Active shooters
The articles discuss the increasing cases of violence in healthcare centers as an increasing risk for employees and cause of death. The similarities displayed in the findings of the articles indicated that most shooters in healthcare setting are determined individuals who mainly pursue revenge, grudges, suicide due to pain and suffering, a relative ending life of an ill patient whose hope for recovery is minimal, or a patient trying to escape police custody. Most victims of the shooting are patients and healthcare professions (Balingit, 2012). Patients are targeted where the shooter sees the act as mercy killing. Physicians, nurses, and other employees are targeted by shooters citing negligence or failure to cure a disease which angers and frustrates the killers. In all cases, hospital employees end up as victims of the shooting.
Shooting incidences have increased over the years which has created a major healthcare setting risk, adding stress and fear to the employees and patients who fear for their lives. Health care workers are now demanding more security in their places of work for safety as they perform their duties. The articles also agree that the majority of the shooting in hospitals takes place in the emergency department followed by the parking areas. The shooting incidents are likely to happen in all hospitals but shooters have a preference for bigger hospitals with high populations. Shooting incidents are rampant and occur all over the states and countries (Hospital Employee Health, 2013).
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The articles agree that active shooting incidences in hospitals are hard to prevent based on their nature of occurrence. They are triggered by anger and frustration and most shooters act on their feelings when they are deeply affected and cannot control their feelings. There is no easier way to predict the chance of a shooting. According to the findings, having gun technology detection is not enough solution to shooting incidents. Cases of shooting where the shooter took guns from the security personnel in hospitals have been witnessed (Hospital Employee Health, 2013). For all the cases, the shooter do not survive after their crimes usually committing suicide by shooting themselves or are shot by the police (Balingit, 2012).
The articles differ in hospital response to the crimes. Some hospitals are quick to safeguard their employees and patients while others argue over the unpreventable state of the active shootings in hospitals. In the arguments they find no preventive measures to minimize the risk due to lack of viable ways to profile a potential shooter. However, the articles propose vigilance and tightening the security measures in hospitals to safeguard the places of recovery and healing rather than fill them with loss and death (Hospital Employee Health, 2013). The most surprising finding from the articles is that employees and physicians rarely engage as shooters which show great work ethics and their actions as role models. They are in most cases the victims of mentally disturbed people seeking revenge or settling unreasonable grudges.
Following the increase in the incidents, my workplace has taken several measures to ensure that employees, patient and healthcare facilities are kept safe and free of any form of violence. The measures include training of employees and especially the security managers on always being on high alert. Our hospital has adopted the 4A’S acronym for accept, assess, act and alert (The Joint Commission, 2014). Employees have been urged to accept the potential risk and threat of attack form active shooters.
Each person is then required to assess their position in relation to the threat and in emergency cases act by alerting others by calling for help. The hospital has collaborated with the local law enforcers to establish an emergency plan. The protocol includes communicating through texts, digital displays, intercom and other access methods to pass the warning to other of the imminent danger. After the alert the individuals are required to evacuate hide or run depending on the situations and if circumstances force action can be taken against the gunman (Security Info Watch, 2013). Nurses are required to remain calm and reassure the patient and inform the patients of the patients about the incidents.
Bullying
Bullying of nurses at work is a destructive behavior which affects a nurse’s work by creating a harmful working environment which influences self-esteem and confidence. Bullying involves hostility, violence, verbal abuse, misconduct, actions and gestures to affect a nurse’s dignity, psychological and physical integrity. In nursing, bulling is triggered by various factors and is a problem in nursing because it interferes with work when it affects psychological, emotional or physical aspects of the nurse (American Nurses Association, 2005).
If a new nurse is bullied by a coworker, I would suggest that the nurse being bullied do something about it. For starters, the new nurse does not stoop to the bully’s level by yelling, crying, shouting or arguing with the bully. Instead, she should approach the issue calmly but firmly by confronting the bully. It involves taking her aside and informing her that you will not tolerate her behavior or actions towards you. The bullied nurse should take further action to document the nature of the bullying incidents for future reference if need be.
If the bullying does not stop, reporting to the nurse manager is another option to enhance competency and professionalism such as the issues are solved from an authoritative level (American Nurses Association, 2005). To relieve stress, the new nurse can also seek counsel by sharing with a trusted colleague, parent spouse or friend. It is the responsibility of the fellow nurses who witness the bullying to act and speak out against the behavior. Nurses should support one another in overcoming bullying incidents by being listeners and offering constructive advice to both the bully and the bullied nurses.
References
American Nurses Association. (2005). Code of ethics for nurses with interpretive statements. Silver Spring, MD: Nursesbooks.org/American Nurses Association.
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
Hospital Employee Health. (2013). Most hospital shootings are not preventable . Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1282083457?accountid=34574
The Joint Commission. (2014, July). Preparing for active shooter situations. Quick Safety. Retrieved from: https://www.jointcommission.org/issues/article.aspx?Article=h1wY0qOAjXjKMD9Np15aXCoh6JDFt4iaFxb%2f%2fTKfNWE%3d
Security Info Watch. (2013). Responding to active shooters in hospitals .SecurityInfoWatch.Com. Retrieved from: http://search.proquest.com/docview/1434488744?accountid=34574.
