Extremely Overweight Nurses

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I've been seeing a lot of obese nurses lately. In my opinion it's not setting the right example,not is it SAFE. If someone codes or there's a fire a nurses who is huge can't run to get to/from the emergency. Another example ... CPR ! It's exhausting,if you're not fit to do it...should that patient pay the price? It's so hypocritical. I understand with long shifts and not much sleep... Gaining weight is extremely easy to do. However,choosing healthy food options ( not vending machines and pepsis) and staying active even on your days off is important.

The end

Specializes in Transitional Nursing.
I think the fact that you're a nurse and posted something like this shows that you have no compassion and that in itself is hypocrisy.

Not a nurse, THANK GOD!

:o owned.
Specializes in ED.

One thing I have learned by doing triage all the time is that the average weight of the American female is much more than it was 30 years ago. I will ask these young girls their height and weight and the average is 5'4" and 160-170lbs. These girls do not look fat, they look healthy. I'm sure according to BMI guidelines, they are obese, but most are physically active or play sports. Seeing this everyday has given me a different outlook on my own weight. Yes, I can stand to lose 50lbs, easy, but I don't consider myself obese compared to the average American female. Now, 30 years ago, these weights would have been appalling to me. Back then, we all strived to be stick figures and when looking at pictures, I see that I looked anorexic and definitely not healthy like the young girls of today. I should also add, that the girls of today seem much more confident in carrying around their weight. Let's keep it that way.

To the OP who worries if obese are safe.....like I said, I am hauling around an extra 50 or so pounds. The safest place you can be is in my care. I am fast on my feet, and even faster in my head. I can assess a situation just by walking in a room. I can do CPR like no body's business, and I have the a** to back it up. I am frequently in charge of my ER, and even in the most hectic of times, I keep things running smoothly. I have had more than one nurse tell me that they love when I am in charge because I keep things under control and am continuosly helping out the staff nurses.

Most of us middle aged nurses have gained a few pounds over the years. We have also gained years of experience and learned to finely hone our critical thinking skills and time management skills. The knowledge we have gained certainly outweighs the pounds we have gained.

Specializes in Adult Internal Medicine.

I work in primary care and one of my biggest challenges is if finding a way to connect with patients about their weight.

Being overweight doesn't mean you can't do your job. It may mean that you can't do your as well in the future, and that's what is my concern in my role.

Lifestyle changes are truly the most difficult interventions. And communication is difficult between patient and provider. I tend to take a encouraging role early in the relationship and then a more uncensored approach later in the relationship.

I know people have said this but as someone who has had an eating disorder (anorexia) I'm sure the times I was eating 500 cals a day was a time I was impaired, which was before I was a nurse or even a nursing student. And I feel like I'm impaired if my lunch is late at work now (dizzy). Meaning I think if you're able to do your job with a clear mind that's the most important thing. Nursing is so much about critical thinking. And even the healthiest most fit nurse should be using lift equipment etc for the really physical aspects. I'm sure the OP didn't realize how hurtful this post would be. Some opinions should probably be kept in your head. Hopefully this will be a living and learning experience. All of us have areas of health we can improve on, us humans (even nurses) aren't perfect!

Specializes in Trauma Surgical ICU.

And the OP never returns;go figure...

Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
And the OP never returns;go figure...

Hopefully it's because she's so ashamed of her judgemental and hypocritical post.

I'm not a salesperson for the product, but I can tell you that the Urban Rebounder (don't buy any other brand- the springs pop/break as soon as you jump on them, trust me) is the best invention since sliced bread. If you faithfully go bonkers on one twice a day for a half hour (running, jumping jacks, even jumping rope), you will be amazed at the way your belly fat melts away. They cost about $150 at the official site, but I get mine on Amazon (brand new, somehow) for about $70. Even though I workout every day, and run every day- it's this fun thing that keeps my belly flat. And? You can stay home and work out in your underwear, watch TV, and have almost zero impact on your joints. Most things are scams nowadays, it seems, but this thing is just outrageous.

This is something that was covered in my nutrition class. The discussion was really about the example an obese person sets as a health care provider and how some employers were starting to discriminate against obese people. It also has to do with the fact that most obese people will use more health care and drive up the cost of insurance. I think the OP was on track to make a valid point but she was not going in the right direction with it. I do agree that just because someone is overweight that doesn't mean they can't do there job. Keep in mind that obese is different than overweight as I am about 25# overweight at the moment.

I'm a really new nurse and I struggled with this healthy perception issue all throughout nursing school. People in my family and my friends started coming to me for health advice and I felt like such a fraud because I spent my last year of school in a bulimic haze. I managed to finish school and work my tech job on the side, but it just seemed like incredible pressure to be the picture of health to set an example. But since then I've learned that (surprise!) even nurses aren't perfect and that is totally ok. As long a we can take care of our patients well, I don't think our personal stuff matters so much. And it certainly shouldn't matter to other people.

ps I'm glad to report I'm doing much better.

I've been seeing lots of obese nurses and physicians and cops and teachers and politicians and priests and clerks and engineers and...

Obesity is a huge issue in our country and nurses are a significant percentage of the population and hence, many obese nurses.

Go figures.

Who gives a rip? We're not here to be examples of piety and virtue. And the truth is, the patients don't look at us as examples, anyhow.Oh, I see. Do you view 'safety' as a binary condition, either something is or is not safe? What is the safe BMI? How 'bout the safe IQ or safe age? Or safe knowledge level? Or safe sleep habits? Or safe amount of upper-body strength? Perhaps only men of certain stature should be permitted to be nurses. Much safer, you know.

Hm... in my 700-bed trauma center, running is forbidden. It's not safe, you know.

Well, one can have a BMI of 21 and still be unfit if they don't get aerobic exercise. And I've seen some pretty large folks pull their 2-minutes in the rotation without difficulty.

In fact, I'd argue that 250 lb nurse is more likely to give good chest compressions than a 125 lb nurse... more upper body weight to drop onto the chest.

Not to mention that nurses generally have more specialized tasks in codes than doing CPR.

Hypocritical? How's that?

Definition: The practice of claiming to have moral standards or beliefs to which one's own behavior does not conform.

Does the fact of being obese mean somehow that said nurse is claiming some moral standard or belief about obesity?

Here's a thought: Maybe the hypocrisy is facing you in the mirror since you seem to be picking this particular health disorder out of the myriad.

Sure it is (or they are). So are driving the speed limit, avoiding tobacco, and wearing a helmet every time one rides a bike. Does that mean violators of those good-health practices are also unfit to be nurses?

Your prescription for the problem is so oversimplistic that it's almost difficult to believe that you're actually a nurse. Perhaps you just know very little about disease processes.

Signed,

a 69", 175 lb male.

LOVEEEE YOUR POST! Thank you dear.

Penn State us requiring all employees to submit to blood testing, BMI testing, and other things, and requiring the completion of an online health assessment for non union employees. Based on weight, etc. they will have to start a weight loss program, or pay more for insurance. Here it comes...

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