So I'm a new nurse, recently graduated and now working in critical care. There is this persistent calling within me to be a mental health nurse. (Bit of background info; I've always been very interested in the human mind, reading psychology textbooks as pleasure reading.)
During my psych rotations in nursing school, we were given a very brief lesson on self-defense for our encounters with a forensic inpatient population in a state hospital. The calling to do mental health nursing grows stronger each day, and I'm wondering if it is wise and/or prudent to learn a few self-defense methods so as to avoid injury that I may or may not encounter in dealing with mentally broken people.
Let me make myself clear here. I have absolutely no intention of using violence against any person, patient or otherwise. I'm only interested in keeping my own person safe.
If you, or someone you know, is a mental health nurse, have you taken up self-defense courses to prevent bodily harm?
