Being Overweight

[2014Student]

Hi all,

I am finishing up pre reqs and just got accepted into the real Nursing school!! AHHH I am so excited! I am also nervous, as I weigh just about 300 lbs. I workout daily and eat healthy I just can't seem to ditch the weight. I have no fears about being able to do my job as I was an athlete all through high school and can still kill a 8 minute mile, but I am nervous about actual nursing school and my peers performing tasks on me, such as transfers. I know many of the girls in my cohort are so sweet and would never say anything, but I fear that they cannot lift me, therefore making the transfer units incredibly awkward.

I guess I am also nervous about getting scrubs that fit.

So if anyone has anything to share to help with these fears that would be greatly appreciated!

[CrunchRN, ADN, RN]

It will be fine. Do not let your weight stop you if you are able to do the work.

[NurseGirl525, ASN, RN]

Why would they transfer you?? In all actuality you all will be moving people much heavier than you.

Look, if you are healthy, your weight is not anyone else's concern. I'm not a toothpick, but I'm not obese. I could stand to lose some weight. And with the stress of nursing school, I've put on a few pounds. But, I work out, I eat fairly decent, and all of my labs are great. My blood sugar is good, my cholesterol is fine, and my blood pressure is great. My weight is between me and my doctor and nobody else. It's the same for you.

Don't let something like that hold you back. As long as you are able to perform the job, you are fine. And just think, when you start working, you will be walking constantly in addition to your exercising which will only work in your favor.

I have a condition that I gain weight very easily. And I store it in the worst possible place which is my stomach. 85% of women with my condition will end up with type II diabetes. So I'm very cognizant of that fact and I try to eat well and exercise. I run. Not an 8 minute mile, but I do run. My blood sugar is checked every year.

Go for it!!!

[thimba]

Once nurses are actually out on the floor, they will be transferring obese patients. They may as well get some practice now.

[vanilla bean]

It will be fine. Take this from the fat kid in class that her peers got to practice transferring, lol. My skills lab instructor specifically chose the most "robust" students to use as the "patients" to practice transfer skills on. I'm not going to tell you that there may not be some awkward moments as you and your peers practice skills on each other - there probably will be. But don't let it stop you from fully investing in the process.

Don't worry about the scrubs. Even the largest of us in my cohort were able to easily find scrubs.

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

Scrubs come in the 5XL size...which would probably be too big for someone like you who's in the 300-pound range. Your weight will be an impediment only if you allow it to interfere with what you need to do.

Good luck to you!