Nurses speaking out, their lives changed forever.

Yesterday during the 11 pm news on channel 4 Boston,there was the I team doing a piece on healthcareviolence. One of the nurses featured was one of my co workers,her life was changed by that assault,another Nurse stated she was sexually assaulted at her hospital and told by "a higher up that it was part of the job"

Please listen to this, we need to have administration understand it is wrong to be assaulted at work!

I want to thank the nurses that had the courage to speak out.Also MNA for always being there to help

WWW.stophealthcareviolence.org

Sheila Wilson R.N.BSN MPH

If a patient squeezes your breast would you say you were assaulted?

I was speaking to a couple of nurses I just met and I was asking them if they get a assaulted at work. One of the nurses stated that never happened to her,she looked confused and asked if nurses really got assaulted at work. I went into a long and lengthy detail about how the violence is worse than ever. That nurses have to become change agents ,stick together and work with the institution so no one gets hurt.
After our talk she stated she did know someone that was injured but never heard it from the hospital but read it in the newspaper. I thought why was the staff of nurses so quiet ???? They should have been making a lot of noise to stop the violence from ever happening again.
Then I spoke to another nurse and if I had shut my eyes I would have thought I was back in the ER's I had worked. When I asked her if she was ever assaulted,she smiled and stated WELL a little , when I questioned a little further YES she had her wrist twisted,she has been slapped and also had her breast squeezed by a a patient/customer. I asked what did you do ? Her response was "I told them not to do that again,then they said I was being mean to them" This is what I meant when I said I felt I was back in my ER"S the nurses wrote up reports but nothing ever changed,it seemed no one cared enough to follow up.
I wonder what people think about being grabbed,punched ,hit, slapped or having your breasts squeezed. Is that alright? Should this person be held responsible for this action? I bet since no punishment is given, s/he will do it again and laugh. My other concern is this same person doing it to family members?
What if the healthcare workers grabbed some guys penis and laughed ,I bet there would be HELL to be paid!
What do you think?????

WWW.stophealthcareviolence.org

Sheila Wilson R.N. BSN MPH

Because nothing gets done!

It is amazing ,what is in the news today and the news of yesteryear  ;. Are they all that different?
When we communicate to each other and hear different opinions . we hear things,that can make us think outside of what we normally would think..That is good!
I was listening to the conversation about why the students don't make out police reports after they have been assaulted! Someone spoke up and stated they do make out reports but not everyone, because they know nothing will get done.  Then you find out that nothing was done and the colleges are now being looked at because they didn't address the issue. .
Why is it the females in the armed services don't make out reports after being assaulted or did they? Now armed forces are under scrutiny, to find out why,they didn't address the issue of the reports?
Why are the women that are involved in domestic abuse ,staying ? Not leaving that situation! Is it because nothing really gets done?
Why is it that healthcare workers aren't making out reports? or are they and again NOTHING GETS DONE

Because nothing gets done to help the situations...... These are complicated,serious,hard issues.
I certainly am not linking all these issues together but look at what I wrote, there is one link,one thread that ties all these together.
   IT happens to women, I don't want you to think that I don't think it could happen to men ,I know it does however the stats will show you it is the women that get assaulted more then men. however it is about women.
We need to do something!
I don't understand why a college wouldn't want to keep its students safe?
Why does the armed forces fail to keep their people safe .
Why does the Domestic violence still have a high rate of offenders.
Why are healthcare workers still being assaulted and again the people that can prevent it ,DON'T?
I hope some one will have the answers and share them...
No one deserves to be assaulted,college females the females that will some day run our country ,women in the service protecting our country .
Mothers ,woman don't deserve to be beaten for any reason.
I would like to see that all hospitals work together to help their employees be safe..
All the solutions are already available ,all they would have to do is activate them. Wouldn't cost a lot!


Sheila Wilson R.N.BSN MPH
www.stophealthcareviolence.org

Please read it is really important ,It could happen to you if you are not safe at work!



