Haley Mccullian, Human Resources Consultant, At Mercy...

Haley McCullian, human resources consultant, at Mercy Fitzgerald Hospital, is the author of this report. Her role is to identify the problems in the nursing field involving workplace violence in the emergency room. The purpose of this report is to educate the workforce on potential causes, effects, and theories revolving around the current organizational challenge. Workplace violence is a dangerous and complex occupational hazard in today’s health care work environment. It poses challenges for nurses and other health care employees, hospital administration, unions, and health care regulators. Violence from patients, visitors, and coworkers are often tolerated and explained as part of the job in the fast paced, stress filled healthcare care†¦show more content†¦As of June 2012, acts of violence towards health care workers are considered a misdemeanor or felony in only 30 states; however many other states still have no laws (Lipscomb London, 2015). Background: Health care workers are often hit, kicked, punched, pushed, scratched, bitten, spit on, threatened with a weapon, harassed by patients, family members, or visitors. How often does this happen? In a 2014 survey close to 70% of nurses reported being attacked while on the job within the last year (Jacobson, 2014). According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, health care workers experience the most non fatal workplace violence when compared to other professions. Workplace violence towards health care workers is an international issue. (Waschgler, 2012) Nurses are often required to get uncomfortably close to very stressed out people. Some assaults come from psychotic persons brought into the emergency department, drunks, drug users, demented people, but most of the violence is not explainable. In the 2014 survey, 50% of the assaults came from patients or their family members who were drunk or on drugs. Numerous people attack nurses out of frustration. Rita Anderson, an Arizon a-based emergency room nurse, was instrumental in getting the New York State Violence