Consider This

Consider the questions below. Compare your responses to the responses provided.
All done! Proceed to Part 2: Confronting the Husband.

Question 1: Should Mr. Avery's verbal aggression and shove of Nurse Jones be considered as violence? Why?

Certainly shoving is considered a violent physical act and is not acceptable. Sarcastic or demeaning language is abusive and may be considered as violent depending upon the circumstances.

Question 2: Nurse Jones doesn't accept Mr. Avery's behavior as "part of the job." How did she respond instead?

So far, Nurse Jones has done four things: 1) spoken to the Charge Nurse, 2) agreed to make a note in Rita's chart, 3) agreed to file an incident report, and 4) agreed to speak to Mr. Avery directly with the Charge Nurse.

Question 3: Why is it important for Nurse Jones to file an incident report?

Incidents in which the level of harm is relatively low are vastly underreported. It is important to report so safety measures can be taken and evaluation of incidents can lead to program improvements.

Question 4: What should Nurse Jones and the Charge Nurse say to Mr. Avery when they next see him?

Proceed to the next page to see the resolution of this case study.

Page last reviewed: February 7, 2020
Content source: National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health