Obese Nurse....I feel like a fraud

Nurses Stress 101

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I feel like a fraud because I'm an "unhealthy" nurse. I think that one of the major things that held me back from actually starting nursing was my weight. Now hold on, hear me out. I had been a cna for years and I always wanted to go into nursing but I worried about my weight. As a cna who has mostly worked in nursing homes, a lot of aides look like me, they are overweight and smiling, just pushing wheelchairs to and fro. I used to wonder why they hired a large amount of overweight women for the nursing home to lift people, but the male aides were generally in good shape. These two things probably are completely unrelated to each other though and I am paralleling them. But I remember working at the hospital as an aide and always being conscious of being the heaviest worker on the floor. I quit the hospital when I broke a toilet........like seriously, sitting on the floor surrounded by porcelain and water and the most embarrassing moment of my life, but that still didn't push me to loose the weight. So fast foward and I eventually got tired of waiting for myself to loose enough weight to get accepted into nursing school.......completed unrelated but I had this fear of being accepted into nursing school and failing because of my obesity, but I pushed through and now I'm a nurse, but still obese and I feel like I'm scared to apply for jobs other than long-term care because who will hire an obese nurse? And now I'm even thinking of putting off rn school until I get at a decent weight because I don't think that I have seen many really morbidly obese nurses working in hospitals or clinics. And honestly, when I was in school I remember reading a chapter on how the nurse should take care of themselves mentally and physically so that they can take care of others and I knew right then that I was not living up to what I should be bringing to the nursing field, a healthy individual to take care of those who need help. So I just feel like a fraud......does anyone else have a similar story or triumph they would like to share about having health issues and being a nurse? Thank you all.

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Specializes in LTC, assisted living, med-surg, psych.

I never weighed less than 240# the entire time I was a nurse. I also never had trouble getting a job because of the weight. Granted, this was during a boom time for nursing employment, but I can say in all honesty that being obese didn't hold me back from anything I wanted to do in this profession.

Yes, carrying around extra weight does make the job harder on the back, knees, and other joints. Floor nursing is tough, physical work, and you'll go home sore and tired every day. You'll also face criticism from those who believe a nurse ought to be healthy, at least in her/his appearance. But if you want to be a nurse badly enough, nothing can get in your way unless you let it. Good luck to you in your endeavors!

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Specializes in ICU, Postpartum, Onc, PACU.

I completely understand that, since I work in ICU (which still includes health teaching) and have been on both sides: healthy and obese. I'm currently extremely obese again, but am working on getting healthier and smaller since I still vaguely remember what that feeling was like. Not having to worry that the clothing stores would be too small, being able to choose what to wear from unlimited choices rather than having to stick to the same boring/huge clothes all the time, etc. I've lost 7 lbs in a week without even trying and I know that pace won't keep up and I'll eventually have to start trying :sniff: It's not easy for me, especially where I live (Napa Valley with endless food/wine based gatherings), but I've done it before and I know I can do it again. If you want to change it you can and good luck to you if you decide to do so! :up:

xo

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Specializes in Burn ICU.

The beauty of health is there are a lot of causes of obesity so really only you know why you are obese. You are aware of your situation which is more than most obese patients can say from my experience. It's your choice to pursue your RN but I think if it's what you want, you should go for it.

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Specializes in ICU, Postpartum, Onc, PACU.
I feel like a fraud because I'm an "unhealthy" nurse. I think that one of the major things that held me back from actually starting nursing was my weight. Now hold on, hear me out. I had been a cna for years and I always wanted to go into nursing but I worried about my weight. As a cna who has mostly worked in nursing homes, a lot of aides look like me, they are overweight and smiling, just pushing wheelchairs to and fro. I used to wonder why they hired a large amount of overweight women for the nursing home to lift people, but the male aides were generally in good shape. These two things probably are completely unrelated to each other though and I am paralleling them. But I remember working at the hospital as an aide and always being conscious of being the heaviest worker on the floor. I quit the hospital when I broke a toilet........like seriously, sitting on the floor surrounded by porcelain and water and the most embarrassing moment of my life, but that still didn't push me to loose the weight. So fast foward and I eventually got tired of waiting for myself to loose enough weight to get accepted into nursing school.......completed unrelated but I had this fear of being accepted into nursing school and failing because of my obesity, but I pushed through and now I'm a nurse, but still obese and I feel like I'm scared to apply for jobs other than long-term care because who will hire an obese nurse? And now I'm even thinking of putting off rn school until I get at a decent weight because I don't think that I have seen many really morbidly obese nurses working in hospitals or clinics. And honestly, when I was in school I remember reading a chapter on how the nurse should take care of themselves mentally and physically so that they can take care of others and I knew right then that I was not living up to what I should be bringing to the nursing field, a healthy individual to take care of those who need help. So I just feel like a fraud......does anyone else have a similar story or triumph they would like to share about having health issues and being a nurse? Thank you all.

Do you know if you're in that rare 3-5% of people who have real medical reasons why you're obese? Most people don't fit in this category and, if they're fat, they obviously just don't want to change, but you could be the exception.

Either way, if you feel like you can do the job, then go for it. You should be able to lift things and sit and stand for long periods of time, but otherwise, you should be golden! :yes:

xo

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Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.
I feel like I'm scared to apply for jobs other than long-term care because who will hire an obese nurse?

Although I am now at a normal weight and size, I started my career as an obese nurse (5'1 & 216 lbs) in 2006 and never had problems finding employment. However, this was during the nursing shortage time period. Also, I am in Texas, where obesity is socially acceptable to a certain degree.

Your profile indicates you are in Mississippi, which has the notorious distinction of having the highest prevalence of obesity in the entire country. Since nearly 40 percent of adults in your state are obese, I am sure hiring managers are hiring obese nurses where you live.

I suspect your fears and insecurities about being obese are holding you back more than your actual body weight.

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Switch your thinking around. If I was a obese patient, I'd probably roll my eyes at any cute, thin 20-something year old trying to do any weight or exercise education. As an obese nurse, I'm sure there are plenty of patients who roll their eyes at me, but there are going to be some that trust you more, listen to you more BECAUSE you are obese. You know the struggle, the stigma, the challenges of being obese better than many others.

I once was volunteering at a free clinic. There was one chair in the room. The chair had arm rests. A morbidly obese person came in. A non-obese nurse probably would have not thought about that one chair and the fact that the patient would not fit. Me, I had another chair in that room before the patient had a chance to be embarrassed about it.

You have gifts to offer. Your size should not prevent us from receiving them. :)

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What a lovely group of people on this site and thank you all for your comments! Maybe I can get some blood work panels done and start from there.

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