I am saddened by this story, a nurse goes to work and gets stabbed!!!!  How and why does this happen. If you can about healthcare workers read this story. The stabbings took place out in Calif. ( lets not forget about the nurse in Texas or anyone else that has been assaulted) . Could it have happened in your hospital? http://www.bizjournals.com/sacramento/news/2014/04/23/nurses-push-for-better-hospital-safety-after.html

This really doesn't have to happen if we worked together to keep our places safe


www.stophealthcareviolence.org

Sheila Wilson R.N. BSN MPH

When a healthcare worker gets assaulted ,not much happens. They can be out of work for weeks or months and no one cares except they are short staffed........

Has this happened to your facility ?

Many police,Mayors of towns & cities are trying to work to get the violence in their cities manageable. The gangs are fighting ,people are getting hurt and dying. There is so much crime out in the street.
This is all very sad but very frightening. It scares me to think that with all the focus on the violence, that no one has thought about where the injured will be brought. The focus is get these folks off the streets. BUT if they are injured where do you think they will go? They will go to Emergency rooms. Are the emergency rooms prepared for all this? Can one security guard handle it? Do you have security in your ER? Can your security touch a patient/customer?
What are you going to do??????

www.stophealthcareviolence.org

Sheila Wilson R.N. BSN MPH

I am sending the link to our second interview. Dr. Charles Anderson and I were interviewed by Jeanne White social connections host of PWR internet radio.
The interview was of solutions to help stop the violence. Please listen to some solutions and add yours. Thank You

http://tinyurl.com/mcntwok

I have written above healthcare violence , spoke on the radio , given lectures and have traveled in and out of our country doing the same thing. I feel like John Chapman AKA Johnny Appleseed I hope I am planting seeds to let healthcare workers know IT IS NOT PART OF THEIR JOB IT ISN'T IN YOUR JOB DESCRIPTION ( IS IT?). Every where has violence and it all seems to be growing stronger, as healthcare workers we are strapped ,we are the ones that are restrained ,we have been put in such a position that whatever the patient or customer wants they get and if they aren't satisfied the healthcare workers are to blame!
On April 11 2014 I was interviewed with Dr Charles C Anderson   on the PWR internet radio station with Lillian Cauldwell the show lasted one hour and it has a lot of information. Please listen and send feedback.
Dr Anderson and I will be interviewed again on PWR internet radio by social connections with Jeanne White. We will be discussing on solutions to our issue of healthcare violence and ways to prevent it!
I will sent you the link once it is up on the station.
.
Thank you all that support this
www.stophealthcareviolence.org
Sheila Wilson R.N.BSN MPH

this is the link to Dr Anderson and my interview with Lillian Cauldwell on healthcare violence


https://www.pwrnetworkllc.org/cauldwell-20140411/

Should we tell anyone of the "dirty little secret we never talk about"?

This was a random video that I took. I don't know who he is and wanted to know if the public knew healthcare workers got assaulted. In this one minute video he says it all. He states nurses are hero'a and , I agree NURSES are Hero's. WE do have to remember ,we as nurses don't work alone....There are many hero's in the healthcare field!


Sheila Wilson R.N.BSN MPH

www.stophealthcareviolence.org

This could happen to you,are you prepared?

I was there the night this emergency room nurse was assaulted. She truly couldn't believe the patient hit her" I had taken care of him before". She felt she was fine to go back to work and was surprised that a co worker felt she needed to get checked by the physician. When she was told to go home ,she was very concerned because "what about my patients?" "I haven't seen them,I need to take care of them" This woman is a great nurse,she is compassionate,kind,smart,non judgmental and surprised that she was sent home. This nurse didn't come back to work in the ER due to her injuries when she was assaulted. We lost a great nurse. The assault of a man that was angry at his wife and son that escalated into the emergency room and he alone changed this nurses career.

All incident reports were made out and the police were called.


Sheila Wilson R.N.BSN MPH

www.stophealthcareviolence.org

A question was asked to me about one of the blogs .How can we get the CEO and administration to work with us when they don't even know who we are and don't want to know us or ???
Great question ,
 I needed to ask myself, doesn't administration know who their nurses are?
I can remember one of the CEO's would work though the unit and say Hello to each and every one of us, I knew a chief nursing officer that spoke to us any time she saw us and used our first names. I also remember the CNO (that term wasn't used at that time) had her office on the first floor and had a open door policy.

