Active shooters are defined as individuals who are involved in active killing or people who attempt to kill people in a hospital setting. These individuals may have mental health issues, and some may be in excellent mind state. In most incidences, these active shooters use firearms, and they do not have a specific pattern or method while selecting their victims. The majority of the shootings that happen in hospitals are mostly referred to as “shooting incidents” or overactive “shooter situations.” In most scenarios, shooting incidences in live shots are not directed towards an individual. Inactive shooting, the shootings are primarily focused on a place over individuals. Most of these shootings are usually personal, and some of these shootings are not preventable.
According to research done, twenty-seven percent of the shootings that take place in hospitals are usually due to a personal grudge (SecurityInfoWatch, 2013). For example in 2010 a surgeon in the Baltimore hospital was shot by an individual who claimed that the surgeon had left his mother paralyzed after an operation he had done. In this incident, the gunman had come in the name of vengeance because he felt that someone needed to pay for his mother’s condition. In the incidences provided, some similarities are evident, which include the quick response from the law enforcement team. It is evident that the response teams are on their toes when it comes to security matters. Since there is no other approach to stop them from killing the people in the hospital, the police did not have an option but to shoot them on the spot. Proper preparation, as well as, commitment from the police, is evident. If the police did not show up in all the cases, then more civilians would have been killed and severely injured.
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The main difference that is identifiable is that the shooters attacked the hospitals for various reasons. The first attack remains puzzled since the shooter did not carry any form of identification and this made it hard to find out the motive behind the shooting. In the second attack, the gunman wanted to revenge for his paralyzed mother, which is a clear motive as to why he attacked the hospital. My workplace has prepared for an active shooter in that; the management ensures incidences that have happened before in other workplaces, have been taken care of in the working space. Dynamic shooter situations occur unpredictably, and they evolve very quickly. There is no specific pattern in the selection of victims in an active shooter incident. Some happen due to untreated medical conditions.
The protocol put in place for the preparation includes; signing up for active shooter training which often happens within the workplace. In case someone spots something suspicious, the nurse should report immediately to the relevant authorities. It is essential to identify emergency exits as well as the best places to hide and learning how to offer first aid. The Joint Commission (2014) states in an instance where this active shooting happens, we are advised to run, hide, or fight depending on how extreme the situation is. After the attack people are encouraged to help the law enforcement, seek medical help, help other people survive and then, later on, see psychological help this ensures that any individual involved receiving the necessary assistance.
In the emergency department, nurses have to be highly trained when it comes to responding to mass casualty incidents. According to SecurityInfoWatch (2013), one of the responsibilities is to ensure that a patient’s dignity is put to standard as well as make critical decisions that will allow positive outcome in the patient. Nurses are also responsible for advocating for proper preparedness and prevention measures for the sake of all the communities around us. The nurses are expected to have effective communication techniques which are essential in case of an active shootout. Bullying is a topic that is very sensitive in today’s society. Like many other professions, nursing has its fair share of bullies who discredit the working environment. Bullying causes low morale, and in extreme cases, some nurses seek jobs elsewhere, or worse leave the profession. Bullying comes in different ways for example, from nurse to nurse or manager to nurse.
Whatever form bullying takes, it is a severe problem in the health environment, and it can lead to serious issues for example demoralization and decreased job satisfaction (Balingit, 2012). It can also lead to depression, anxiety, withdrawal from reality or isolation. Most of the medical errors occur when bullying is in the environment and can cause harm to patients. When a nurse is intimidated and disrupted, it can contribute to the medical mistakes. A negative attribute of bullying is that it I costly for healthcare employers because of the high turnover when the nurses who go through intimidation choose to quit their jobs or transfer to different hospitals. High turnover increases the amount of money used to hire new staff and train them to work accordingly. According to Fagel & Hesterman (2017) bullying in a working environment can cost over four billion dollars yearly.
Suggestions I would offer to a nurse who is bullied by coworkers would be to ensure that they set limits on what they can tolerate from a bully. Once the boundaries are put in mind, let them practice how to tell the bully to stop the behavior. Another way to deal with a bully is to inform the management and the HR about their behavior (Hospital Employee Health, 2013). In this step, one needs persistence and patience so that the bully stops this behavior to the nurse or even other people. My responsibility when I see any form of bullying is to ensure that I confront the bully and make them understand that bullying does not leave a good reputation or impression on them. I will make the bully know the adverse effects of bullying if they are not aware. Let know how their behavior affects other people negatively. I would try and encourage the victim of the buying and inform them of the steps to deal with this unfortunate situation. If the bullying does not stop, then I would take the extra action to report it to the relevant body in the workplace.
References
Balingit, M. (2012, March 9). Hospital shootings shock Oakland 2 dead, 7 injured at Western Psych; Police kill gunman in exchange of fire. Pittsburgh Post–Gazette . Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/926869011?accountid=34574
Fagel, M. J., & Hesterman, J. L. (2017). Soft targets and crisis management: What emergency planners and security professionals need to know .
Most hospital shootings are not preventable. (2013). Hospital Employee Health . Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1282083457?accountid=34574
SecurityInfoWatch. (2013). Responding to active shooters in hospitals . Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1434488744?accountid=34574 .
The Joint Commission. (2014, July 28). Preparing for active shooter situations. Quick Safety . Retrieved from https://www.jointcommission.org/issues/article.aspx?Article=h1wY0qOA jXjKMD9Np15aXCoh6JDFt4iaFxb%2f%2fTKfNWE%3d
