Susan Walters, RN, speaks to NFN's Labor Academy about her experience with violence and steps nurses can take to reduce violence against them and their peers. Courtesy Casey Campbell.
Susan Walters, RN, has been an Emergency Room nurse for 36 years and has experienced violent assault in the workplace on more than one occasion during that time. Through her membership in National Federation of Nurses (NFN) and the Oregon Nurses Association, Susan continues to work tirelessly to make sure that no other nurse anywhere in the country is a victim of violence on the job.
Working at a busy, centrally-located hospital in Portland OR, violence has always been a factor in Susan’s workplace. After witnessing several instances of violence and aggression exhibited toward the hospital staff, Susan and hospital security officers–who had training in behavioral health–formulated a training based on best practices for effective patient care, environmental awareness in a hospital setting and appropriate self-defense methods should it become necessary.
As a result of their collaboration, the hospital began holding annual nurse trainings that highlighted how to pick up on cues of potential patient violence, being aware of patient history and flagging past offenders for the safety other staff members.
Since training began in 1995, the hospital has seen a decrease in violence and aggression toward nurses and other hospital staff. The improvements inspired Susan to become a very vocal advocate for this training and, in 2007, the Oregon Nurses Association, in partnership with NFN, was successful in proposing legislation about providing this training to all nurses, home health workers and other health care professionals who can find themselves in vulnerable positions with a patient.
Susan is a member of Emergency Nurses Association, which is currently working with the new Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) director to get nurse self-defense training federally mandated. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is also working on an online module similar to what is happening in Oregon.
“I’m so excited that NFN is working with us and others to make this happen,” Susan says.
Susan and her staff now train more than 700 bedside providers on workplace safety because they recognize that this is not just an issue in Emergency Rooms, but in all parts of a hospital. Her team has also developed strategies that alert hospital staff to people with a history of aggression by incorporating a simple icon that tells staff what they need to know.
In the meantime, Susan says, nurses can make some easy, simple changes today. “One thing that nurses can do right now is to stop wearing their stethoscopes around their necks. Being safe means staying ahead of the curve and fine tuning peoples appreciation of being watchful and aware.”