In A Medical Office Waiting Room...

[film495]

I worked in a hospital for about 4 years. Everyone in the building is trained to see and respond to triggers of agitation that lead to a violent outburst, outbursts are standard day to day fair at a hospital. People don't always like what they hear when it is not good news and there are all sorts of behaviors that kick up when people jump from denial to anger. In my experience a loud person is not really a threat, they are acting out to get attention or are huring and need help. In my opinion you were in a yellow level threat situation worth paying attention to, but it would not have raised my heart rate much to be honest, seen it 100 times. Maybe just scan and know where all the exits are and sit closer to them. I'm unaware of any incidents taking place in hospital waiting rooms, maybe there have been, but I don't think it is a high risk place to be unless you live in Ukraine or Israel.

 

[gilgsn]

You should be the weapon, the gun being just a tool. Hand-to-hand training is a must for anyone packing IMHO. What you think is going to be a gunfight might end-up on the floor fighting for your gun. Anything can happen that might render its use impossible. I often hear students (I have taught a bit) make excuses for not training, often because of old injuries or some physical limitations. To those I ask "Do you think a criminal is going to care?" One of my students was in his 70s and had only one leg... He did what he could and it sure was way better than no training at all. Tools and training do only one thing, they increase your odds of survival, but there are no guarantees. I remember my instructor once was asked by a student about a gun disarm, "what if the guy is a bit further away?" To which he replied "then you die."
Hand-to hand training also might give you just the extra confidence not to draw your gun in fear, maybe prematurely, escalating the situation. On the other hand, men with a little bit of training tend to overestimate their ability to fight by a very wide margin, especially without a weapon, so one should be really sure of his abilities before going all out...
Gil.

 

[Scrapiron45]

Since I have two professional healthcare workers in my immediate family I did a little informal research into the security their offices.
One works in public health for the state, the other is in private practice.
Both rely on locked doors and admitting windows to keep a violent person out of the inner offices.
The state has hallway and waiting room cameras, however they are not regularly monitored.
The private office is thought to have waiting room cameras and the doctor and two of the nurses carry.
The state office has 911 panic buttons throughout the complex that are intended to summon police.

Next time you're sitting in a crowded waiting room comfort yourself with the fact that the US Bureau of Labor Statistics tells us that those in the medical fields are five times more likely to experience workplace violence than employees in all other industries.