Healthcare violence

There is so much violence in the world, and it can trickle down to anyone. I’m a nurse and I work in an emergency room, and I’ve been assaulted more than once by the very patient I’m taking care of.

One of my experiences with workplace violence was in July 2009. As I was taking report from the EMS, the patient she was reporting on was loud, swearing and just obnoxious. The patient had been found sprawled out on the sidewalk, unable to get up. She smelled of alcohol.

I said thank you to the EMS and kept the patient in front of the nurses’ station, just to keep an eye on her. She was screaming, “I want to leave now!” The physician and I spoke to her and tried to see if she could walk. She tried, but failed. She was quiet for a short time, so I put in an IV and obtained some blood. I wondered what her alcohol level was.

While I was doing the IV, the patient felt the need to slap me on the hand. I told her that was wrong and not to do it again. “I’m sorry,” she said. I continued my work with her and others, but continued to watch her for fear she would get up and land on the floor. Having a patient fall is a nurse’s nightmare!

Then it was time to have the physician really give her a good examination, so I took her off to a private area to get her undressed. Security was present and assisted me with the stretcher. Once in the room, I asked her to take off her shirt, and security left the room so she would have privacy. Within a second, she gave me a backhander that almost brought tears to my eyes. My lip and part of my face started to swell. With a smile on her face, she stated again, “I’m sorry.”

According to the Department of Labor, Federal Bureau of Investigation, “recently workplace violence has gained recognition as a distinct category of violent crime that requires specific responses from employers, law enforcement and the community.”

Most of us in the emergency room have been assaulted. I don’t believe it’s “our job” to be assaulted. In fact, I’m upset that some of our patients, their families and their friends behave as though it’s okay to assault a healthcare worker. As a result of past and more recent assaults, two other nurses and I have started a program called Stop Healthcare Violence.

Stop Healthcare Violence was originally founded in 2009 by three healthcare professionals who had worked in inpatient and outpatient settings for many years. They accept inquiries for speaking engagements, presentations and consultations. If you are interested in having the organization speak to you, your group or at your venue, please contact them by email: in**@st********************.org.