A FEMALE psychiatric nurse has revealed the harrowing reality of her day to day job after she was attacked TWICE by patients.

Christie, 25, originally from The Wirral, was kicked in the stomach by one patient and hospitalised with facial and chest burns by another.

While at work at Springfield University Hospital in London, Christie had boiling water poured over her and was raced by ambulance to St George’s Hospital in Tooting, south west London, where her story is told on Channel 4's 24 Hours in A&E tonight.

Christie was restraining a patient when they lashed out and viciously attacked her with boiling water.

“We had to give the patient antipsychotic medication.

"We had to restrain her to give it and then she came back and attacked me afterwards,” Christie said.

But, horrifyingly, it's not the first time Christie’s been assaulted on the job.

According to her boyfriend Nathan, who also talks on the programme, she had been attacked before. “Someone kicked her in the stomach,” he said.

“They kicked her in the stomach and then grabbed her hand and like slammed it against the wall. It's not good. She should just get a normal job, sitting at a desk.”

Following the ordeals, Christie confessed that the attacks affected her confidence.

“I'm definitely a lot more cautious at work,” she told the show.

“I am cautious opening doors. I'm cautious if someone's behind me. It's definitely affected working life.”

Christie moved to London shortly after finishing university to be with boyfriend Nathan, who had secured a job in the capital.

Nathan told how he was at work when Christie was attacked.

Receiving a phone call, he initially thought it was Christie. But it was a nurse.

“She just said, 'Christie's in a bad way... she's just asking you to go to St George's as quickly as you can’,” he recalled.

Learning she had suffered burns, he was clearly very upset.

“A million things raced through my mind at once. Is it permanent? What is it? How's Christie? How's she doing? How's she coping with it all?

“As soon as I heard it was on her face and her neck I presumed the worst because it's such a visible area of the body.”

Karen, her mum, who also spoke on the show, added: “I couldn't get my head around why would somebody want to do this. You feel sick, you just you want to cry, you just think the worst.

“From a very young age she was always looking after the younger ones.

“Because her nan and granddad were both mental health support workers she then got a temporary job in the hospital."

Despite her terrible ordeals, Christie is back at work after her burns, thankfully, appear to have healed.

She bravely said: “I don't know what I'd do if I didn't go to work.

“I enjoy it too much not to go.”

When we approached Springfield University Hospital for a comment on whether Christie's attack had been investigated. They said:

"Patients have access to hot water via the tea making facilities on the wards.

"Following this serious incident, the Trust undertook a detailed investigation and root cause analysis.

"As a result of the investigation, learning was identified and changes have been implemented.

"This included an environmental risk assessment on hot water and safe temperatures and a review of patient access to hot water points.

"The safety of both our staff and our patients is paramount," they added.

"Any incident of violence or abuse against staff is unacceptable and we are committed to supporting staff who have experienced any form of assault or abuse.”