Basic self-defense tips for nurses

2. Take a self-defense course. This doesn’t need to be a major, ongoing commitment—just a few hours with an expert to refine your instincts and help familiarize you with some of the most basic yet effective defense techniques.

3. Invest in a few small personal-defense products you can easily stow in either your purse or work bag. Think: mini personal panic alarms, whistles, keychain pepper spray and a compact flashlight that you can use on a routine basis to light your way.

Caught in a pinch? Several unexpected yet commonly carried items can actually up your self-defense game:

• A pen or pencil
• A handful of change (thrown at your attacker)
• Keys (slide individual keys between your fingers and create a fist)
• Perfume or hairspray (aimed at an attacker’s eyes)
• A fine-toothed comb (applied with force against the face—experts suggests the soft, upper lip area)
• Your bag

Don’t make yourself an easy target:

1. Whether it’s a quick jaunt to your car or a long haul to the bus stop or subway, it’s up to you to be aware of your surroundings when it’s dark and you’re alone. We know you’re eager to decompress after a long shift, but avoid behavior that screams “I’m not paying attention,” such as:

• Scrolling through your phone.
• Rummaging through your bag (given all that stuff you’re carrying, it could be days before you locate your ChapStick).
• Listening to music.
• Looking at the ground while walking.

Instead:

• If you can, park in a well-lit area. As you walk, make ultra-wide turns around the corners of buildings, walking on the outside of the sidewalk.
• Keep your phone in your hand—just don’t allow it to absorb all of your attention.
• Remove your keys, bus ticket or whatever you might need from your bag prior to leaving the hospital. Try keeping ’em tucked safely in an easy-to-reach pocket instead (we know you have plenty).
• Keep your eyes and ears open so you can hear if anybody is approaching.
• Walk quickly and with purpose, like a New Yorker doing pretty much, well—anything.

2. If you suspect that you are being followed, test your instincts by crossing the street, zigzagging or turning down a different road. Keep a safe distance between the two of you—the goal is to make sure that a potential attacker is unable to quickly close the gap between their position and yours. If you’re unable to shake them, turn and ask them in a loud, firm voice if you can help them. Even if they start to ask a seemingly benign question, such as a request for directions, do not allow them to draw closer to you.

Make sure you are mentally taking note of any nearby residence that you can run to for help.

Know your next move.

When it comes down to fight versus flight, flight (with a whole lotta noise) is always the best option. However, we realize that you don’t always have a choice. That’s why we’ve included some videos below that outline a few basic self-defense tactics you can use to break free from an attacker:

• Women’s self-defense: soft targets
• Essential self-defense: vital points
• Essential self-defense tips: wrist grab release
• Essential self-defense: choke-hold release
• Defense against a choke-hold from behind
• How to get out of a hair grab
• Open hand strikes

And a few other tips:

• If you are attacked, DO scream for help, but a vocal and physical response should be simultaneous—time is always precious in an emergency situation, which means your reaction should be twofold so as not to waste it.
• If you are being assaulted, don’t focus solely on blocking attacks. Think also about what you can do to cause pain or injury.
• Your body is in a stronger position moving forward rather than backward. Try not to back up. Instead, thrust your body toward your attacker if the struggle is hand-to-hand.
• If you’re knocked to the ground and can’t immediately return to your feet, make sure you twist your body so that you’re lying on your back and can use your legs and feet to protect yourself.

Of course, the hope is that you’ll never have to put up a physical front against an attacker. So use those gut instincts you and your fellow nurses are so well known for, and work to “diagnose” a situation—however subtle the warning signs—before it gets the better of you.

Have any other practical tips you want to add to the list? Share them with us and your fellow nurses in the comments section below!