BUT that was then and today is now!

So what could be the answer?

In the last 2 years I worked at the hospitals, I never saw the CEO's . The CNF was seen only once in a while and didn't address the staff unless forced too. But does that really matter?

When the chips are down you work together as a team or you do nothing.

 The example that stands out in my mind, is the time that 3 nurses ( myself included) knew we needed to get a security guard in the emergency room full time. That was when the hospital had workplace violence meetings. We asked for a 1/2 hour at the meeting and wanted to show a power point. The administration stated yes and I am sure they had no idea what we were proposing. We worked with  a nurse that was a shop steward at another hospital for 15 years,nothing would throw this nurse off her focus when it came to management. WE presented our case and we were able to get a security guard Friday and Saturday to start with and only for four hours. That wasn't what we wanted but it was a start. We asked everyone to write out their incident reports, take the time off we were allowed and make a lot of noise about being assaulted. Within a short time we had a security guard 24/7.
If we as nurses don't make the noise ,don't make out incident reports, don't talk about the assault with each other what can you expect to happen????????????? Hospitals that have a union should be so verbal and loud that the union has to do something .The union works for you ,make them work!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
If you are assaulted and out of work and can never go back and you didn't have a paper trail,you will have nothing.
Get to know your CEO and CNF make them accountable. Does your organization have any policy on keeping their staff safe? Try and find it!


www.stophealthcareviolence.org

Sheila Wilson R.N.BSN MPH



.

Patrick Foley Marathon runner,donations go to the Fisher house.

It is only important to you, if it is important to you!

              
                It is only important to you, if it is important to you!

This saying" It is only important to you, if it is important to you!" has been around for a long time and it is so true. Think about it !
 I write about the violence that happens in the ER and of course  people need to realize that violence also happens on the hospital floors.
People focus on the ER because the ER is high risk .The ER is on the front lines, it never knows what is coming in the door ,the ER is not a controlled environment, anything  can happen at any time!
The floors WHERE THE EMERGENCY ROOM SEND THEIR PATIENTS is also in jeopardy. The ER sends admissions to the floor, it could be the same person that has caused havoc in the ER and  is now being transferred to the floor . If there is no communication about the patient causing trouble in the ER ,the floor has no idea that the patient could cause trouble on the floor.This person could be allowed in a 2 bed room with another patient.   . The nurses and medical assistants are also in harms way and there is no security on that floor to help them 24/7. When I worked in one of the hospitals they put the security guard in the ER 24/7 but never hired anyone else, soooooooo there were two guards to cover the entire facility !
That doesn't make any sense to me. While I am on this ,think about the same folks that assault the staff go to the xray area for catscans, xrays etc. but the tech is all alone with them. With  communication that the patient just assaulted someone, security, could stand close by.Many times the xray tech has the order for a patient and can't find a nurse or physician and takes the patient for the test . Now this person is in harms way.
 Does everyone know the sound of the alarm of the xray department???? The only reason I ask is : I was working one evening and the xray alarm went off and the staff didn't recognize that alarm,eventually we did and went into the department and found the patient was trying to assault the xray tech.
I feel that we are missing the fact ,that hospitals are not safe period.
Before I close for this blog, just to bring the point home. A house keeper was doing her rounds, pushing her cart and cleaning up things when someone came by and hit her on the head with a hard object.
No one is safe in the hospital and I think we need to work together to stop the violence.

Sheila Wilson R.N. BSN MPH

www.stophealthcareviolence.org

When was the last workplace violence meeting in your facility?????????

