Workplace Violence (1 CEU)

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) , defines workplace violence as “…any physical assault, threatening behavior, or verbal abuse occurring in the work setting” (NIOSH, 1996). Workplace violence is a serious occupational risk and very prevalent among nursing staff. Workplace violence in nursing is not a new phenomenon, matter of fact, Nurses and their assistants have been common targets of violence in healthcare systems for ages. According to the CDC, nurses rank just after police and firefighters for rates of injury and even death on the job. Although anyone working in a hospital may become a victim of violence, Nurses and Nurse aides who have the most direct contact with patients are at higher risk. Research shows the incidence of verbal abuse toward nursing staff, range from 82% to 96%. While most nursing staff will encounter aggression during any given workday, about 50% of them will be physically assaulted during the course of their careers. While these statistics are shocking, the incidence of violence among nursing staff is much higher and the frequency even larger. Accurate statistics from healthcare settings are difficult to obtain because of under-reporting

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

At the end of this module, the Nurse Assistant will be able to accomplish the following:

• Define workplace violence
• Identify methods of handling potentially violent patients
• Recognize behavioral warning signs of violence in individuals.
• Employ communication and teamwork skills to prevent and manage violence.
• Identify appropriate resources to support injured healthcare workers.

Instructions for taking the course

To complete the course successfully, you must go through all the lessons below. You MUST mark each lesson as complete by clicking the MARK COMPLETE BUTTON. If you do not click the mark complete button, you will not be allowed to proceed to the next lesson. Please notice that all lessons have a minimum set amount of time that you are expected to spend on each lesson. You will not be allowed to Mark the Lesson Complete until the timer resets to zero; that is, until the minimum time set for the course has passed. For example if lesson A has an allocated minimum time of 10 minutes, you will have to wait 10 minutes before you can mark Lesson A complete. The Mark Complete button for lesson A will be grayed out and will not become active until 10 minutes are over.

WARNINGIf you forget to click the Mark Complete button done, you will be prompted to go back to that lesson again and have to wait till the allocated timed minutes resets to zero again before the Mark Complete button becomes active. After all lessons are completed and they are Marked Completed, you will then be allowed to take the post test. If you successfully pass the quiz, you will earn CEU’s for this course and you can proceed to print out your certificate.

LESSONS & QUIZ BELOW