Extremely Overweight Nurses

Nurses Career Support

Published

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

(IS not us)

0 Votes

And I forgot the saliva test to check for nicotine!

0 Votes

Weight is a factor just like bipolar disorder,depression,OCD,co-dependence,underweight individuals, dwarfism, laziness, ...there is something wrong with all of us so get over it.

0 Votes
Specializes in Ortho.

I would reconsider posting items like this.

0 Votes
Specializes in Oncology.

The OP was talking about obese nurses that can't do their job because of their weight. If you are an obese nurse that can do a good job regardless of your weight (like I will be soon), then this post is not about you. Relax.

0 Votes

Your post lacks maturity. Think about it a little more.

0 Votes
Specializes in Aged care, disability, community.

As someone who was an obese CNA, (BMI 36) to now just overweight (25.28). I can see where the original poster is coming from. We have several CNAs at work who carry extra weight and it doesn't affect them, but we have one who is unable to put lace up shoes on residents as she can't reach their feet, she is unable to apply ted stockings for the same reason. In the 4 1/2 years I have been there I have never, ever seen her stand up straight, she is always leaning on something. She sits down for as much of the cares as possible, will not pick up things off the ground, will not hand out meal trays to independent eaters, she will grab a tray for someone who needs assistance to eat and will sit with them for the entire hour even if they are finished. She also cannot physically fit in the shower with a resident so she doesn't shower anyone. Her BMI is also over 40.

0 Votes
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.

Well said

0 Votes

I just wanted to say that I can completely agree with your post.

As a former smoker I was continually offended that anyone had anything to say

about my smoking. "Its my health, my decision" is how I felt. Smokers have been targeted

in so many areas with little fight put up for them. Smokers were the tip of the iceberg.

I can honestly say at one time or another I have said, "I could just see the uproar if they

started messing with obese people like they do smokers". With obesity in the United States

increasing at such an alarming rate it is no wonder that the burden of obesity is now being

bought to the front of the burner. Yes, Burden, While it appears everyone who posts on these

boards who is overweight appears to be healthy as well, that is not the norm. Im not going to

write a thesis here on the comorbidity's related to obesity and the healthcare expenditures each

year related to it and shouldnt have too. I do feel it is in bad taste for an overweight or obese

doctor/nurse/nutritionist/diabetes educator, whatever to educate a lifestyle they are unable

to maintain themselves. Studies HAVE found a patients perception, attitudes and willingness to

participate is directly affected by the person giving the advice. (The effect of physicians' body weight on patient attitudes: implications for physician selection, trust and adherence to medical adviceR M Puhl, J A Gold, J Luedicke and J A DePierre, published in The International Journal of Obesity).

Do I think its right? No, Do I think overweight nurses are less able to perform their jobs? No. But I felt the same about smokers as well.

Where I live they are implementing nicotine tests prior to hire. If you are a smoker they wont hire you. No one has a problem with this.

But a growing number of places, (Its actually starting in Texas) are not hiring people over a certain BMI (or smokers) because of the image it portrays to the patients. There has been a LOT of backlash over that one.

0 Votes

This was posted a long time ago and I see many people were offended. I apologize for that. I think many of you misinterpreted my main point here. Which was safety. The reason I originally posted this was because I was working as a CNA in a small kentucky city. There was two nurses I worked with regularly who were obese. Their weight held them back from daily tasks,like rounding on pts,walking the halls,or even making it to the bathroom. Sometimes our pts paid the price,if they made it there earlier maybe we could of avoided certain situations. Now these were purely physical limitations! Intelligence,motivation to learn and skill were not what these women were lacking.

I am a child of a strict military father and a spouse of a active duty soldier. To me, setting an example,being a leader,and even a strong team player is important. So I don't understand how any person can stand at someone's bedside (doctor,nurse,pa,pt..whoever) and preach words of healthy living. While they don't do a thing they're telling their pt to do. That's not very good leadership. Nurses are given the education to take great care of themselves,try. It's hard..but try.

No, I'm not a nurse yet. I will be soon. After 5 years of being a CNA...Ive learned what can make a great nurse and what makes you mediocre. I'm not a fan of mediocrity. I want to leave my pt with a a feeling of motivation and hopefully I can be a source of their motivation.

And not in a negative way.

Again in I'm sorry if I offended any of you!

0 Votes

Thanks for seeing this for what it is. I think a nurse/drs first pt of the day...is THEMSELVES. I'm going to read up on the info you provided,thank you.

Congrats on quitting smoking, I wish you well!!

0 Votes
Specializes in OR, Nursing Professional Development.
To me, setting an example,being a leader,and even a strong team player is important. So I don't understand how any person can stand at someone's bedside (doctor,nurse,pa,pt..whoever) and preach words of healthy living. While they don't do a thing they're telling their pt to do. That's not very good leadership. Nurses are given the education to take great care of themselves,try. It's hard..but try.

Nurses are human, with human flaws, characteristics, and traits. Becoming a nurse doesn't change any of that.

No, I'm not a nurse yet. I will be soon. After 5 years of being a CNA...Ive learned what can make a great nurse and what makes you mediocre. I'm not a fan of mediocrity. I want to leave my pt with a a feeling of motivation and hopefully I can be a source of their motivation.

Patients are human, with human flaws, characteristics, and traits. Nurses are not going to be able to change that in many patients. If you go in expecting to do that with every patient, you are setting yourself up for disappointment. And as someone with zero nursing experience, you really cannot understand that factors outside the control of a nurse can impact how great of a nurse one can be- understaffing, overwhelming nurse : patient ratios, mandatory overtime, rotating shifts, etc. That also, in turn, affects how well a nurse can care for her/himself- lack of time to eat healthy meals at work, long shifts, little sleep because one must work a 12 hour shift, go home, and get up to do it all over again, the list goes on. While maybe not thought of as a job with health hazards, nursing does indeed have the capability to impact the health of its workforce.

0 Votes
+ Add a Comment