I spoke to a co worker that I haven't seen for a year or so. The first thing she said to me was "I asked again about a workplace violence meeting and again it's the eye rolling ,the shrugs and the "I don't know". This isn't the first of complaints that nurses have about these meetings . I have had another nurse state it has been two years since the last work place violence meeting. This continues to happen BUT nothing is being done.
I was on the bandwagon about these meeting and I was met with answers like "The director of security is leaving ,when we hire a new one we will get started" or "We will have one next month" (never happened)
We as healthcare workers are getting injured daily, we are making out incident reports, BUT nothing has changed for the better.
One of the hospitals I worked in had a sign stating NO VIOLENCE etc. there was another sign in the same area for directions to Dunkin Donuts ,when the area was painted the no violence was never put up BUT Dunkin Donuts sign was proudly displayed.
One time the ambulance doors were stuck open that lasted almost a week, one of the nurses called OSHA to complain however the answer was "if they were left open for two weeks they would investigate" Now these ambulance doors opened into the ER not the waiting room. How safe was that ?????
We had a patient kick in the Plexiglas that was in front of where the physicians wrote the orders. Was it replaced with any thing stronger? LOL
WE(as a whole team) need to look for safety,banding together to keep everyone safe is a real cause and commitment. Working in an unsafe environment and knowing it unsafe ,what does that mean?
Nobody is going to help keep any place safe if there is no constant chatter about it.Maybe the local papers should know what is going on? That was just a question! Maybe,just maybe these unions that you pay close to $900.00 a year should do something ,they work for the Nurses,Nurses don't work for them!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Enough written for this tonight.
Be safe and remember it is not part of your job to be assaulted.!


Sheila Wilson R.N.BSN MPH

www.stophealthcareviolence.org

Are we like frogs and really don't know ,what's going on?

I was just reading a book,and came upon a sentence that went like this ;If you put a frog in boiling water it will jump right out but if you put in in cool water and slowly let it come to a boil the frog stays in.You can eat frog.
I wonder is that what it is with us?
Is the workplace cool and then gets hot and boils us makes us think that everything is good and we end up dying or hurt?
When I started in the hospital I was so proud. I felt a little ownership, I saw others that had the same feelings, we worked hard and long. I really believed people that had jobs much higher than healthcare workers cared for the patients like we did. Over the years I found out they don't care!
Now I say to myself ,why would I say that? I have seen my coworkers being assaulted time and time again.No one cared, no phone calls ,no cards except from your co workers. It was like, this nurse is out ,I guess we will get the per diems to work or call the travelers.
 Well, Until the nurses fought to get security in the ER 24/7 the only thing we could do was use the phone to get security and sometimes security was to far away to help. One night I remember we had a terrible incident ,a patient became very aggressive and fighting with everyone ,he knocked out the Director of security and guess what ,we had police in for security until this patient left.
It saddened a lot of us to see how this administrator really showed us her true feelings. Maybe if nursing was higher up the food chain we would have received the same treatment.

Prison Pens could have saved a lot of trauma

I was looking for a pen yesterday,either I have a ton of them or I can't find them at all.When I went to the draw I was surprised to find the prison pen. YOU SAY TO YOURSELF WHAT THE HECK IS A PRISON PEN?

Let me tell you the story first: I believe we can www.stophealthcareviolence.org if we ALL work together and learn to communicate well with each other.
I have worked in two ER'S for over 17 years I have seen a lot ,I have seen things I wish I didn't see but I did.
Here's the story now!!!!!!!
The police and EMS  bring in a patient handcuffed:
 The patient's story goes like this, told by the EMS.
This person had his wife and kids in his car,he was holding a gun to the wife's head, he cut her pretty bad with a razor blade on her feet so she couldn't run out of the car ( the wife wasn't brought to our hospital) He stopped at her mothers house to let the mother know he was going to kill the wife and kids.
The mother called the police and the police arrived and handled this situation called EMS and now the person was on the ER stretcher handcuffed to the railings.
Now on the hospitals part they were trying to get people to sign in for their treatment. The registration person comes down to get the signature,she looked at the police officer and he stated he can't have him sign because it could be looked at, as coercion. ( something I never thought about)
Registration hands the patient the pen and he starts stabbing himself with the pen....
Registration is so shocked she can't move,police are yelling to STOP with their hands on their guns.
The whole situation could have been avoided with the prison pen.
Our NEW director of security had come from the prison system and  told us about the pens. They are flexible pens maybe a soft plastic that no one could get hurt on.
(WE could all find lots of fault with the whole story ,EXample person shouldn't have tried to get signature etc. it happens everywhere).
The whole point of this is: If we had the prison pen we would have used it BUT not one person had ever heard of it.. The New Director of Security because of his experience was able to share this information and ordered the pens to hope this incident would never happen again.

