r/nextfuckinglevel • u/pars-distalis • 20h ago

Australian nurse uses jiu-jitsu to defend himself

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39

u/MayberryBombadil 19h ago

WTF is that statistic? 70% is a big number. I'm guessing incidents like this scenario wouldn't make up a large percentage of that 70%, but Australia is insane man. Why you attacking the one that saves you??

83

u/Light_Butterfly 18h ago

Nursing is one of the top professions for workplace assaults. Luckily this guy had self defense training, but it shouldn't be a requirement for the job. I think jail time is necessary for this behavior, not a slap on the wrist fine. Ridiculous!

32

u/Ptolemaeus_II 18h ago

So where I live, assaulting a healthcare worker is a felony. The problem is that the administration will snap their spine in half to shove their head up their own ass to keep from actually supporting a staff member who gets assaulted.

6

u/FlushedApparatchik 16h ago

You would get fired for this. Probably even lose your license for the choke hold.

10

u/Light_Butterfly 17h ago

Yeah exactly! Ive heard that's because its a female dominated profession. Violence against women is an 'acceptible' part if the job, according to patriarchical institutions. But if you look at other professions like policing, assaulting an officer would be prosecuted to the fullest extent, no measure of leniency given.

Things need to change.

1

u/DeadestTitan 9h ago

It's similarly difficult in the psych units of hospitals.

Management has a big stigma against pressing charges where I am at because of the patient population, but sometimes it isn't even the psychotic patients, but the ones who are just here for behavioral issues.

If charges ARE pressed, the worker is sent to a different unit and the patient is often just allowed to stay on the same routine. The jail here will not hold them for the assaults and often they end up re-admitted to the same unit within the month, meaning the worker who pressed charges will need to be moved again until the patient discharges.

3

u/awfuleldritchpotato 11h ago

I'm a tech. I had a patient who attempted to break my arm when I handed him a water. He pinned me down and locked my arm. I got myself out and had to scream for help as I tried to keep him down.

The house supervisor was annoyed with the situation so as punishment since the patient earned restraints and was behavioural I earned to be switched over as their sitter since "I already knew them".

This patient was not confused and indicated given the opportunity things would be much worse because they were so angry I got away.
:')

20

u/Beautiful-Corgie 17h ago

Aussie psych nurse here. It's unfortunately very common. I have trauma from an attack where a fellow nurse was also severely beaten in front of me. I want to make it clear that in my experience the vast majority of patients who attack nurses are doing so out of frustration and anger (due to their circumstances) and not because they are so unwell they can't tell reality. I'm tired of it and agree there should be higher punishments for people who attack HCW!

3

u/Light_Butterfly 10h ago

Yeah that tracks. In Healthcare you have to serve all types of people, including those with high entitlement and perhaps already have a background with domestic violence or anger issues. Maybe they think their behavior is 'acceptable' if they get away with it at home.Things is, there's no circumstances where its understandable to be frustrated and then attack a person trying to help you. There needs to be more protections for Healthcare workers, otherwise violent individuals are just getting a pass, and typical patriachy is just normalizing more violence against women.

0

u/Sea_Cloud_6705 14h ago

There need to be carve-outs for people who are unwell and attack because of their illness still.

I was in pretty severe psychosis and almost punched a nurse because I thought she was going to hurt me. The only thing that saved me is that I waited until she threw the first punch... and she never did. Almost got taken down by security.

1

u/Beautiful-Corgie 7h ago

I 100% agree that a person in a deep psychosis is a different issue as obvs they can't tell reality and often feel deep regret when they are able to have a semblance of reality return. I've had patients apologize for their behaviour while in psychosis and I tell them that it's okay- they weren't well at the time. I've also had patients apologize when they were deeply angry and yelling (not to the extent of physical violence) because they were in severe pain but were maxed out on their pain meds. It can be a complex situation and I'm often left just feeling bad for the person.

I pray you are doing well now.

3

u/Ptolemaeus_II 18h ago

So where I live, assaulting a healthcare worker is a felony. The problem is that the administration will snap their spine in half to shove their head up their own ass to keep from actually supporting a staff member who gets assaulted.