A nurse is being forced to quit her dream job after she was attacked three times in a year, leaving her terrified to set foot on the ward.

Wendy Boulton's career is in ruins after she became a victim of the rising tide of violence against staff.

The 42-year-old suffered three violent attacks at the hands of patients at Sunderland Royal Hospital, leaving her so traumatised she is unable to return to work.

Wendy, from Fence Houses, near Sunderland, dreamed of becoming "a really good nurse" and making a difference to patients' lives when she qualified two years ago.

But she has been on sick leave for six months after being punched, scratched, kicked and shoved to the floor by violent male patients.

She suffered panic attacks when she tried to go back to work and is pinning her hopes on getting a nursing job away from the wards. Attempts to start a career outside of nursing have failed because of her sick record.

City Hospitals Sunderland NHS Trust, which runs Sunderland Royal Hospital and Eye Infirmary, had 338 attacks last year. Wendy said: "It's really stressful. I don't think I can go back on the ward.

"I'm not the only one who has been assaulted and it doesn't always get reported. You think 'it's just part of the job'."

Wendy had worked on an elderly care ward at Sunderland Royal Hospital since becoming a qualified staff nurse in March 2003. She said: "The first incident happened after a about a year. A patient tried to leave the ward and I was grabbed by both arms and shoved against the wall and had bruises on my arm.

The second time, I was punched in the face and ended up in casualty with a suspected broken jaw. A male patient lost his temper and punched me and knocked my glasses off. He said he would do it again. Fortunately, my jaw wasn't broken, just really bruised.

In the third incident, a patient lost control and he grabbed hold of me and wouldn't let go.

"I was thrown against the corner of the wall and ended up on the floor underneath a consultant, two registrars, an auxiliary and the patient. I had a bruised back and bruises on both arms."

She added: "When I went back to work on the ward, all of a sudden I felt really ill. I was dizzy; my heart was pounding; I couldn't breathe and I got the shakes. I was having a panic attack.

"I was told the patient that assaulted me had assaulted three other members of staff."

After the third attack last July, Wendy had a two-month temporary job in a hospital clinic and tried unsuccessfully to work on a different ward.

But she has been off sick since November because a non-ward-based job can't be found.

She fears she may have to change careers and even applied to join the police, but failed because of her poor sick record.

"I will go anywhere as long as it's not on a ward," she said.

A spokesman for City Hospitals Sunderland said: "Violence against staff is totally unacceptable. Although the trust makes every effort to ensure support, security and training are constantly available, it is hard in a busy patient environment to prevent isolated incidents, often where patients and relatives are disorientated, confused or worried.

"We sympathise greatly with Wendy and are providing help and support in finding a suitable position for her."

Glenn Turp, regional director of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN), said violence against healthcare staff is "unacceptable" and the RCN is calling for attacks on health workers to become a criminal offence.

He said: "The only solution to wipe it out totally is to make it socially and legally unacceptable."