I started a petition at change.org for tougher penalties for nurse assaults. Assaulting a nurse or health care worker should bring the same penalties as attacking a police officer. Check it out and please sign.
http://www.change.org/petitions/the-governor-of-ca-tougher-penalties-for-nurse-assaultsI'll sign it - I was punched in the face by a psych patient a few years ago. Fractured my cheek bone and I had a black eye for a month. I was going to press charges against the guy but my employer said they wouldn't support me on it because it was a hazard of the Job I needed to accept. That's why I don't work there anymore.
Hppy
hppygr8ful wrote:I'll sign it - I was punched in the face by a psych patient a few years ago. Fractured my cheek bone and I had a black eye for a month. I was going to press charges against the guy but my employer said they wouldn't support me on it because it was a hazard of the Job I needed to accept. That's why I don't work there anymore.
Hppy
This might be a traumatic experience for you??How did your employers deal with it then? Just leave it as it is???
I support the effort to set a standard by which patient behavior can be defined as "assaultive" so that warnings can be issued and then charges brought but in every one of my experiences of personal assault, the patients were incompetent. I would hazard a guess that this would be the scenario found in the vast majority of cases of health care worker assault therefore, I can't see a law being drafted because I don't think it's lawful to charge incompetent people for assault. On the other hand, I think the same law defending police officers against assault would stand for health care workers as well but for competent people. I wonder, can a police officer charge drunk people for assault if he's punched or only being drunk and disorderly?
Nurses are pressing assault charges these days. I read that an ER nurse won a case against a pt. that hit her...She called the police while on duty and had him arrested. Good!
Violence in the work place not acceptable. However, a delusional or incompetent, that is a tough one.
It's good! at least those abusive patients will think twice first before assaulting nurses
Kdog wrote:Nurses are pressing assault charges these days. I read that an ER nurse won a case against a pt. that hit her...She called the police while on duty and had him arrested. Good!
Violence in the work place not acceptable. However, a delusional or incompetent, that is a tough one.
Interesting. The pt. was arrested and likely charged but I wonder what the outcome was.
hppygr8ful wrote:I'll sign it - I was punched in the face by a psych patient a few years ago. Fractured my cheek bone and I had a black eye for a month. I was going to press charges against the guy but my employer said they wouldn't support me on it because it was a hazard of the Job I needed to accept. That's why I don't work there anymore.
Hppy
wow that is unfair. you should have tried to consult a lawyer regarding this matter.
The case in question involved an extremely Psychotic patient who was also classified as a Mentally Retarded Violent Offender. He was eventually civilly committed to a state hospital for the criminally insane. Funny thing was that he was one of my favorite patients - but I let my guard down for just a second and blam all I was seeing was birdies and stars...... Working Psych is not just a job it's an adventure.....
Ahhh....dual dx! Gotta love that mix. :p
