As the latest season of “The Pitt” wrapped, viewers watched a familiar pattern unfold: healthcare workers navigating not only high-stakes care, but sudden, escalating workplace violence. Nurse Emma Nolan is first grabbed during a tense interaction, then later attacked in a confined patient room with no ability to call for help. In a separate incident, Dr. Mel King is knocked to the ground by a patient attempting to evade police.
While dramatized, these moments reflect a growing reality inside healthcare facilities. Workplace violence is not an isolated incident, but a routine part of the job for many clinicians. That normalization carries consequences—not just for individual safety, but for workforce stability, operational performance, and patient care.
The Cumulative Toll of Repeated Workplace Violence Incidents
Workplace violence is often discussed as a series of individual events. But for clinicians, the impact is cumulative.
According to a new CENTEGIX report, more than two-thirds (68%) of healthcare workers have experienced at least one violent incident in the past year, and nearly three-quarters have witnessed one.
Over time, repeated exposure to workplace violence reshapes healthcare workers’ experiences. Seventy-five percent report burnout-related feelings, with nearly two-thirds citing workplace violence and safety concerns as contributing factors. Nearly half (48%) say those concerns impact their ability to deliver compassionate patient care.
As Dr. Victoria Javadi observes in “The Pitt” season two finale, “Look at what this place does to you. … The more time I spend here, the more I realize the importance of mental health—for patients and for us.”
Her observation underscores a broader reality: Workplace violence is not just a safety issue—it’s an operational one. Retention, staffing stability, and quality of care are all influenced by whether clinicians feel protected in their environment.
These experiences shape how employees approach their work: Seventy-five percent report burnout-related feelings, with nearly two-thirds citing workplace violence and safety concerns as contributing factors. The workplace violence depicted on “The Pitt” was deliberately layered into the chaos to highlight exactly how these incidents become normalized in clinical settings amid all of the other mental health challenges providers may be facing—and how they can compound.
Why Seconds Matter in Escalating Situations
Physical violence rarely occurs without warning. It builds over time—through small moments and escalating triggers—until, without timely de-escalation, it can boil over into a physical encounter. In these situations, time is the most critical factor.
More than one in four healthcare workers report worrying about their personal safety every week. Yet many clinicians lack a fast, reliable way to call for help.
When response is delayed— even by seconds—incidents are more likely to intensify.
“The Pitt” illustrates this dynamic clearly. In season one, the interaction between Charge Nurse Dana Evans and a patient, Doug Driscoll, grew more tense throughout the course of the shift, as he complained about waiting nine hours to be seen. When Evans was alone outside on a smoke break, Driscoll assaulted her, and she had no way to signal for help.
In season two, Evans is the catalyst for de-escalating both incidents that occur with new nurse Emma Nolan during her first shift—first scolding a patient for grabbing her and teaching her to yell “Code: Hula Hoop” if she ever needs help. When the second patient puts Nolan in a headlock in an enclosed patient room, she can’t yell. Evans only intervenes because she calls the code when she sees the incident occurring.
These accurate depictions paint a clear picture: Healthcare staff need a personal device to immediately signal for help, no matter where they are, or what other methods they have access to.
Effective workplace safety strategies depend on three factors: how quickly staff can signal for help, how precisely responders can locate the incident, and how efficiently teams can mobilize across a facility. Without these elements in place, even well-trained teams are forced into reactive responses rather than early intervention.
The Gap Between Safety Expectations and Preparedness
Despite the prevalence of workplace violence, many healthcare workers lack confidence in their organization’s ability to protect them.
During Nolan’s assault, we see how Evans is still carrying the trauma of her encounter with Driscoll nearly a year later: She’s been keeping a vial of a fast-acting sedative in her pocket. While that vigilance allows her to respond quickly when Nolan is attacked, Evans reveals she’s had it with her during every shift since she was attacked in the ambulance bay. This underscores the lasting psychological toll healthcare workers may experience as a result of repeated violence, and how they may feel the need to take precautions into their own hands to stay safe.
More than 60% say their organization’s safety efforts do not demonstrate a strong concern for their security, and nearly one-third describe their programs as reactive rather than proactive.
Preparedness gaps are also significant: Fewer than 40% of healthcare workers report receiving both safety training and drill practice in the past year, while 15% report receiving no training at all.
These gaps create environments where protocols exist on paper, but do not translate into practice—an area where facility and security leaders play a critical role in bridging planning and real-world readiness.
What Hospitals Are Getting Right, and Where Gaps Remain
Healthcare organizations have invested in security personnel, surveillance systems, and incident response protocols. But these measures are not always sufficient on their own.
When asked what makes them feel most safe, healthcare workers pointed to a layered approach: security personnel (55%), followed by user-activated wearable duress buttons (42%), and video monitoring (30%).
This distinction matters. Surveillance can provide visibility, but not immediate action. In rapidly evolving situations, staff need the ability to actively initiate an alert for help.
At the same time, access to these tools remains uneven. More than half of healthcare workers report not having access to a wearable duress button, despite its high perceived value.
For facilities leaders, it’s imperative that safety investments align with the realities of frontline workflows.
Designing Safety Strategies that Support—Not Surveil
As facilities leaders evaluate safety technologies, it’s crucial to remember that adoption comes down to trust.
Healthcare workers consistently prefer tools that support them in moments of need without introducing continuous monitoring. Nearly 70% say they would choose a solution that shares their location only when they activate an alert, rather than one that tracks them throughout their shift.
This preference reflects a simple reality: Safety solutions must feel protective, not intrusive.
When implemented effectively, access to personal safety tools is associated with stronger perceptions of organizational support, increased feelings of protection, and greater confidence in emergency response.
Technology alone is not the answer. But when integrated thoughtfully, it can reinforce a broader culture of safety.
Moving from Reactive Response to Proactive Prevention
Workplace violence in healthcare is not new. But its impact on workforce resilience and patient care can’t be ignored. What has traditionally been treated as a security issue is now a broader operational priority—one that affects retention, performance, and the overall care environment.
“The Pitt” doesn’t just depict moments of violence. It shows how those moments accumulate, shaping the strain clinicians carry throughout their shifts.
For healthcare facilities leaders, the takeaway is clear: Safety is defined not by how organizations respond after an incident, but by how effectively they enable staff to act, in the moments when seconds matter most.
Andrea Greco is the SVP of healthcare safety at CENTEGIX. The company’s 2026 Healthcare Workforce Safety Report is available for download here.