I was originally going to take a few days off, but felt the need to report this. Until this morning, I was the subject of a criminal and work related investigation. I have been suspended without pay for the past week. I got the call this morning and have been cleared of all wrongdoing, just in time to return to work on Christmas Day.
I was at work a week and a half ago. Another nurse asked me to accompany her and a female technician into a patient’s room because he had been giving her some problems. I went into the room behind them, and the patient began referring to the technician as his wife. Then he accused the EMS personnel of laughing at him while they were trying to initiate an affair with his wife. Standing at his bedside, I told him that no one was making fun of him. He yelled, “You all are!” then tried getting out of bed. I touched his arm and told him to calm down. That’s when he grabbed me and tried pulling my arm to his mouth in order to bite me.
I put him in a wrist lock with one hand, then pressed on his parotid gland with the other, which forced his face into the pillow. He started kicking me and calling me a “punk ass bitch” and saying that he was a retired NYC police officer, and that he would find me on the street and “fucking kill” me.
He later contacted my employer and the police and attempted to file charges against me for battery.
The investigations took 9 days. My employer has suggested that I file counter charges, but since he was delusional, the police said any such charges would go nowhere. My employer told me that they were worried that since he was a retired cop that the local cops would take his side. I explained to him that the local cops don’t like NY cops because they constantly come down here and call the local cops a bunch of hicks and tell them how much better NYPD is.
At any rate, I can now return to work, just in time for Christmas day. At least I will get time and a half plus critical shortage bonus. ( Remember the critical needs bonuses that they cancelled back in September? They reinstated them three weeks ago, because they can’t get anyone to come to work without them.)
12 Comments
Jen · December 24, 2022 at 1:32 pm
You should get your pay reinstated!
BobF · December 24, 2022 at 2:20 pm
I assume any civil action would be a waste of time? At least it is over relatively quickly. Lawdog’s saga went on for 2 years.
Elrod · December 24, 2022 at 2:37 pm
I’ll second Jen (above). You should get back pay for whatever days you were scheduled to work during the 9-day suspension.
Working Christmas day is “new business” so treat it as such.
As for filing charges, it’s your legal right so do it – documentation counts in the event of any future similar incidents. Even if it doesn’t go anywhere, and I concur, it almost certainly won’t, the documentation will exist and filing will prove first, that you were in the right and second, that you expect ‘action to be taken” to resolve the issue.
We used to tell “non-victim victims” to file all necessary and possible paperwork, including application for restraining orders, because if X or Y happens again next week the documentation supports the defensive action taken.
Might also be worthwhile consulting with an attorney over civil charges. Which certainly will not go anywhere, but again, documentation.
Southernborne · December 24, 2022 at 5:13 pm
This is sound advice. Had a similar case a few years ago. This can save a lot of future problems.
Vinson · December 24, 2022 at 5:00 pm
Just another, in a seemingly endless, list of signs of the decline of our society…the only thing surprising to me is that it hasn’t all cratered…yet.
joe · December 24, 2022 at 9:39 pm
the only reason i would say make the report is to cya if he tries to do something to you later…even if you know it they won’t do shit…that way if for some fucked up reason he comes to your house or back to the hospital and you have to protect yourself you have that paperwork trail…that’s the only reason i would make the report…Merry Christmas peeps…
Henry · December 24, 2022 at 10:00 pm
DM, what a lousy lead up to Christmas. I’m sorry to hear that you were put through a needless suspension, especially since there were two witnesses there with you. Best wishes for whatever is left of your Christmas day once you are off shift, and thank you for your many thoughtful postings over the years.
lynn · December 24, 2022 at 10:05 pm
You need to file charges on the guy and file a civil case for lost wages plus other damages against the guy at the Justice of the Peace. That way if the guy comes after you, there is a case already.
Anonymous Coward · December 25, 2022 at 6:45 pm
Who will shed a crocodile tear when the company is inevitably bought out and all the top management is shown to the door?
Aesop · December 25, 2022 at 8:12 pm
I hate dealing with psych patients with the burning hatred of 1000 suns, for exactly crap like this.
After three psych holds off their meds, they should be banished from society in perpetuity, and sent to the equivalent of Shutter Island, for the rest of their lives.
Not locked up. Hot harmed. Just not allowed to roam freely in civilization. Permanent removal.
If the ACLU and various other do-gooders want to minister to them in banishment, more power to them.
Filing charges is a waste of time. because they’ll justifiably plead insanity, there isn’t a prosecutor in Creation that will ever charge them with anything. Pissing into the wind is more useful.
The bigger issue is why you were suspended at all, and why it took your employer nine days to clear you, based upon the allegations of a delusionsal patient. That’s complete bullshit. You want to file charges, start with that. It should have been a 15-minute office conference, open and shut.
Divemedic · December 26, 2022 at 12:04 am
The hospital told me that the only reason it took so long was they were afraid that since the patient was a retired NY cop, the local cops would take his side and arrest me. They were waiting for word from the criminal investigation to decide what to do.
Aesop · December 27, 2022 at 12:33 pm
It’s always great when management leads like that, by sticking their wetted finger into the wind, instead of looking at the facts of the case.
I’d still advise them that they could either reimburse full wages for the period of suspension, or deal with the lawsuit that would follow if they refused.
If you’d been charged, they’d have terminated you and thrown you under the bus in a heartbeat, despite having co-workers as witnesses.
Chickenshit like that deserves to be properly rewarded.
Call a lawyer.
There was one time I should have done that myself, and didn’t, and I’ll regret it until my dying day.
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