Tactical Healthcare Expert | Bridging the Gap between Clinical and Security | Always Innovating to Reduce Workplace Violence | Security is not the absence of threat, but presence of connection.
I got bit by a dog while on a Medsurg floor in San Antonio this year. How you may ask? By my transient (homeless) patient who was allowed to have them in a stroller in her room. I didn’t report it. You know why? Because the organization didn’t care. And I know they didn’t because the shift before another patient had a knife. And there wasn’t even anyone I could call. The police showed up 2 hours after we had almost been stabbed. You know what saved me? My training. Advanced training. I saved myself, my colleague and my patient from getting stabbed. If organizations are not going to take accountability, then why should nurses take time reporting? They won’t. And they aren’t. And with poor labor laws and even worse incident reporting technology no one is surprised. Many places will not pay their nurses to complete it after their shift. I have had at least 3 nurse managers in different organizations ask me to clock out before I report an incident. So I just went home. You just stop reporting. And they don’t care. Cuz ultimately they still make money. Until staff safety is directly tied to money, they won’t change. Guess what… it is. Why do you think you have 100s of vacancies? The civil legislation dropping on September 1 is going to change the game. Had that been in place a few months ago… I would have sued. Cuz that hurt. And the dog def did not have vaccines. #safety #healthcare
Unfortunately ADA regulations are very strict when it comes to service animals and there is very little (almost nothing) that can be done to prevent someone from bringing their service animals into the hospital nor to be able to identify if the pet is an actual service animal. However, this does NOT mean that there aren't options available to remove the animal from the premises once inside. For example, if the patient cannot take care of the animal, or especially if the animal is aggressive, then the hospital administration can take steps to have the animal removed. I'm so sorry you went through this, no one should be forced to take care of a patient with an aggressive animal nearby! Hopefully you had the opportunity to discuss these events with the head of security for that hospital and that they will be able to be a change agent for their org.
Goodness, sorry that happened to you, my nurses colleagues deserve the most respect and should be valued and protected.
Documenting every incident is important for any hope of change(s) in future. Personal feelings aside, one should always document by reporting.
It is painful to read this, Mel. These are horrible working conditions that you have to face daily when you are giving of yourself to care for the sick.
What happened to staff safety being the #1 priority? I’m so sorry you had to experience that!
This attitude is in healthcare organizations is out there everywhere, this attitude of just allowing patients and their family members to commit violence, verbally and physically abuse staff, break the rules, and they expect staff to just be victims as part of their job. Unacceptable. Violent patients and family members need to be where other violent people go, to jail, not a hospital. There are other patients there that shouldn't have to deal with this type of person either. Protect Staff, without them no one gets healed.
Really sorry to read this. I have not encountered this in the clinic. Clinicians need to have confidence in their decisions. Nobody can predict the actions of an animal. You should not have to tolerate aggressive behavior. Report it and hold on to your convictions. I fully understand if a patient is on edge and needs support. It is is our job to create a safe environment and to calm their concerns. We have to remember some people lack trust from past experiences. But that being said, it goes both ways. Saying "please get someone to come get your dog, and then I will be happy to provide treatment" is perfectly rational. You are not obligated to put yourself at risk. There is being a good caregiver, and then there is being a (pushover) and not setting professional boundaries. I will always go above and beyond, but I have seen too many people with poorly behaved pets. Too much entitlement nowadays. I was out in the city and twice our dining table was knocked by a dog (who's owners were 'surprised') when he aggressively reacted to other passing dogs. The second time I just stood there facing the owners' table until it finally dawned on them that they needed to leave. Unbelievable.
That is terrible. I haven't been bitten, but I've had "service" dogs growl at me. I am 100% an animal lover, and dogs are at the top of that list, but allowing patients and visitors to bring in animals because they claim service status (they are not, I can tell you because it's evident in their behavior), is out of control. A PCA was told that she needed to have a different assignment because she "entered the room too fast and made the dog growl" 😐. This was the same patient's dog that growled at me.
Complex problems require simple and elegant solutions.
2moPut it in the chart. If it's common knowledge that incident reports change nothing, then write a note and put it in the chart. Write an email telling - not asking - your charge nurse that you are going to the ER for treatment. That would trigger a workers' compensation claim, which is a state matter. Never clock out until your work for patients or your employer is done. One of the best ways to stop nurse managers from asking you to clock out before doing XYZ is to write an email documenting the request and stating "I'm not comfortable with that." If you're union, cc your union rep. Nurses must not only learn but also be willing to use the tactics of our employers. When we advocate for ourselves we also actively support our coworkers.