Dangerous moments

Started by telenurse
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telenurse

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10+ Year Member
15+ Year Member
How do you deal with them...

In my career I've been choked, punched, thrown into a wall, and screamed for security.

Last week I was in an incident that I can't go into too many details about...but it was life threatening...happened at work, and if it hadn't had gone well, I could have been shot point blank by a large caliber handgun.

I got pi$$ed...turned into a Nurse Ratchet type, calmly snapped out orders to the clerk to call security, was talking to the ppl, I sounded like Miranda Baily off of Grey's Anatomy, then later went into the back where noone could see me and started shaking like a leaf, had a meltdown and cried.
 
telenurse said:
How do you deal with them...

In my career I've been choked, punched, thrown into a wall, and screamed for security.

Last week I was in an incident that I can't go into too many details about...but it was life threatening...happened at work, and if it hadn't had gone well, I could have been shot point blank by a large caliber handgun.

I got pi$$ed...turned into a Nurse Ratchet type, calmly snapped out orders to the clerk to call security, was talking to the ppl, I sounded like Miranda Baily off of Grey's Anatomy, then later went into the back where noone could see me and started shaking like a leaf, had a meltdown and cried.
Click to expand...

Without details its hard to help out. Still, it sounds like you need better security that is present and visible, better work environment, or change of hospitals. Calling for security once the problem develops is often too late. So, have it around more often.

We don't want more patients, especially ourselves. First rule of EMS (at least mine) don't become a patient; it's not helpful.
 
Being punched, choked, thrown into a wall was at a VA hospital, I work elsewhere now.

The gun incident...it's at a nonprof teaching hospital I currently work at...and involved a prison guard.
 
Probably not serving time, hopefully losing her job...definitely not coming back to my hospital.
 
I am all for filing charges. It's about time we stand up to pts. who are abusive. I don't care how stressed or scared a pt. is; that is no excuse for abusive behavior.
 
Uh, press charges.

Call the cops.

Carry mace/taser/gun to work.

Find new place of employment.

telenurse said:
How do you deal with them...

In my career I've been choked, punched, thrown into a wall, and screamed for security.

Last week I was in an incident that I can't go into too many details about...but it was life threatening...happened at work, and if it hadn't had gone well, I could have been shot point blank by a large caliber handgun.

I got pi$$ed...turned into a Nurse Ratchet type, calmly snapped out orders to the clerk to call security, was talking to the ppl, I sounded like Miranda Baily off of Grey's Anatomy, then later went into the back where noone could see me and started shaking like a leaf, had a meltdown and cried.
Click to expand...
 
well so far the good news is that management and security is behind me so far...
Bad news...I'm now in the middle of a friggin post stress migraine...phenergan and zofran are my friends
 
Take it all the way... go out of your way to press charges... like the posters above said. It's time we stood up to abusive patients.
 
Tired said:
If you're going to carry a weapon on you, you better be damn sure that (1) you know how to use it, and (2) you have confidence that you could prevent someone getting it away from you.

Bad idea, IMHO.
Click to expand...

Exactly. I don't want some co-worker accidentally tasing me, or worse still, having a pt. grab a taser away from that co-worker and use it against the staff. It's not like our security dept. is made up of Chuck Norris clones.
 
Well actually it was a pt in protective custody, the prison guard dropped the gun,in the room with the pt.....that's one prison guard who might not have a job anymore....was a very scary situation that had potential for being much, much worse.

The guard with the gun isn't even supposed to be in the room with the pt...

I've had to wing it many times, once even fixed a silicone trach with a paperclip in an emergency...but I never thought that in nursing I'd have to kick a gun out of the way.
 
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