Keeping staff safer at work
ED nurses participating in one of the 67 training sessions Joe plans to run at Redcliffe Hospital in 2024.
Protecting healthcare workers from occupational violence is a priority for Redcliffe Hospital. Occupational Violence Prevention Adviser Joe Fiorello has been training frontline health staff in ways to keep themselves safe for the past 17 years.
Joe says that occupational violence includes physical assaults and attacks on health workers, as well as verbal abuse and threatening behaviours in a healthcare environment or event outside the hospital where it’s related to their work.
“Occupational violence is never acceptable and is not just ‘part of the job’ of a health worker,” Joe said.
Joe said the training he provides health workers at Redcliffe Hospital helps participants develop their skills in identifying the triggers and early signs of escalation to prevent incidents occurring.
“It’s defusing, calming, and resolving situations that could escalate toward violence,” he said.
“It’s balance of recognising and reducing the risk of occupational violence, together with the positive and protective actions that staff can take should they find themselves in a crisis situation.”
Megan du Toit is a Registered Nurse in the Emergency Department at Redcliffe. She was one of eight RNs who participated in a recent refresher training session in the Education Centre as part of her mandatory training requirements.
Megan says that access to this kind of training was essential for emergency department nurses.
“Having a refresher on these techniques gives me that bit of extra clarity on what we can do in sticky situations we encounter sometimes,” Megan said.
“I love having these sessions with Joe; this is the second or third one I’ve had where he’s been the instructor.”
Emergency Department RN Adrian Olyslager was another participant in the refresher session. Adrian has been working in the Redcliffe Emergency Department for two years now and says the refresher training has made him feel more confident in his work with patients and hospital consumers.
“The training was excellent. Joe is great at incorporating theoretical knowledge and practical components. He approaches it from a de-escalation standpoint first, which allows us to use those skills early on before things reach a crisis stage,” Adrian said.
Joe said this session was just one of nearly 70 sessions that he’ll run at Redcliffe this year, with Redcliffe staff having access to around 650 sessions across Metro North.