Sheila Wilson R.N.BSN MPH

www.stophealthcareviolence.org

What does your state law say? or do you have a law in your state for assault on healthcare workers?

Ken Sternhardt Dir.of Gov't Relations for ENA writes about the state laws. He wrote that there is 29 states that have felony laws in place.
That makes a total of 35 states now provide enhanced penalties for attacking ER nurses.
Thank You Mr. Sternhardt for this information.
ahere is a copy of vermont bill that is on the wall of a health center in Vermont. this. I believe the laws should be on the walls of all healthcare institutions.

 Sheila Wilson R.N.BSN MPH     www.stophealthcareviolence.org

Self destructive behaviors affect everyone.

I lived less than 3 miles from where I worked. I drove there and drove home that was it!
Working in the emergency room and dealing with the same people with the same problem night after night there had to be something I could do.
These folks were self destructive, they would come in drunk, incontinent of urine,feces yelling and swinging at us. Who really wants to take care of this person?
Here is another question.

1. Why do the police call an ambulance to take someone to the hospital when the person has had to much to drink?
2. Don't read into this question BUT does a person that has had too much to drink belong in an emergency room?

I believe alcoholism is a disease,like diabetes It can run in the family. If a person wants to get better they do something about it.

It is really hard to see someone come in to the hospital drunk night after night and they won't do anything about it. This person can go to AA all AA asks for is the desire to stop drinking! Sponsors are right there to help if you want it!

Is it any different than the person on oxygen and they continue to smoke?
Patches and pills can help and many other avenues to try.

Or the diabetic that is so overweight and doesn't follow the suggestions of her physician to lose weight.
All of these and many more are folks that are self destructive. Human behavior! But the issue is why to others pay the price?
The person that is drunk and hits a healthcare worker I bet also beats is family.
The smoker with the oxygen puts everyone at risk .Oxygen and smoking are bad together.EXPLODE
The overweight diabetic ,gets heavy and can't help her/himself Someone does and they can get injured.
Just a few comments...

Sheila Wilson R.N. BSN MPH
www.stophealthcareviolence.org

What have you done when you see your co worker assaulted by a patient?
Most people think it is the substance abusers ,the psychiatric patients or confused patients.
Well these folks do hurt the staff along with their family members, friends and anyone else that thinks they can..
 It is awful how we are as health care workers are treated and no one seems to pay attention to us.
Incident reports are made out , there is no feedback, no one calls and asks if the staff that was assaulted is back to work and well. Would it be so hard to ask to show that someone cares?
I wrote out an incident report and I was asked to: "would you mind not writing the whole expletive out, it is embarrassing to read it in the group , just put the first letter we could figure it out" My response was" the patient as he was hitting me didn't call me a F------ B---- I will continue to write what the patient says!"
I was really angry to think it was alright that patients could swear at us but it embarrasses administration.
When I saw my co worker thrown up against the wall by a patient she just brought lunch to,I knew we had to do something more. We needed security in the ER 24/7
Three of us presented at a workplace committee meeting when they were fashionable, we presented a power point on our needs and wants. Administration felt we had a point and decided they would allow security to be in the ER friday and saturday evening just for a test. We took it , but we felt defeated although we knew we would continue with our fight.
 We realized at that time NO ONE really looked at the incident reports seriously.WE were assaulted monday through sunday and administration thinks we would be happy with security only on Friday and Saturday Evenin
It took a while to work on it, but we are working with security in our ER 24/7

If you are interested in how please email me.

www.stophealthcareviolence.org

asheila Wilson R.N.BSN MPH

Emailed to me, How sad!

