WATCH: Nurse Uses Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Skills To Fight Off Crazed Patient

A video of an Australian nurse using his 10 years of training in Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) to fend off a crazed patient at the Brisbane hospital has gone viral this week.

Daniel Nelson, who is registered in the Australian Army, posted the security camera footage of himself from October 2024 that shows the workplace violence that “many people never see.” The video, which Nelson posted on his LinkedIn account last week, shows the nurse fighting off an intoxicated patient at Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital, prompting him to use his decade of training in martial arts. 

Nelson explained that the patient was showing signs of intoxication while “verbally abusing staff, spitting on the floor, and behaving aggressively.” After the man was asked to leave, Nelson escorted the patient out before the apparently drunk man turned around and threw items at him and began punching him.

“Somewhere along the way, he decided assaulting the nurse was a good idea. … In a stroke of genius, he decided he wanted a cuddle,” Nelson wrote on the post. “Safe to say, it didn’t work out the way he expected.”

The nurse, who has served the Australian Army for more than 21 years, used his 10-year “obsession” with BJJ to defend himself, wrestling the man and putting him in a choke hold until security arrived. 

While the training and quick reflexes benefitted Nelson, he explained that not everyone would have been capable of stopping the intoxicated individual.

“What if he had targeted a nurse half my size,” he said. “A new graduate? A student? Someone without the ability or confidence to physically defend themselves?”

He went on to write later in his post that situations like these with patients are actually very common and healthcare workers should not have to experience this kind of violence and harassment at the workplace.

“Violence against healthcare workers isn’t ‘just part of the job.’ It’s unacceptable and alcohol is no excuse,” Nelson stated. “To all my colleagues who continue to show up despite this sort of behavior: I see you and appreciate what you do every day.”

The nurse ended the post by explaining the man pleaded guilty to common assault and was fined $450.