Awareness Post: Violence Against Nurses Is Not “Rare” - It’s Reality

A health‑care worker at Alberta Hospital Edmonton was violently assaulted on Christmas Day, suffering serious injuries after being attacked by two patients in a psychiatric unit.

Police were called just before 2 a.m. and arrived to find the worker badly hurt, and two men were arrested at the scene.

This is not an isolated incident.

This is not “rare.”

This is the daily reality for nurses and frontline staff across Alberta.

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💥 What Happened at Alberta Hospital Edmonton

According to Global News:

- The assault occurred inside a secure psychiatric facility that houses high‑risk and forensic patients.

- The worker suffered serious but non‑life‑threatening injuries and was taken to hospital.

- Staff were left traumatized, and the union says proper post‑incident protocols were not followed by the employer.

- Recovery Alberta claimed workplace violence is “rare,” but AUPE strongly disputes this, calling violence a frequent and pervasive for health‑care workers.

If you work in health care, none of this is surprising.

If you don’t, it should be horrifying.

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🛑 The Reality Nurses Face

Every shift, nurses walk into environments where:

- Violence is expected, not prevented.

- Staffing levels are so low that nurses are left alone with unpredictable, high‑risk patients.

- Security is often too far away, too understaffed, or not trained for the level of violence we face.

- Reporting systems are slow, dismissive, or lead nowhere.

- Employers downplay incidents to protect optics instead of protecting staff.

When a worker is violently assaulted by two patients in a forensic psychiatric unit, and the employer’s first instinct is to call it “rare,” it tells you everything about how little our safety is valued.

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💬 Violence Is NOT Part of the Job

Nurses are:

- Hit

- Kicked

- Grabbed

- Threatened

- Cornered

- Traumatized

And then expected to return to work the next day as if nothing happened.

We are told to “de‑escalate” situations that would require multiple police officers anywhere else.

We are told to “be compassionate” while working in conditions that are unsafe by design.

We are told that violence is “rare” when every nurse knows it is constant.

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📣 Alberta Needs to Act — Now

This incident is not a warning.

It is a symptom of a system that has already failed.

We need:

- Mandatory minimum staffing levels

- 24/7 rapid‑response security teams

- Proper post‑incident protocols that are actually followed

- Transparent reporting systems with real accountability

- Consequences for violence against health‑care workers

- Investment in mental health and addiction supports to reduce violence at the source

Nurses are not shields.

Nurses are not expendable.

Nurses deserve to go home safe.

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If the public knew what we face, they would be outraged.

It’s time they heard us.

It’s time they stood with us.

And it’s time Alberta finally protected the people who protect everyone else.