Does an obese nurse set a bad example?

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  1. Does an obese nurse set a bad example?

    • 83
      yes
    • 47
      no

130 members have participated

I need some opinions about how you feel about the example an obese nurse sets to the patient and family. By obese I mean a BMI over 30. We were asked as a class to each post a question on a discussion forum. Thanks.

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Specializes in ER.

Not as much as an obese chain smoking nurse. I have worked with a few of those in my day

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Only if it prevents the functioning of his/her job.

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Funny, I think becoming a nurse has been the least healthy thing I have ever done. With the stress, the long hours, and the beating my body takes each day all I can do to rest on my days off. I am usually scarfing something down quickly if I have a chance to eat at work at all and if not I make up for it when I do get home or in the car. I was way healthier and had a much better body before nursing. I used to exercise and eat when I was hungry, not STARVING.

I struggle every day to maintain my weight. I am not obese, but I am definately not in good shape anymore.

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Funny, I think becoming a nurse has been the least healthy thing I have ever done. With the stress, the long hours, and the beating my body takes each day all I can do to rest on my days off. I am usually scarfing something down quickly if I have a chance to eat at work at all and if not I make up for it when I do get home or in the car. I was way healthier and had a much better body before nursing. I used to exercise and eat when I was hungry, not STARVING.

I struggle every day to maintain my weight. I am not obese, but I am definately not in good shape anymore.

Agreed.

I think the whole "care for the caregiver" thing has been nothing more than platitudes doled out by employers in the context of "oh we know you have stress! Here, why don't you take another yoga class to make it all better?"

Over twenty years of watching many of my doctor and RN friends deal with the daily, full-on assaults of the catasptrophic circumstances and choices of our patients... has led me to wonder if there isn't a PTSD-like component to health care providers and caregivers that has never been properly addressed/studied.

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Specializes in Cardiac, PCU, Surg/Onc, LTC, Peds.

Yes, I believe it does set a bad example. I can tell you one thing-if nursing originated as a male dominated field we would never be working this hard now, feeling as though others should come first and not take care of ourselves properly.

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Specializes in ER, ICU.

We are supposed to promote health in the body, mind and spirit. How can you tell your patients to be healthy when you can't manage your own weight? Don't you want your fitness instructor to be fit, your physics teacher to know physics, and your cooking teacher to be able to make a great meal?

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This is likely going to turn into a free for all like it seems they all do with this topic.

We are more than just nurses.

We are humans.

The minute we became nurses, we didn't stop being human with the innate frailities.

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Specializes in Oncology; medical specialty website.
Agreed.

I think the whole "care for the caregiver" thing has been nothing more than platitudes doled out by employers in the context of "oh we know you have stress! Here, why don't you take another yoga class to make it all better?"

Over twenty years of watching many of my doctor and RN friends deal with the daily, full-on assaults of the catasptrophic circumstances and choices of our patients... has led me to wonder if there isn't a PTSD-like component to health care providers and caregivers that has never been properly addressed/studied.

I agree. I have to laugh when I get mailings from my hospital tailored to my health care issues. Don't hound me about not using the employee fitness center when I've been run ragged and had to gulp down my lunch. I've had days when the only reason I stopped for groceries was because I was out of toilet paper and running low on Kleenex.

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Specializes in Oncology; medical specialty website.
We are supposed to promote health in the body, mind and spirit. How can you tell your patients to be healthy when you can't manage your own weight? Don't you want your fitness instructor to be fit, your physics teacher to know physics, and your cooking teacher to be able to make a great meal?

Those people only have to concentrate on one thing. Nurses are supposed to be nurses; teachers; dietary staff; secretaries; therapists; etc. I don't expect others to be perfect, and I certainly would appreciate if others would cut me some slack and not expect it from me as well.

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Specializes in Obstetrics.
Funny, I think becoming a nurse has been the least healthy thing I have ever done. With the stress, the long hours, and the beating my body takes each day all I can do to rest on my days off. I am usually scarfing something down quickly if I have a chance to eat at work at all and if not I make up for it when I do get home or in the car. I was way healthier and had a much better body before nursing. I used to exercise and eat when I was hungry, not STARVING.I struggle every day to maintain my weight. I am not obese, but I am definately not in good shape anymore.
Amen.
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Specializes in pediatrics, public health.

First of all, this topic has already been discussed ay length on this site. The OP might want to do a search, which will yield several lengthy threads.Second, before we ask if obese nurses set a bad example, we should ask if we expect nurses to be examples for the patients at all. I don't have that expectation of my own health care providers. I don't care what they do in their spare time, and I'm not going to adopt unhealthy habits just because my nurse or doctor has them!

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