Hi Sheila ,
I am having trouble with the patient I am taking care of. He has started to hit me.
 I wrote back and asked if he spoke to his family . The answer was yes and they spoke to patient and the patient said ,"I will do what I have to do to get what I need"   The family gets angry when I ask about him. I asked if they called his primary care physician , he said no. They don't want to be bothered, they just get mad  at me and threaten me. I know I am going to get fired.    
This is a very sad story, however I don't know if it is true ,are family members really not caring?( I have met many in my day)
I gave this person a number to call to ask questions about his change in condition and get some answers as what to do., if this was a change in his behavior he needed to be seen,but I don't know the legal issues. If the patient needed to be evaluated and the family states they didn't want him evaluated could he call elder abuse? I don't know the laws in every state.?
He emailed again to tell me that this patient of his is yelling and trying to hit him, he hadn't called the number I had mentioned, then he said I know he has guns in house,when I asked, do you know if they are loaded he said no but I can see the container of bullets. Again I asked if he called the number I had suggested,the answer was no. He stated he needed to assist the patient and email later.
He emailed me later and told me he had 2 weeks to get out of there. He didn't have anywhere to go. He worked for this family 24/7 little pay and sounds like no support.
I haven't heard from him lately but the reason I am writing this, is :
Why are elderly patients left to their own demons, it sounded like this man needed help and the family doesn't sound that interested .
Could this person been shot by the guns?
How many elderly patients are like this ,with care givers that are treated they way this one was?
What really is behind closed doors???????????


www.stophealthcareviolence.org


Sheila Wilson R.N.BSN MPH

Old nurse friend,our passion for what we do ,hasn't changed!!!!!!!!!!!

Today is snowing, snow rain and lots of ice. It would be a day that most people would stay in the home .Out of the elements ,but did we do that ? NO!
We met for lunch and spoke about our family's and before long we started on the one thing that we both love. Nursing.
We spoke about when we got started , the backrubs we gave ,the information about the  patient, the real issue's that brought people to the hospital. We would really care for the patients, together we worked on a floor that had every thing. Strokes, Cancer,withdrawal symptoms, kidney problems etc. It was a busy floor ,discharges, admissions, patients yelling and crying. You think of it, we had it. BUT it was what we did and we have no regrets.  We would show up early for our shift, get our supplies ready, get report and off we would go,smiles on our faces (they were real smiles),eager to do a great job.
Times have changed ,there is no time for patient care. I worked in a emergency room and she is a nurse practitioner .
In the ER we run all day, eve or night. The patients keep coming in, their sick ,afraid and just want to feel better. But they do want to be seen by the physician  at some point! Most ER's run with 2 Doc's sometimes only one.
A NP has to see patients every 15 minutes,is that real? Talk to the patient, examine the patient, document and discuss with the patient your thoughts. ( I have phone calls at home lasting longer for no reason)
Although we complain ,it is the passion that keeps us going.
I wonder if Florence Nightingale would agree to this?
One question>>>>>>>>

Is healthcare about the money? It certainly isn't about saving money.  



www.stophealthcareviolence.org

Sheila Wilson R.N.BSN MPH

EMTALA (Emergency Medical Transfer and Labor Act)The Devil Never Anticipated The Details

I was at a loss of what to write these past few days ,but today I opened my email and found an email from
Charles C Anderson MD FACP FACEP
. Now I will tell you I didn't know him or his works. I am so surprised that someone else care for the healthcare workers. He has written blogs and a couple of books. One of the books is call "THE FIRST TO SAY NO" Story of healthcareviolence.
IN his blogs he writes about the law of EMTALA and how this has increased the healthcareviolence.
 Thank You Dr. Charles C Anderson I can't wait to get your book on "The first to say no"
Please go to his blog: Charles C Anderson MD


Sheila Wilson R.N.BSN MPH

www.stophealthcareviolence.org

I have posted other public opinions but this guy says it right!

Please excuse the sound , it was very windy. This man states ,the way he see's nurses. I believe he is right!!!!!!!!

www.stophealthcareviolence.org

Sheila Wilson R.N. BSN MPH

Nurses need to work together, to help and support each other

This nurse was walking up in the hallway to get another patient ,when she was assaulted. Another patient threatens her life and the life of her family..
Being threatened by patient's ,their family's or friends is not uncommon..

www.stophealthcareviolence.org

Sheila Wilson R.N. BSN MPH

Everybody's job is important,working as a team is a must. I wonder if this experienced nurse didn't have this trauma would she still be in nursing?

