Shocking Revelations about Serial Killer Nurses

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Who are serial killer nurses?

Serial killer nurses have killed three or more patients to attain psychological gratification. Thus, it has become an issue of concern in the modern health care system.

The underlying question remains the motivation pushing some nurses to engage in such activities. Most people believe that serial killer nurses often gain notoriety among their colleagues before their crimes are exposed because they engage in elaborate conversations with grieving relatives.

The most common traits of serial killer nurses

Due to the intensity and concern of serial killer nurses, multiple red flags have been outlined as a checklist for health care professionals who are likely to engage in serial killing. These traits include:

• Swift movement from one hospital to another
• A history of mental instability
• Those facing disciplinary problems
• Most of them like to talk about death, while some exhibit weird behavior when someone dies
• The majority of them prefer night shifts to minimize the possibility of being caught
• They don’t want other nurses to check their patients
• Difficulties in developing personal relationships

A few of the above red flags would not be alarming when a nurse or a medical staff portrays a single one; however, it raises concerns when one nurse portrays at least five of them.

In most cases, when serial killer nurses are unmasked, it becomes apparent in the public domain through their close associates and friends that most people recognize such red flags.

Why do some nurses turn into serial killers?

• Hero syndrome, job-related, and individual challenges

Hero syndrome is primarily common among pediatric nurses. It implies a form of child abuse where care providers deliberately fabricate or induce illnesses in children to seek personal attention.

Some nurses like Hogel attacked a patient to impress other nurses by trying to revive them. Thus, he earned the name “resuscitation hero” because of his deliberate efforts to restore their health. The same applies to medical doctors who often kill because they desire to be regarded as “god” because they have power over patients.

Research has also disclosed that some nurses kill because they often feel devalued. Thus, their transition into serial killing is often instigated by other motives, such as gaining attention, finding recognition from their peers, assuaging depression, and acting to relieve frustrations and workload.

• Some nurses feel entitled to kill

It is challenging to conclude that health care serial killers enter the field to kill or fall into the trap of serial killing. It is believed that a few nurses enter the profession to become “angels of death” while others transform into serial killers on the job.

Interaction with people, especially those who need care, makes it easy for serial killer nurses to execute their ill motives. An example of such a nurse was Beverly Allitt, who killed, attempted to kill, and severely harmed thirteen children within her care within two months in Lincolnshire in 1991.

Digging deep into Alitt’s lifestyle, it became apparent that she portrayed weird tendencies even before she proceeded to the hospital, where she killed several children. For example, reports show she demonstrated coercive behavior towards an ex-partner before killing the children within her care.

• Others kill to get rid of difficult patients

Some nurses kill to get rid of “stubborn” patients. For example, Canadian serial killer nurse, Elizabeth Wetlaufer, confessed that she felt deep anger at her eight victims, whom she injected with insulin overdose, leading to their untimely deaths.

Strategies used by serial killer nurses to kill patients

• Poisoning

Criminologists from Birmingham City University found out that poisoning was the most common way used by serial killer nurses to murder. Most serial killer nurses are fond of using insulin overdose to kill their patients. For example, the research disclosed that approximately 25 percent of the healthcare serial killers used insulin overdose.

The research showed that they also used other medications and substances. For example, some serial killer nurses used muscle relaxants, opiates, potassium, and bleach.

The only case where a nurse used poisoning and suffocation simultaneously was in the case of Beverley Allitt.

Ways of mitigating patient deaths in hospitals emanating from serial killer nurses

Individual lives, including patients with devastating health status, should be protected to ensure their lives are not terminated by health care staff. First, it has been ascertained that most serial killers kill using drugs within the facilities. Therefore, it should be imperative for health care management to monitor access to drugs within hospitals.

Secondly, authorities and law enforcement agencies should look for a cluster of red flags to know if a possible serial killer is at work to keep watch over them.

Hospital administration should have appropriate strategies to regularly screen nurses and other health care staff against depression, mental instability, and personality disorders. This should be done regularly, and those with these conditions relieved from their duties until such a time when they will show improvements.

In conclusion, serial killer nurses have cost most families and countries globally by killing innocent people. In my independent opinion, I think nurses similar to police should have body cameras whenever they are on duty to ensure transparency and accountability of their actions while providing care to patients. This strategy will significantly reduce complaints and make them accountable for all their actions.