The *PERFECT* Nurse Image? What???

Nurses General Nursing

Published

Specializes in Case Manager, LTC,Staff Dev/NAT Instr.

Hello fellow nurses I have a problem with people saying nursing is for certain perfect people...like nurses shouldn't smoke or be overweight because how can we teach someone and we are in the same boat which in some way I see their point but HELLO-Reality Check... I don't smoke but I have since the holidays put on some weight..I would love to hear your views on this issue.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in ED.

I have heard the same thing this past weekend while at a nursing convention. I'm overweight (about 30 lbs) and I smoke a few ciggies a day. I'm human! I deal with my stress (three preschoolers, nursing school, husband has post traumatic stress) like everyone else does.

Now I do see the saying that how can you teach someone to stop smoking and eat better and so on..., but I do it just like everyone else does. Its not like I wear a smokers patch that says "look at her, shes a smoker" that clients are going to see while I'm telling them certain things and quite frankly its my buisness anyway.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Pediatrics.

believe me, i do not practice what i preach!! fortunately, i don't have a weight issue (i'm no twig, but i'd say i'm a little above average). my thing is, i don't practice what i preach regarding caring for children. i'm a peds nurse. my daughter consumes sugar (yes she does), i'm not sure if that's why she's hanging from the chandelier right now :chuckle (she's a spirited almost five year old, lets just say). she's not big on the veggies, i didn't breastfeed, and she sleeps in our bed (now before anyone comments, if we wanted her out of the bed, we'd put her in her bed!!!). and you know what, i'm happy with the way she turned out!! so it's kind of hard for me to preach these things and say 'you must do x,y,and z. (please do not preach on the benefits of breastfeeding, i know them- it didn't work out for me- i would never deter someone from doing it though).

also my hubby smokes- but he's lost 60+lbs on atkins (and still going), so i doubt he'll give that up right now. another thing i wouldn't necessarily preach.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I know two registered dieticians who are both grossly overweight yet they still go to work everyday.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Utilization Management.

I have a few health problems. It really helps my patients to know that I've been where they're going--and I'm back to work. :)

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.

I am a work in progress.

so are all of us humans. :D :twocents: :twocents:

I am far from perfect, but I am trying to clean up my act, esp. in the eating department.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Med-Surg, Trauma, Ortho, Neuro, Cardiac.

:yeahthat: Deb said it well. I'm a work in progress. I overeat when I'm stressed, I need to loose about 5 pounds, I drink too much coffee, I don't sleep enough on a regular pattern, I need to exercise a bit more. The point is I try to do things that are nurturing, but am my own worst enemy.

Careful what you say and how you say it. We've had many a thread on this topic and it always gets heated with the "I'm an overweight (or smoking nurse), and I'm a good nurse, my size/smoking has nothing to do with my nursing and how dare you judge......" :sofahider

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Women's health & post-partum.

When I retired, I was about 70 lbs overweight, in spite of many efforts to lose (would you say nursing is stressful?). Since I retired, I've been able to take off a little over half (a work in progress). I cannot remember ever having a patient comment unfavorably on my weight. They didn't seem to care what size I was as long as they were getting their meds on time, and the care they needed.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Babies, peds, pain management.

I recently read about a health care agency (insurance or HMO, not hospital) that made all employers take a urine test for nicotine. If they refused or failed the test, they were fired. I thought then, I'm a fat (yes, obese) woman who has never been pregnant or children (adopted or step). Am I going to lose my job in OB/Nsy? I don't think so, but who knows what lies ahead?

Up Vote Up Vote ×
believe me, i do not practice what i preach!! fortunately, i don't have a weight issue (i'm no twig, but i'd say i'm a little above average). my thing is, i don't practice what i preach regarding caring for children. i'm a peds nurse. my daughter consumes sugar (yes she does), i'm not sure if that's why she's hanging from the chandelier right now :chuckle (she's a spirited almost five year old, lets just say). she's not big on the veggies, i didn't breastfeed, and she sleeps in our bed (now before anyone comments, if we wanted her out of the bed, we'd put her in her bed!!!). and you know what, i'm happy with the way she turned out!! so it's kind of hard for me to preach these things and say 'you must do x,y,and z. (please do not preach on the benefits of breastfeeding, i know them- it didn't work out for me- i would never deter someone from doing it though).

also my hubby smokes- but he's lost 60+lbs on atkins (and still going), so i doubt he'll give that up right now. another thing i wouldn't necessarily preach.

i did the family bed with all of mine. i still have a 1 year old in my bed but the other two sleep in their own rooms now. well most of the time. since we just got a king size bed the kids keep migrating back. especially on the days that my hubby works nights. i also breastfed. and still had a drink every now and then while doing it. yes sometimes while i was in the process of nursing (they were over 6 months by then). i always had the babies in bed and just rolled onto my side when they were little. when they could find it themselves i just stayed on my side. horrible isn't it. but hey i was a better rested mom than those with babes in cribs. i don't really think that co-sleeping is all that dangerous if you have some limits. not sure how i could look a mom in the face and tell her not to. the nurses at the hospital after i had mine didn't say anything and i had put mine in bed with me there too!

oh yeah i am overweight too. but nurses (and future nurses) are just extra special normal people.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in LTC.

I breastfed my daughter until she got teeth and bit me. She slept w/ her dad and me until she was about 9-10 years old. She decided she wanted to sleep in her own room. Thankfully. She turned out ok.

I am also 100 lbs overweight and smoke pk qd. Worked in a high stress doctors office. It finally got to be just too much. Enough was enough, I now work in a small LTC facility without the excess stress. Its the best LTC I have worked in. We have 45 beds. A short staffed night on 3-11 is 3 aides. The administrator started working 2 nurses on 7-3 +3-11 because it is to much work for one nurse when most of the shift is spent passing meds. I am now beginning to lose wt and will eventually quit smoking again.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in M/S, OB, Ortho, ICU, Diabetes, QA/PI.

try being the Diabetes Clinician at your hospital!! Patients have not ever said anything to me but alot of the hospital staff sure feels comfortable asking me in the cafeteria if it is appropriate for the diabetes educator to be eating dessert (I don't even have diabetes and even if I did, it's none of their business) so I say "As long as we have respiratory therapists who smoke and obese nurses working at this place, I guess I'm ok." - that has stopped a few people in their tracks but I've been here 2 years and it still happens. Not that I'm a twig or anything - I'm about 40-50 lbs overweight - but I don't hassle patients or the employees that I know who have diabetes - it gets really tedious having to defend myself against something that's no one's business anyway. Oh well....... :uhoh3:

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Add a Comment