We all need to work as a team. This sounds like security didn't get the information correct and left this nurse to fend for herself.. If they had stayed in the room for support ,maybe she wouldn't have left ER nursing. Terrific experienced nurses are leaving because of violence.

www.stophealthcareviolence.org

Sheila Wilson R.N.BSN MPH

Another Nurse assaulted,speaks out on lack of support.

When ,we as nurses get assaulted . It is really hard to understand why people don't understand how awful it is.


WWW.stophealthcareviolenc.org

Sheila Wilson R.N. BSN MPH

Health care violence is every where, we need to work together to stop it!

This is real, but it is very scary. IT can happen anywhere at any time. We need to band together and stop the violence!

www.stophealthcareviolence.org

Sheila Wilson R.N.BSN MPH

Progress on Felony Workplace Assault Laws.written by Ken Steinhardt Director of Government Relations

 This article was found in the Official Magazine of the Emergency Nurses Association.


"Progress on felony workplace assault laws"  I remember quite well when the Ma. Nurses Association (MNA) was working on the assault bill,it took years to pass. The work involved was endless. The nurses would go to the state house and testify,they would send out letters to all members requesting us to call/write our State officials to join the efforts and pass the legislation. I can remember this and couldn't understand why a bill takes so long! In order to find out this information I went to the State House with a friend to ask some questions. Well let me tell you, it was an  eye opener. This made me appreciate the hard work that our MNA was doing for us and continues to work for us!
In this article he states there are 29 states with felony assault penalties  and a total of 35 states that now provide enhanced penalties for attacking emergency room nurses.

"Recently workplace violence has gained recognition as a distinct category of violent crime that requires specific responses from employers,law enforcement and the community according to the Department of Labor, Federal Bureau of Investigation (2004)" Things do take a long time!!!!!!!!!!!!
Having the laws in place is only the beginning, WE as Nurses have to use them. Make out the incident reports, call the police, make out a police report and follow through. IT ISN'T EASY ,The life you save could be your own!

www.stophealthcareviolence.org

Sheila Wilson R.N. BSN MPH

This nurse has a compelling story ,it is sad but very true. It could happen to you!

.This nurse will tell you her story. This is what is happening to healthcare workers. We need to stop this violence.

www.stophealthcareviolence.org

Sheila Wilson R.N.BSN MPH 

Public opinion on health care violence.

Interview, discussing  violence against healthcare workers.

www.stophealthcareviolence.org

Sheila Wilson R.N.BSN MPH

This can happen to you! What can be done about it?

Please listen to this nurse's story ,it is a compelling story concerning a work day in the emergency room.
Any idea's or comments would be greatly appreciated.

www.stophealthcareviolence.org

Sheila Wilson RN.BSN MPH

Who really knows healthcare workers get hurt??????????? Do they care?

Planting seeds for action is really a long road to hoe......
There were three of us that started "STOPHEALTHCAREVIOLENCE" and over the years things have changed for us. WE have taken on different roles and duties,however the violence continues and actually is getting worse. The places we never thought anything bad would happened ,bad has happened.The website has received a lot of views but will that be enough?
Healthcare workers are getting hurt everyday and most of the public doesn't even know. When I speak to people they can't believe someone would hurt a Nurse, Doctor or any one else taking care of them.I have seen a female physician kicked in her abdomen by the patient she just finished examining. The patient smiled at her after she kicked her.
Could the physician say that's IT I won't take care of her and walk away, will the physician get in trouble foe abandoning her patient ? At that note what if the same happened to the Nurse could she be held on abandoning her patient????????????? This is something I need to find out...
please visit the website www.stophealthcareviolence.org.

.

Would you put up with this abuse?


A nurse working in the Emergency room was assaulted by a patient . A patient that she had taken care of several times. These is what he did to her. How many nurses get assaulted every day?

Have you been assaulted?

Is this episode enough for this hospital to look at the realty of violence?

