If you were assaulted by a patient should you be allowed to have them arrested?  I tell you what I plan to do if it ever happens to me again, I am going to make a citizens arrest right there on the spot. As a citizen you can do that and I believe that even at work I am still considered a citizen so the patient will have to deal with it, administration will have to deal with it, and the police will have to deal with it. Let the organization try to fire me for it too, I will sue their arse so fast their head will spin. Now some nurses will say that "oh he was delirious and thats not probably how he normally is" but how the hell do you know that? This SOB may be the biggest  jerk on the planet and maybe this is his baseline and not just an exception. I hate to tell you this but not everyone in this world is a nice guy or gal, so the next time you try to excuse poor behavior because its related to some medical condition remember that there are some people that are just A-holes and that is who they really are.

If anyone has the guts to post a "NO" response after reading CAB's response you should be ashamed of yourself. Cab I am sorry to hear what has happend to you.  You didnt deserve it and those bastards that covered it up should rot in hell...........................

CAB, i sure hope that things turn around for you soon.

Problem is, my former employer (my ex supervisor, I suspect) is unable to keep his mouth shut.  This has caused me problems at least one job that I have held since.  I was hired to head up a state wide telemedicine stroke intervention program for rural hospitals a few months ago.  I had been aggressively pursued by the dept of the hospital where I had been working for 2+ years without problem.  One week into my new position, my orientation ceased, I was left to teach myself 8 different computer programs necessary for this venture and was given no feedback good or bad concerning my performance.  After the 2nd week, my supervisor began messing with my hours.  Sometimes I would be told to come in to work 12 hr days or 12 hr nights, sometimes 8 hour days.  Sometimes all in the same week.  I knew there was something wrong, but I couldn't get any feedback from my supervisor, and frankly, I was running myself out with the changing schedules and studying computer software manuals that I didn't have much time to even think about what was happening.  I mean, THEY had recruited me, I didn't look for this job, they practically begged me to take it.  On the last day of my probationary period, I was called into my supervisor's office.  She told me that I was a terrible nurse, that I refused to be oriented, that I didn't follow protocol, that I made mistakes on the computer and worst of all that I was inappropriate with patients and physicians, specifically physicians.  She alleged that I had made inappropriate sexual statements to physicians during phone consults.  She then told me that I could resign or be fired.  I stated that I would do neither without her director and someone from human resources present because there was no truth to any of her allegations.  Now here's where things get sticky.  I happen to live in one of three states that are "for cause" states.  That means unless it violates a federally protected group, race, gender, age, religion,etc., an employer can fire you at any time for any cause.  If they don't like your lipstick, they can fire you.  Too bad.  And they don't even have to tell you why.  But they usually make something up so you can't use your age, gender, race,etc to fight them.  So I had no idea what had happened between the time I was recruited for this position and the end of my first week on the job.  I was able to keep them from firing me & I didn't have to resign, but I did have to transfer into the PRN Pool and now no one will use me.  My director, who has been very good to me, did some investigating and found out that my problem stemmed from my previous supervisor hearing from "someone at another hospital that I was a 'sue happy bitch'" and she decided that she couldn't afford to have me around.  Funny thing is, I never sued the hospital that wronged me.  I did retain a lawyer to attempt to get my job back.  But I never considered suing.  I can't.  My religious beliefs won't allow it.  My former employer is well aware of that fact because the administrators had been our close friends for 15 years prior to my assault.  That's why I can't get past it.  Because every time I think it's behind me, something happens to me that's bad that is directly related to what happened in 2003 and I'm helpless and humiliated all over again.  And nobody wants to hear about it anymore.  I'm supposed to get on with my life like nothing ever happened.  Well it did and now I'm basically out of work, I can't void without self cathing, I don't trust anyone and I'm filled with self doubt.

I am outraged for you after reading what has happened to you. I know you feel like you are stompped on but if I were you I would take something that has nothing to do with nursing right now and will provide some benefits. If this is feasable. The reason I say it is because being a nurse and having been harrassed and not believed and supported by my employer has changed my life as well. It has been one big nightmare. I hate my new job, I long for the days when things were simple and I got along great with all. The person who harrassed me still works and walks around scott free. And I far surpassed this person in every way as a nurse and was never thought of as a pushover. However, I too was ignored and had to resign as the abuse went on and on without any recourse to this individual. I too applied and find that I was always hired somewhere and now it aint that easy. However, you dont' realize that as a nurse you worked your but off and are capable of doing anything for a while. I would actually take a year off and do private duty and pay for benefits before I would allow them to know where I work. It is difficult. Believe me I am living it out same as you. But I have taken every avenue to expose them. I recentley wrote to Joint Commission and I also wrote to the state. I am in the midst of legal advice. I will prob move about a half an hour away from the area but not all can do that, and I do feel for you. I would fight dirty right back. Keep praying as you are better than them and they have to deal with their conscience eventually.  You have the right  to report them to every agency you can. Keep giving them grief even if annoynmously. You need to get away from them and that toxic 5 mile radius. Hmm Im thinking, see its better to put your head in a witness protection program so to speak so that you can have some assemblance of psychological stability. I know what you are going through as I was always a sound individual and these people drove me crazy and made me depresed and panic stricken. It happens all the time! The comfort I have is my friends as one of them has been thru this and is just as damaged as me and suffereing. BUT we have eachtoher I sense you do not have a lot of support. Thats ok b/c I am going to pray for you in this novena that something extraudinary happens for you. You pray for me and i pray for you. I do my novena every night and it is helping.

BE strong and will check back with you