sign in Cox Medical center north Springfield MO.

Assaulted at work ",I never thought being assaulted would change my life so much"

Before I write about an easy solution to some violence, I would like to show another video about a Nurse that was assaulted and how this assault changed her life.

WWW.Stophealthcareviolence.org

Nurses are heros! Public opinion

I put this video on my blog to let the readers know ,the public doesn't understand that healthcare providers are in danger, nor does the public realize we get injured.
The other comment this gentle made is true "NURSES ARE HERO'S" and as a nurse I would remind you healthcare workers are not punching bags (as stated by the MNA)
This noise in this video is from the wind and I apologize for that.

Prevention is key!

In my last blog I asked "what would you do if you were signing some one in, to be evaluated and you noticed, this person assaulted someone in the past in your institution".  I wrote the blog without stating how this information gets into the chart.
It really is quite simple.

Does anyone have any ideas how this would happen?

Could this be a tool we could use to help prevent healthcare violence ?

                             Healthcare violence is everyone's concern!


I have been blogging, about nurses and the devastation, that happens after an assault by a patient.
But as in any profession, you are only as good as your team. On the nurse's team there are multiple people, MD's, xray tech's, transport, secretary's etc.
I want everyone to understand that anyone can get hurt, not just Nurses.

The people that are on the front lines are the reception people. They are the first to ask the questions. When a person goes into a facility (hospital, clinic, Doctors office etc.) the first person they see is the receptionist. They usually ask for your name ,date of birth and insurance information. Having the technology we have today , the receptionist is inputting the information or checking it on a computer. While they are putting this information in the computer , what  would happen if they saw a symbol in the computer that means that the patient,( the one that is standing in front of them), assaulted someone the last time they were there.

My questions are:
 1.Would that be helpful to know? What is expected from this receptionist now?
 2. Are these facilities set up to help the front line personnel? (example silent alarm, security )
 3. Policy's and procedures for the staff on what to do?
 4. Should we pretend that everyone is safe, not mention anything to anyone and hope no one gets hurt.

Are there any studies done on receptionists or secretary's of the healthcare team?
 

Why do we stay in a profession that uses us as punching bags?

1. Recently I went around asking people ",DO YOU KNOW THAT HEALTHCARE WORKERS GET ASSAULTED"? The answer was in most cases" no I never heard that". I really wasn't surprised but I wondered why.

Are nurses or any, healthcare professionals, like a battered woman?
We as the public( speaking of a battered woman) would yell and scream "she is crazy to stay with him, look what she is teaching her children, why doesn't she leave?"! ETC, ETC.
As professionals are we Afraid to stand up for themselves?
Is fear the only issue?
The answer to this question has many facets.( losing the job, not looking good in someone's  eyes, paying bills. The list goes on.)
I once spoke to a co worker that stated she was kicked by a patient, I asked her if she had the physician look at the area she was kicked. She stated NO, I asked did you make out a incident report? Again the answer was NO. I asked why, her answer was "well it really wasn't that bad"!
How bad does it have to be before something is done???? Allowing anyone to spit,kick,slap,pinch and punch is wrong. So easy to say.....
Incident reports have to be made out so the institution knows what is really happening. Follow up to the person that has been assaulted is also important.
We as healthcare workers ( EMS, Nurses,NP, physician asst, Doctors, xray techs, Medical asst. and this list  goes on) are the hero's .
I want to thank each and every one for the work you do. Be safe.
Please go to www.stophealthcareviolence.org to see how your life as a nurse can change after an assault.

"I am Fine"

It is a little over a year ago that one of my coworkers was assaulted by a patient that was brought to the ER by EMS.I was working that night and saw the aftermath of this assault. I saw this man(after he punched the nurse in the face) beating himself on his face and chest yelling "come and get me"
I wrote her story and I was very lucky it got published in Advance for Nurses magazine.
http://nursing.advanceweb.com/Lifestyles-for-Nurses/Columns/Tell-Us-Your-Nursing-Story/I-Am-Fine-but-Violence-in-the-ED-is-Not.aspx
It is quite a story ,however what isn't in the story is the horrific PTSD this nurse has experienced and her day in court.
When a healthcare worker gets assaulted it is devastating, it changes your life. Please go to www.stophealthcareviolence.org there are many videos and other stories of nurses getting assaulted. Thank You