I read in the newspaper about 3 healthcare workers  that were stabbed with a pair of scissors  in a hospital ,they were stabbed by a patient that was inpatient in the psychiatric department.
What I was really surprised at, was the report stating superficial wounds and the spokesperson stated they expect full recovery from that people that were assaulted.
How does one not have PTSD after this? I remember being assaulted and having nightmares, then at work ,when I was to caring for a patient I would have  sweaty palms ,and a high heart rate until I felt as though I was safe, months later I am a caregiver not a punching bag.
These 3 people were in terrible danger ,I hope this hospital doesn't sit back and ask "what could they have done to prevent that" I hope things change and the hospital makes an effort to prevent this from happening again . I see a solution already, don't give Psychiatric patients scissors ,don't have any thing that can be used as a weapon in the patient's reach. Simple suggestion but it could have prevented this situation...
What I liked is the person got arrested, but I feel the patient should have been transferred out of the hospital and put in a safer place for the benefit of staff and the patient.....

Just a thought.

Levels of assault :if it dosen't hurt to bad,is it okay that you were slapped across your face?

"It takes a great deal of courage to stand up to your enemies BUT even more to stand up to your friends"  quoted in Bookreporter.com.by J.R. Rowling

How true this statement is.
 I was approached one day by a nurse that told me a patient had slapped her across her face, when she was taking care of him. She was very upset that she had been assaulted and NO ONE cared about that issue. She said she told everyone and all they did was roll their eyes and shrug. I could see the red mark that was still on her face. I listened for a little while longer and we discussed writing out an incident report for her and one on the person that slapped her. When the nurse turned to leave and write out the reports another nurse caught my sleeve and when I turned to look at who had my sleeve another nurse said "she wasn't slapped that hard, I don't know why she is telling you"
I was stunned that another nurse said that. At that time maybe I should have stood up to her and stated that she shouldn't have been assaulted in the first place, it doesn't matter how bad the assault is!
Do we really think we should allow someone to slap us as long as it isn't a real hard slap? What is the recourse when their is no defining line among the team players about being assaulted. It makes me wonder about their home life, could they be assaulted at home?
I feel as though I am planting seeds but not all the seeds have taken root.
Comments?

www.stophealthcareviolence.org

Sheila Wilson R.N.BSN MPH

The Florence Prescription ,From Accountabilty to Ownership written by Joe Tye (with Dick Schwab)

" Instilling patient-centered care is not just about changing policies and practices; it is about changing culture, which is never easily done. For the staff to be empathetic to patients, the hospital must also have an empathetic culture for staff...
To achieve a culture that is patient -centered and supportive of staff, hospital leadership and staff must share common beliefs and values. Coming to these common beliefs and values may be the hardest part of achieving cultural change"
Health Care at the crossroads: Guiding Principles for the Development of the Hospital of the future ,a white paper by the Joint Commission
  I would recommend this book. It has many great ideas and as a Nurse I would love to believe it could happen ,it would be grand to have culture changes for so many reasons.
It would seem that the right hand really knew what the left hand was doing.........
Any comments?

Is being intoxicated a reason to go to the hospital?

A person is sitting on the sidewalk near the curb, someone calls the police after speaking to this person for a very short time, the call states there is someone sitting on the sidewalk near the curb, this person is drunk, when asked how they know this person is drunk, the concerned citizen states;  because this person has slurred speech, is having trouble standing and states he has been drinking alcohol and pointed across the street to the bar.
When the police arrive the person that was sitting on the sidewalk is now trying to walk but is having trouble standing and sits down again. The police watch this person for a minute and ask this person to get up. This person states with the slurred speech "there is no law against sitting on the curb and I want to stay right here and smoke a cigarette".  The police explain ,that a concerned citizen called in that someone was sitting on the curb and they were concerned for his health. They are here to help!
This statement makes this person very upset and tells the police to mind there own business, and states to get belligerent " I am not breaking the law" Just about at this point the police say:
"You can come with us now to jail or go to the hospital and get checked out."
Now what a great choice that is.
 Do people that drink alcohol and get intoxicated need to go to the Emergency room???
Does anyone know how many people that are intoxicated are in an ER on any given day???????????