Many years ago, when I was working as a hospital security officer, I was sent to a patient unit regarding a “combative patient.” Oddly enough, healthcare workers rarely regard themselves as being in “combat” when a patient is grabbing, hitting, or kicking them; but, when they describe someone who is acting out at the moment, they often choose the adjective “combative” to describe the behavior...
Many times, security leaders recognize that if we are not to deliver on our mission, something in our operation needs to change. At the same time, we will likely be confronted with challenges that stand in the way of affecting that change.
Some of the more common challenges that we face in healthcare are competition for resources, resistance by those who may not believe change is needed, or...
Since the COVID-19 pandemic has entered our world, business as usual has changed drastically. Being security professionals in a healthcare environment, we are dealing with a variety of challenges even without the addition of COVID-19 to the equation. Emotions fueled by anxiety and escalated fear of others, coupled with the devastation and destruction of panic are the ingredients needed for chaos...
There is no denying it; hospitals can be difficult places to work. No matter which profession you’re in, from hospital security to nursing, the hours are long, and weekends and holidays are just another day at work. Moreover, with nursing shortages, an aging demographic, dwindling psychiatric care resources, and other factors creating increasing demands on healthcare providers from all sides, the...
During the class, the instructors learned how to respond to institutional emergencies that include disturbance emergencies, medical emergencies, fire emergencies, and miscellaneous emergencies such as weather...
When we think of basic human needs, hierarchies often come to mind. What is it that people need and how are those needs related to human behavior? That’s the question that human services professionals often ask, and the one de-escalation trainers need to answer. Years ago, I learned through several personal and professional experiences that people act-out for reasons, not because of diagnoses. It...
If you have been following this blog, you are probably quite familiar with Vistelar’s structured methodology for effectively managing conflict so it doesn’t escalate to emotional or physical violence.
What you may not be familiar with is our explanation of the causes of conflict that’s the basis for the non-escalation, de-escalation, and crisis management tactics we teach.
Background
The...
In a previous article, I made a case for there being just two attributes that drive the success of any organization — innovation and customer service. Then, in that article, I described how to improve customer service by providing a form of training that’s usually reserved for police and corrections officers.
If you have ever responded to a behavioral emergency in a professional setting, such as a hospital or school, you might recall experiencing a lot of uncoordinated activity among a group of highly educated, capable, and well-meaning professionals. They may even have seemed to make things worse, rather than better. In retrospect, you might not even be able to put your finger on exactly what went...
When was the last time you took a listening class? If you are like most people, the answer is probably never.
During my eight years of post-secondary education and my 30+ years working in the corporate world, I know I never had any listening training. I received training on almost every imaginable topic (and some that were unimaginable), but never listening.
