaches the edge of the pond and then travels back in towards the center. The lines cross and re-cross each other until they settle and the pond resumes its mirrored surface. The circumstances of Adam's death touched me more like a tsunami. It ripped my childhood out of my arms forever. When the water receded the landscape revealed a family that had been scattered and broken. There was no mirrored surface. The lake was gone. Adam's death defined me for so long. It's not like having my brother killed and all that followed was something that I had in common with any other child. I have struggled in adulthood to untangle my brother's memory from his death. I have struggled to remember his face. His belly laughs. I have tried to find ways that he has touched my life, other than the horrible circumstances of his death and the years of hurt that became a part of my identity. I did not have a typical sibling bond with Adam, because nothing about Adam was typical. He was born with Cornelia de Lange Syndrome. When most people saw him they thought he was much younger than his age because he was very tiny. At age six he was about 22 pounds. Adam was born with only one hand. The other hand ended at the elbow. He had long, thick eyelashes that constantly drew comments. His eyes were deep and intense. When he smiled the dimples would show. He only smiled for people he loved. Although labeled as "severely mentally retarded," Adam could play jokes. He could cleverly wrap his teachers and family around his finger without them realizing it until later. Once, when he didn't want to wear his hearing aids anymore, he managed to hide them in a toy at school for several days. How he managed to hide them-- when he had a hard time manipulating anything-- remains a mystery. In a couple of weeks, I'm going to start nursing school. There are several reasons I want to be a nurse. I find myself at age 35 going back to school with that dream. I enjoy caring for people. I learned a lot in caring for my own daughter who has struggled with health problems from birth. I helped some friends through the births of their children and found that I was good at it. But before all that, there was Adam. I saw him work for months to accomplish the milestones that most babies learn naturally. Other milestones he did not pass, but instead, he made up his own milestones and passed them. For example, one day he managed to slowly and painfully scoot combat-style (he could not crawl) down the hallway, into my bedroom. He got into my bucket of crayons that he had always eyed but was not allowed to play with because they were a choking hazard. He not only managed to dump them, but he ate several and left tooth marks on many more. He was discovered grinning and drooling in rainbow colors, extremely proud of himself. I was not conscious of Adam's lessons when I was a child, but looking back now, I see the gifts that Adam left me. I never took for granted the fact that I could walk. I used to play with his wheelchair and try to steer it around the neighborhood (and ran it off more than a few curbs, tipping it and skinning my hands and knees). I realized how hurtful it was to stare at someone who was different-looking. I felt sad when people stared at Adam sitting in the baby seat in the shopping cart instead of smiling at him as they did with all the cute babies. Adam noticed the stares and it hurt him. Yes, even developmentally delayed people have feelings. Adam taught me that anger comes from sadness and frustration. He felt that more than most kids his age. Most importantly, he taught me that it's necessary for healing to have someone to stay with you until the wave passes. No one should have to carry that burden alone. When Adam laughed, he did not just giggle. He laughed with his entire being, sometimes until his eyes were wet with tears. When Adam laughed, we dropped everything and laughed with him. Adam showed me how to listen to someone who is not able to talk. He could express more through body language than there are words to define in our spoken language. His teachers tried to teach him a bit of sign language to use with his one good hand but that was mostly for his caregivers to know if he was hungry or had a diaper to change. At home, we interpreted his needs through his emotions and our own intuitions. Adam could appreciate the beauty that many of us can no longer see because our thoughts are so crowded. He loved windmills and wind chimes. He would scoot up under the Christmas tree and lie there watching the lights from a perspective that most of would not think of taking. One evening I crawled under there with him and we sat watching the stars twinkle in the sky of our own private universe. Adam Benjamin Clark was my brother for six and a half years. But into that short life, he packed a lifetime of gifts for his big sister. His death defined my childhood, but his life defines my adulthood and how I see the world. He will never be forgotten. Sisters never forget.
