Nurses Demand Better Safety Measures Amid Rising Workplace Violence

DID YOU KNOW? According to a national workplace survey of nurses completed in 2022 by the American Nurses Foundation, on a weekly basis 31% of nurses are required to work beyond their scheduled shift to provide adequate care to patients.

There’s a glass barrier at the nurses’ station in the behavioral health unit at University Medical Center (UMC). It’s designed to keep nurses safe from patients who may be experiencing a mental health crisis — or may become upset if they aren’t given the medication they want.

“We’ve had patients jump over and get through that glass and want to attack you,” said Keisha Montes, a behavioral health nurse at UMC. Montes said she’s been spit on and had personal threats made against her life.

The healthcare industry sees more workplace violence than any other industry, according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Nurses are nearly five times more likely to be injured by workplace violence than other workers in the U.S. — and most of it caused by patients.

- Sponsors -

As healthcare workers are experiencing a surge in workplace violence rates nationally, Montes and about 80% of UMC’s nursing staff have organized and are calling for better protections. Last December, they voted to form the first and only private sector nurses’ union in Louisiana.

Nurses also have basic security concerns about things like weapons in the facility. The threats are real, Montes said, noting that in March, a patient came into the hospital armed with knives and a gun. She said the staff was alerted to the issue after a family member called to warn them.

Montes noted that at UMC, behavioral health patients often must share a room.

- Partner Content -

Entergy’s Energy Smart Program Brings Cost Conscious Innovation to New Orleans

Offering comprehensive energy efficiency at no cost to the consumer, Entergy’s Energy Smart program incentivizes Entergy New Orleans customers to perform energy-saving upgrades in...

“So just imagine if you’re in a room with someone who’s paranoid,” Montes said. “Or another who may be homicidal…It’s just not safe that these patients have to share rooms because they get upset with us and it becomes our problem.”

Lauren Waddell, a nurse practitioner for outpatient neurosurgery at UMC, echoed Montes’ concerns and experiences. She said that when the hospital is short-staffed, even everyday situations can escalate into disputes or violence because nurses may be spread too thin.

“I’ve personally been threatened to be followed to my car if I did not prescribe a certain narcotic pain medication… It’s not OK for nurses to feel unsafe at work.”

– Lauren Waddell

Waddell said that patients are safe when nurses are safe because it allows them to focus on patient care.

- Sponsors -

“We need more nurses, and we need staff dedicated to keeping our hospital safe,” Waddell said.

UMC is the only Level 1 trauma center in the city, meaning it can provide the highest level of care for a patient with a major traumatic injury — things like serious car accidents or gunshots. It’s also the only verified Burn Center in the Gulf Coast, a crisis center for behavioral health, and the healthcare provider for the incarcerated — in addition to being a safety net hospital, providing care for everyone, including uninsured patients.

The nurses at UMC are members of National Nurses Organizing Committee/National Nurses United (NNOC/NNU), a nurses’ union. They’ve submitted a variety of proposals to hospital administrators that focus on several concerns including installation of metal detectors, education on proper de-escalation techniques, and protection for healthcare workers who are victims of workplace violence.

“These are basic, common-sense measures to make our hospital safer for everyone because nurses know an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,” Waddell said.

John R. Nickens IV, UMC’s CEO and LCMC Health’s president of hospital services, said the hospital faces complex challenges daily, and UMC’s location in the heart of the city presents unique challenges because “crime and violence remain more prevalent in urban areas.”

Nickens noted that the hospital recently launched a new initiative called “UMC Safe,” which includes improvements like the installation of security cameras, panic buttons, and increased security patrols, especially in high-risk areas like the emergency department. The UMC Safe initiative also includes regular training on infection control, de-escalation techniques, proper handling of equipment to prevent injuries, and establishing committees and feedback mechanisms to continuously assess and improve safety protocols.

Part of the effort, Nickens said, includes an emphasis on retaining current staff attracting new staff. That includes creating pipeline programs and partnerships with local universities and institutions to offer pathways into healthcare careers, as well as providing mental health support with UMC’s Be Well Center, a resource center dedicated to the mental and physical well-being of staff.

“For us, it is important that we a create safe and supportive workplace environment and a culture of wellness,” Nickens said.

Protecting Our Healthcare Heroes

Healthcare workers have long faced higher rates of violence. But that was made clearer during the pandemic, when the incidence of verbal and physical threats toward healthcare workers by patients and their families rose significantly.

“As healthcare workers, we see patients and their families when they are most physically, mentally and emotionally vulnerable,” said Dr. Nigel Girgrah, chief wellness officer for Ochsner Health, which experienced a 20% increase in workplace violence in 2022. “This can make individuals feel desperate and increase the likelihood of violent outbursts. I think that heightened sense of desperation accelerated during the pandemic.”

Girgrah said the “permissive culture” that has existed historically in medicine that “writes off” incidents of disruptive behavior and violence as just a part of the territory that comes with the profession needs to change.

Like UMC, Ochsner is focusing on new initiatives, including an Office of Professional Well-Being.

For now, the nurses at UMC say they’re optimistic about the dialogue they’ve opened with hospital administrators, and they plan to continue to voice their concerns as a union.

“We’re fighting to get better safety in writing in our contract,” said Waddell. “It’s the only way to legally guarantee the hospital will do what it takes to protect nurses, our patients, and our community.”

Digital Sponsors / Become a Sponsor

Follow the issues, companies and people that matter most to business in New Orleans.

Email Newsletter

Sign up for our email newsletter