Am I too small to be a nurse?

[Sbhayes09]

Long story short, I went for my nursing school physical this morning and the doctor said she has concern about my size. I'm 5'3" and 92 lbs with a bmi of 16. She still cleared me for the program but I'm hoping to find others in my shoes. She said she was worried that I couldn't meet the physical demands of nursing. I have three children and I have ALWAYS been small. I weighed 54lb in the fifth grade and function normally. I can lift 50 lbs and did well in CNA clinicals. I'm not letting it discourage me but it definitely got into my head a little bit. Thanks guys!

[anewsns]

5 feet 120 lbs here not actually that strong. Doing fine.

[Ed1897]

I work at a hospital as a nursing assistant. We do the most physical work with the patients as far as turning, changing, repositioning atleast on my floor. I am 5'4 and my BMI is 18. The employee health nurse warned me that I was very little (like I don't know) and acted as if I'd have trouble doing my job. I can say that I do my job as well as any of the other aids and if someone is a two assist I obviously wouldn't be doing them on my own anyways. Don't worry about it

[Crush]

Some of the smallest nurses have also been known to be the toughest. I am 5'3" myself and been a nurse, well, long enough to know size doesn't matter.

[Lady_Leijing, BSN]

As a nurse that's 5 foot tall and 98 lbs, I can tell you that if you can handle the lifting of a cna, you can handle being a nurse. I've done both. Sometimes I need a step stool to reach things, or I have to have someone get something off shelves for me, but that doesn't prevent me from taking care of my patients. Teamwork definitely helps... and snacks. Keep a snack where you can get to it for those crazy shifts where you may not get a lunch until late.

[Lennonninja, MSN, APRN, NP]

One of the most amazing nurses I know is 4'11". Being short doesn't matter!