Healthcare workers are significantly more likely than employees in other professions to experience violence on the job, prompting renewed efforts across California to strengthen protections for hospital staff.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, healthcare workers are five times more likely than other workers to experience workplace violence.
“When you’re in a hospital, when you’re managing a patient, there’s proximity,” said Marguerite Paradis, chief nursing officer at Sharp Grossmont Hospital.
That proximity can sometimes lead to threats or physical violence from patients.
“Somebody might say they might swing on you if you try to take vital signs on them,” said Sharp Grossmont registered nurse, Lindsay Bond. “Maybe somebody is diagnosed with dementia so they don’t understand what’s happening, so they might claw at you or, you know, kick out at you.”
Bond said nurses must balance caring for patients while also protecting themselves.
“I think that that’s just a part of nursing. So this is the busiest ER in San Diego. We have the highest volume. We see the most amount of people,” Bond said.” Every day I know that I’m going to see somebody that’s having the worst day of their life.”
The San Diego County Hospital Violence Task Force is working to address the issue. The group includes leaders from healthcare, law enforcement and the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office. Members meet every other month to explore ways to prevent, address and prosecute assaults against healthcare workers.
Since the task force was established in 2023, the District Attorney’s Office has prosecuted more than 125 hospital-related violence cases.
Despite experiencing workplace violence during her career, Bond said it has never made her question becoming a nurse.
“It takes a certain type of person to want to be a nurse, and that just doesn’t change no matter what kind of patient you see,” Bond said.
When asked what kind of person that is, Bond said:
“I think that you really like to take care of someone. You like to care for them, and you see them on their worst day and hope that you can make it a little bit brighter… Hence why I always wear bright scrubs.”
Assembly Bill 977, implemented into law in 2025, increased jail time and financial penalties for people who assault hospital emergency department workers
Senate Bill 19, enacted in 2025, allows for the prosecution of threats made against medial facilities, schools, houses of worship and other locations
This story was originally reported for broadcast by NBC San Diego. AI tools helped convert the story to a digital article, and an NBC San Diego journalist edited the article for publication.