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October 12, 2008 3:34:25 PM CDT

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Nurses Raise Alarm Against Attacks at Work

Posted Jul 8, 08 6:39 AM CDT in US,  Science & Health 

(Newser) – People may be at their most human when in pain, but often turn their anguish on their would-be healers—and now nurses are calling on workplaces and lawmakers to be more vigilant against physical attacks, the New York Times reports. “Nurses are just starting to get to the place where they’re saying, ‘I don’t have to put up with this,’” said an expert.

Half of nonfatal injuries from attacks at work are connected to health care and social services, says a federal agency—and nurses face most of them. “I’ve been hit, I’ve been kicked and spit on. I’ve had a knife pulled on me. I love what I do, but I don’t love the conditions I work in,” says one.

Source New York Times

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Nurses are pushing hospitals and legislatures to fight the violence they face at work.   (Shutterstock)
An exterior photo showing Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, in Los Angeles, Friday. Jan 4, 2008. Workplace violence is often directed at nurses.   (AP Photo/Nick Ut)
Working in an environment where patients may be angry or confused, nurses often face physical attacks.   (Shutterstock)
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