While surgeons perform the surgeries, nurses are the individuals who handle patient care. Meaning they have the most patient interaction, which depending on the patient can be good or bad. It only takes a moment for a difficult patient to cross the line. This could happen with an intake of an intoxicated patient or a patient becoming unruly after surgery. It can be hard to decipher what is actually crossing the line, and in those situations you can ask another nurse if you need help. Grey’s Anatomy actually depicted a profound example of patient on doctor violence.

In Season 12 Episode 9, the episode “The Sound of Silence” showed Dr. Grey being brutally attacked by a patient who was suffering from a seizure. During this attack she suffered from multiple injuries and even had to have her mouth wired shut. This is a more extreme example of this, but shows how nurses should always be careful of their surroundings, and not be alone with a patient who seems on-edge. 

1. Managing a Difficult Patient

Being responsible for a patient that is either highly intoxicated or very angry can be nerve wracking for a nurse. Especially if it’s your first time. The patient may lash out at you when trying to insert IVs or apply bandages. There has also been instances where a patient has literally shoved a nurse (not often but happens). In this situation, a nurse needs to calmly speak to the patient and inform them of what they are doing. If the patient still responds in an aggressive way, help may be needed to hold them down or restrain them. If you ever feel uneasy about an overly aggressive patient, ask another nurse for help. 

2. Overexerting Yourself

Nurses are sometimes tasked with lifting a patient’s limbs or other body parts to better treat them. This can put a lot of physical strain on them especially doing this for 12-hours straight. This part of the job is less talked about in comparison to an intoxicated patient for instance. For a nurse that is not as tall or strong, they may have difficulty with the constant heavy lifting of patients to a wheelchair or the bathroom. The height of the average American woman is 5 foot 4 inches, making it more challenging to move taller or heavier patients. To better manage the strain of moving patients, nurses can see fitness instructors or trainers to make sure they are lifting patients properly. If you lift something heavy in an incorrect form, over time you will cause damage to your joints. 

3. Delivering Bad News

An additional role of a nurse is speaking to and updating a patient’s family. This is especially true when a patient is in surgery and the surgeon is operating. As the family is usually around before the patient’s surgery, and during their recovery. If something is to go wrong, the nurse must update the family with the bad news. This can be not only emotionally stressful for the nurse, but devastating to the family receiving the news. While most people respond to loss with sadness, others respond with anger at the surgeon and/or nurses involved. This could cause a patient to verbally or even physically assault a hospital staff member, in which case, security needs to be called. 

4. An Accidental Injury

Another safety risk for nurses is accidentally pricking themselves with needles, or any accidental exchange of bodily fluids. This is probably the scariest thing that can happen. They are moving too fast and accidentally prick themselves, and then worried about infection or disease. While accidents can’t always be prevented, it is important to always be aware of that risk of infection anytime you are near someone else’s bodily fluids. 

5. Being Sexually Harassed

It is possible to be sexually harassed by someone else in any type of workplace, even one as busy as a hospital. Whenever you have a large group of people in close proximity, harassment, whether intentional or not could happen. This harassment can occur against a male or female coworker. Harassment could be any type of sexual suggestion, physical touching, or promises of promotion for a sexual favor. While a coworker could do this, there has been instances of patients or a patient’s family member harassing a nurse. If you are made to feel uncomfortable by a coworker or a patient, you are allowed to report it.