An Interview with Victim of an Accident - Essay Example

Accident Victim The interviewee was a psychiatric aide with a renowned psychiatric hospital. As d by the Healthcare Career Information, “psychiatric aides help care for mentally ill, disabled, or infirm people who are confined to hospitals, mental facilities, and residential care facilities.” This is exactly what the interviewee was involved in at the psychiatric hospital. The victim, who is a professionally qualified psychiatric aide, has been on her job for six years at the time of the accident and this was her first major occupational injury.

During the interview, it was revealed that the accident was caused by a fall, which was suffered at the hands of one of the psychiatric patients. Generally, the duty of the psychiatric aide involved bathing patients who were regarded as helpless. Each day, she is supposed to give nine (9) of the patients two rounds of baths – in the morning and evening. This had gone on as a daily and very normal routine till the present accident occurred. She reports that while she was giving one of the patients his bath, she heard the sound of what was supposed to be struggling or fighting in the open of the inner bathroom where three other patients were waiting for their turn to both.

Knowing the mental condition of the patient was not too stable, she rushed out to go and see what the problem was. She reports that normally the patients formed a queue and waited for their turns to be bathed. She acknowledges that the patients enjoy the bathing section and so there is normally a brawl over who takes the first spot in the queue. When she went to see what was happening, it was reported to her that one of the guys was trying to jump the queue. As she was taking an explanation from the person supposed to be the complainant, the accused suddenly pushed the complainant.

She said she tried catching the patient who was pushed so that he could not fall but unfortunately, she fell together with the patient. The accident took place on the 6th of September. Because she was trying to save the patient from falling, she was the one who fell directly on the ground with the patient who was pushed falling on her as well. The fall resulted in a fracture. Events leading on have made the doctor diagnose her with osteoporosis, which is explained by the New York City State Department of Health (2011) as “a disease that causes bones to become thin, weak and break easily.

” This condition caused the interviewee to miss work for eleven working days because she was initially put in the intensive care unit of the accident and emergency ward. The intensive care was supposed to serve as a rehabilitation period for her as this lasted for four working days. She was further brought home where she continued to receive treatment under strict supervision and rest. The interviewee explained that due to the intensity of the accident and her industrious role at work, her accident attracted an OSHA visit.

Since the incident, one significant change she explained had taken place was the manner in which patients are bathed. She explained that there were no longer allowed to go to the bathroom in groups. This is because of the euphoria that the patients create behind the bathing time. They seem to like the bathing time so much that their state of ecstasy always results in them, doing nasty things. She also reports how new protective aprons have been given to caregivers including helmets.