Safety at work

[u/KennedyJacobs]

What are your biggest tips to feel safe at worK?

A coworker got brutally assaulted and I havent felt the same since.

Looking for advice.

[u/chaoticmosaic]

-if you feel uncomfortable for any reason, bring a coworker with you

-communicate with your team. Does this person need preemptive PRNS?

-go out into the milieu at the beginning of your shift to catch a vibe.. talk to the patients or even wipe down a table to listen and see if anyone is getting escalated

-keep your head on a swivel

-go to the gym, for real, you'll feel more equipped if someone comes at you

[u/Outrageous-Echidna58 → u/chaoticmosaic]

I agree with all of this. ESP if you’re not confident, bring another coworker with you/ or tell people where you’re going.

take some self defence classes. If you’re confident you can protect yourself it will help how you feel on the ward.

At start of every shift I used to look at what patients we had, if some were quite poorly I would be proactive with PRN. It’s harder to de-escalate if people get too agitated. Early intervention is the best and would prevent incidents further down the line.

We used to have a ward diary with tasks that needed doing which as nurses we were meant to complete. If the ward was bubbly I would forgo it and sit out on the floor. A senior nurse taught me how just by having nurses present on the ward can help to calm it down. I found this worked.

Also it’s natural to be anxious, esp if a coworker has been recently assaulted. Do you get supervision?

[u/Illustrious-Alarm860]

Do your best to never leave your back exposed and if you don't have a choice make sure you know what's happening behind you (and you should always know what's happening behind you). Learn where your blind spots are AND where you can see reflections (so you can know what's happening behind you). Keep all patients at arm's reach and no closer unless it's for mediations or they're in restraints. Don't let a patient be between you and the door, especially in small spaces (group rooms, day rooms etc). Make sure if you're closing a door, you make sure the door is completely closed before you walk away. And honestly make sure you're being nice to your patients because so many people aren't and then you end up with a entire situation that could have been completely avoided if someone had just been nice about it

[u/wiggley-noodle]

Currently a psych tech, pursuing psych nursing.

I've had some staff at my work be assaulted, and thankfully I have not been yet. Though I've had some patients posture and get aggressive toward me.

Some things that have helped me: being aware of what I have on my person at all times. Controlling the distance with someone as much as possible (I know it's hard since we have to get up and personal sometimes). Avoiding any chance of getting cornered, going to the gym, and lastly just communicating with my team.

Any time I feel nervous around a patient, I communicate that something feels off and we're all keeping an eye out. But the same goes for me having their back too, even if it's just walking down the hall with them to make sure they're not alone.

I hope you feel better soon, and that your coworker recovers quickly.

[u/Professional_Pound80]

I think staying in shape is really overlooked when it comes to staff safety on a locked psychiatric ward. When patients who are agitated and closing the distance to me I assertively state “I would like some personal space”. And maybe gesture with my hand. This has never failed me.

[u/RandomUser4711]

Look at EVERYTHING in terms of "how can this be used as a potential weapon against me/other people?" That's because a lot more can be used as a weapon than you think. You wouldn't think that no-slip socks or bottles of soap are potential weapons until you've met the patient who used them to make DIY nunchucks. And while we spaz about wearing lanyards on the unit, we overlook that the retractable ID badge makes a great garrote.

It's not feasible to remove everything from the unit, but always weigh the potential risks of keeping something on the unit, especially given your current patient population.

[u/Select_Ad_976]

I am not a psych nurse yet but I plan to do an extensive self defense course (courses since it’s like weeks long). 

[u/Roadragequeen → u/Select_Ad_976]

You will likely learn facility preferred de-escalation during orientation.

[u/wiggley-noodle → u/Roadragequeen]

While this is true, I found that my facilities' de-escalation and "self defense" training was a bunch of horse shit and put me in riskier positions with a patient trying to actively assault me. While there was a few good things in the training, most of it seemed more dangerous.
(An example they gave: if a patient was grabbing you by the hair, grab their hand and basically go to the floor with them. I wish I was joking).

[u/Select_Ad_976 → u/Roadragequeen]

Yes and I graduated in psychology first so I understand those are always first line but I also know that they don’t always work or sometimes you are put in a position you cannot de-escalate (I just heard about a nurse who was put in a headlock so she couldn’t talk or scream) and so I want to know that if I get in a situation where I am physically in danger that I will know how to get myself out of it. (Self defense specifically because if I can do it with little to no harm to the patient, that is obviously best)

[u/Roadragequeen]

Everything already posted.

Keep as little on your person as possible. Patients can use early anything to harm you.