Hiring guards for your hospital isn’t quite as simple as hiring them for a retail business.
However, it is a necessity. While there is debate as to whether they should be armed or not, hospital violence is on the rise, which makes security important.
Before hiring just anyone, it’s vital to understand the special considerations that go into picking the right people for your security team.
Understanding Hospital Violence
You often think of a hospital as a safe place, but it’s not quite as safe and secure as you might believe. It’s not unusual for hospitals to underestimate the level of security necessary. In a 2016 survey, 51% of hospitals reported that patient and family violence against emergency department staff increased at their location.
Between 2010 and 2016, there were seven major active shooter incidents at US hospitals. Some incidents were drastically limited thanks to having properly trained security guards on site.
Another study found that violence against medical personnel is all too common. From patients suffering from undiagnosed mental illnesses to families angry that doctors couldn’t save a relative, they face the threat of violence daily. However, they need to be able to focus on their jobs versus being afraid.
Hiring the right security guards for your hospital allows them to focus on patients while feeling safe.
Know Who’s Held Accountable
In most cases, it’s best to work with a security company versus hiring individual guards. The main reason is reputable companies accept responsibility for their guards. If anything does go wrong, they’re held accountable.
This takes much of the management off of the hospital. BOS Security even goes the extra mile to ensure guards are where they should be by employing tracking devices. This is for the guards’ safety as well as offering an accountability practice.
Look For Those Who Specialize In Medical Security
Some security guards don’t specialize in any specific area. They know the basics of security and that’s it. While that may work for retail or even events, it’s not suitable for hospitals.
You need guards who are trained to work in medical facilities. The circumstances are different. For instance, you don’t want a guard that doesn’t even consider that a patient isn’t purposely violent, but may be bipolar and their medication isn’t working right.
They have to be trained to know how to properly restrain injured and ill patients without using force. It can be a difficult job, especially with patients who may even throw feces at you. However, proper training goes a long way towards ensuring they know what to expect and how to react.
Training is one of the top requirements to look for when hiring security guards for your hospital. It’s often overlooked, especially as a specialty, but can make a major difference in how effective the guard is and how safe the staff and even patients feel.
Must Understand Patient Mentalities
Training doesn’t just involve how to restrain people or defuse violent situations. For hospital security guards, it’s also about learning how to understand patient and even family mentalities.
For instance, they may be trained in how to tell the difference between grieving and a growing violent anger. They may learn how to tell if a patient is dangerous or is suffering from a mental illness. Both of which would require different methods to defuse the situation.
Meets Special Requirements
Finally, hospital security guards must meet special requirements in order to help out beyond security and meet state and federal regulations. Just like hospital staff, they must be trained in how to react to bloodborne pathogens and diseases that may require a quarantine.
They need to be trained in first aid and CPR as well. It’s also helpful to know common medical terminology to best aid first responders and staff in emergency situations.
Finding the right security guards in Lee County doesn’t have to be difficult. Contact us to learn more about how our guards are prepared to protect your staff and patients.
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