Complacency Kills
Many have heard the phrase complacency kills. There is more to it than just the street portion, the actual killing of a person. There are actually 3 more areas besides the street in which complacency is killing us regarding the use of force in medicine; the others are the mind, the media and the courts.
Here is how complacency and the lack of training on the reasonable use of force can kill you:
While many may focus on the fact you could be killed on the job by an act of violence, while true, that is rare in comparison to the other areas we are getting killed in.
The MIND- Being complacent about proper training, the kind that includes the mental preparation for dealing with violence and the use of force , has turned staff into jaded staff. Complacency kills the compassion for true medical patients because staff begin to see everyone as evil. This in turn changes our culture into accepting the behavior regardless of the perpetrator.
The MEDIA- We are getting killed in the media. Both mainstream and social. Recent events like the ones captured on video showing staff cursing at or actually fighting with people, travels much faster and becomes viral more so than any acts of good we do.
The COURTS- real and public opinion. Failing to understand the reasonable use of force is killing us in the not only the real courts, but the court for public opinion as well. Some are starting to view us as jack-booted thugs and are responding to us based upon their perception.
Complacency about the use of force (in patient restraint and self-defense) is in fact killing us. It is killing our kindness, our compassion, our perception by the public and our peers as well as killing our career or our freedom.
There is a plethora of information contained within various culture changers posts. None will replace formal training by one of our certified DT4EMS instructors.