Back Injuries and Clinical

Nursing Students General Students

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  1. Should I lift 20+ pounds anyway?

    • 0
      Yes, you'll be fine
    • 14
      No, you'll hurt yourself!

14 members have participated

I have back injuries related to an MVA a few weeks ago. As a result, I have been put on a restriction of lifting no more than 20 pounds by my doctor. Problem is, my rotation is on the ICU with total care patients who need a lot of weight support. I can not lift those patients. My clinical instructor is furious with me for not being able to participate. But I can do everything else! She's pushing me to lift but I'm afraid to *bleep* up my back even more. I just really need some advice...I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place. I want to participate but I don't want to get worse!

Specializes in Psychiatry, Community, Nurse Manager, hospice.
@JBudd I passed the physical at the beginning of the program 9 months ago. They don't do a physical every class. The car accident was just a few weeks ago. The disabilities act can't force the school to keep me in the program because they believe I am a liability to patients and basically, useless because...Well, literally, I can't pull my own weight like the read of the students. I'm hoping my doctor will give me the all clear soon..

You are wrong about the act not protecting you, it does. Get a note from your doctor prohibiting you from lifting and send it to your clinical instructor, your lecture instructor, your deans. If you are at a university, also talk to the dean of student life.

The notion that this makes you a risk to the patients is totally absurd. You are a student, and if the patient needs to be washed, lifted Etc, the hospital employs people who can do that in case you can't.

If you were a nurse who hurt her back you would get an accommodation, you would not be declared a person unsafe for patients.

Right now you are being tested. Your clinical instructor needs to know that this isn't some crap you're pulling to try to get out of bed baths. Get your documentation, and get your ducks in a row and you will see the attitude change.

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The ADA does not offer protection to this student for this situation. She does not have a disability that safeguards her keeping any job she has or any student status until then. She has a temporary injury. If she is expected to recover then she can resume normal duties then. If she has a new and permanent injured status with lifting restrictions she will probably find she won't be able to work in lots of places. My facility wouldn't hire her with that restriction in place.

Those who think that a nurse who is not injured in a work-related situation has to be accommodated is just plain up wrong. Injured ON the job yes, injured off the job no. If a nurse who hurt her back scuba diving cannot safely do the job she was hired to do she can be terminated for inability to do the job. Some places will find a new job for that nurse, one she can do. Others won't. A student who no longer meets the requirements of the physical can also be dismissed from a program until they can meet the requirements. I've seen it happen and it's 100% legal.

All that said it seems to me that as long as this student is never put in the position of having any possibility of a patient falling or getting injured somehow because she was responsible for their safety then I can see some leniency being in order. But if there is ever an occasion where she'd have to walk a patient to the bathroom herself and chance having to catch him and thereby lifting more than 20 pounds she'd be screwed and so would the school and the hospital.

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You are wrong about the act not protecting you, it does. Get a note from your doctor prohibiting you from lifting and send it to your clinical instructor, your lecture instructor, your deans. If you are at a university, also talk to the dean of student life.

The notion that this makes you a risk to the patients is totally absurd. You are a student, and if the patient needs to be washed, lifted Etc, the hospital employs people who can do that in case you can't.

If you were a nurse who hurt her back you would get an accommodation, you would not be declared a person unsafe for patients.

Right now you are being tested. Your clinical instructor needs to know that this isn't some crap you're pulling to try to get out of bed baths. Get your documentation, and get your ducks in a row and you will see the attitude change.

My doctor gave me a letter saying I could full participate, but she wanted me doing 2-person lifts when my patients were heavy. I gave the letter to my instructor. My instructor told me that it wasn't enough. That she needs a letter that says "no restrictions" exactly. Im taking in to the dean, and I'm fighting the decision. I don't want to give up, and I don't want to have to start this class over. I just contacted my doctor again and am awaiting her response.

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This sounds so different than what I've been experiencing in the hospital. Everyone recruits everyone else for help turning and transferring patients....students, nurses, PT, doctors. It's encouraged. Why would your instructor say you can't ask fellow students for help??
Good question. But I honestly don't know. I sent a message to my doctor. Maybe even with a letter of no restrictions I can still peek out into the hallway and ask someone to help me lift. I highly doubt I would get in trouble for asking for help. I spoke to 5 other instructors and nurses at the school and they all believe I should be able to ask for help.
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