I overheard a disturbing conversation of nurses who were saying that overweight people should not be working in healthcare. They were basically saying that patients do not respect health advice or treatment from a worker who is unhealthy themselves. I am posting this topic because I wonder if this is a shared sentiment among the medical field? Or from patients? Or has anyone experienced anything related to this? Like getting fired, or discriminated by either pateints or a facility and such? Are there ever clauses in facility contracts that employees must maintain optimal heath to represent the industry's interest? (I am in Vegas & yes casinos do enforce waitresses/dealers with a +/- 5 lbs. original hiring weight monitoring weekly). I hope this is not what nursing school meant by "take care of ourselves before we can take care of others." Honestly, I dont think like this but wonder if others in healthcare do? Is this really a "thing?"
BTW, they were referencing a theme of nurses who gained weight from emotional overeating. They were not referencing a physiological underlying condition. ~ Thank You ~
Why Are So Many Nurses and Healthcare Workers Overweight and Unhealthy?
"Please tell your "coworkers" I am retired now, but I worked for 34 years as an LPN, and we were busy doing our jobs. We didn't have time to discuss the weight of our coworkers. I was chubby then and I still am, so what. " Lmbao Exactly!
I agree with multiple perspectives in this thread. You cant judge a persons ultimate health based strictly on their looks... I know several people (both male and female) who look like they lept off the cover of a fitness magazine, but arent capable of a brisk walk beyond 2km...I know women who would be visually identified as chubby, yet they can outrun, swim, and lift the vast majority of the population. As we all age our aesthetic fitness will deteriorate, and we will have a harder time doing physically demanding tasks...thats just the nature of ageing. With that being said, if our fitness level puts our patients at risk, by not being able to participate as an effective part of the healthcare team, its time to make a lifestyle change or find a new less physically demanding occupation. Yup, changing your life is hard...PCOS means youll probably never be a super model, but you can be healthy...and yes, people will be much more likely to listen to someone who is engaged in a positive lifestyle...30 minutes of exercise a day and healthy food choices wont make us models, and sometimes feels next to impossible, but how can we seriously ask patients to do what we cant. Ultimately, our health will determine our patients health outcomes.
I worked in a Diabetes Educators team and the bulk of them were overweight. Their presentations about healthy eating and lifestyle changes fell on deaf ears.
Furthermore, slim individual nurses are often targeted and bullied by a pack of overweight nurses. This I experienced first hand, two obese senior nurses of a mental health service, both grossly overweight in excess of 100kgs each, targeted me for I was of the same age but slim. It was extremely unpleasant.
I don't think anyone should be making any comments about nurses period unless their is a problem with the care they are receiving. We all work DAMN hard to strive to do the best and usually more for everyone. Size may matter in modeling, but nowhere else. I have also never heard any derogatory comments ever in my career.
I worked in a Diabetes Educators team and the bulk of them were overweight. Their presentations about healthy eating and lifestyle changes fell on deaf ears.
Furthermore, slim individual nurses are often targeted and bullied by a pack of overweight nurses. This I experienced first hand, two obese senior nurses of a mental health service, both grossly overweight in excess of 100kgs each, targeted me for I was of the same age but slim. It was extremely unpleasant.
I personally find this whole debate offensive and abusive. I was 98 pounds and was diagnosed with a brain tumor, tumors on my thyroid. Suddenly I started gaining weight at a very rapid pace. 98 - 250 pounds in less than a year. I don't feel like I should apologise for my weight nor should I have to explain my weight to anyone. Nurses are meant to be compassionate and understanding. There are many reasons people have weight issues, even if it is a psychological one. Nurses should be kinder then they are. Shame on some of you! It is no secret that nurses are one of the biggest bullies to each other all the time yelling that they are professionals. If you are truly a professional you would judge people on their abilities and not superficially on appearance.
I AM offended. My size has no effect on my knowledge base. Patient teaching is informational not evangelical. My size is a result of the treatment for my own health issues. It is not my patients' business.
No, it's not your patients' business. Patients will act on the information we give them if it's presented in an understandable way, and with sincere encouragement. The relationship between the size or shape of the body delivering it and its effectiveness has not been studied, so any statements about it are based on individual bias. It would be an interesting study: do new moms only accept teaching from nurses who have had babies? Do patients recovering from open heart surgery only believe instructions from nurses who can show their thoracic "zipper"? I think we will find that we are less effective educators than we think we are, and that it's not nearly as much about us as it is about the patient.
Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
I agree with multiple perspectives in this thread. You cant judge a persons ultimate health based strictly on their looks... I know several people (both male and female) who look like they lept off the cover of a fitness magazine, but arent capable of a brisk walk beyond 2km...I know women who would be visually identified as chubby, yet they can outrun, swim, and lift the vast majority of the population. As we all age our aesthetic fitness will deteriorate, and we will have a harder time doing physically demanding tasks...thats just the nature of ageing. With that being said, if our fitness level puts our patients at risk, by not being able to participate as an effective part of the healthcare team, its time to make a lifestyle change or find a new less physically demanding occupation. Yup, changing your life is hard...PCOS means youll probably never be a super model, but you can be healthy...and yes, people will be much more likely to listen to someone who is engaged in a positive lifestyle...30 minutes of exercise a day and healthy food choices wont make us models, and sometimes feels next to impossible, but how can we seriously ask patients to do what we cant. Ultimately, our health will determine our patients health outcomes.
And back to the original premise. You cannot tell by looking at your nurse whether or not she has engaged in a healthy lifestyle. Again, I can be fat and still somewhat fit (swim for an hour, dodging power boats and towing the row boat, walk everywhere) and my co-worker over there who looks like she belongs on the cover of SHAPE magazine smokes, binge eats and then throws up and gets all of her exercise in her 15 minutes on the elliptical each weak, preening in front of the guys at her gym. You just can't tell by looking who exercises for 30 minutes a day and makes healthy food choices.
As far as educating patients -- a fat nurse with a good knowledge base and teaching skills can do the patient education, and the patient will either say "Aha! I didn't realize there was a connection between junk food and diabetes" and change their act or "I don't have to listen to you because you obviously don't know what you're talking about." Either way, we've provided the information they are lacking. I'm not going to get on a soap box and seriously ask patients to do anything. I'm going to give them the information; they get to choose what to do with it. They also get to choose not to listen to me because they don't like how I look. That's a dumb choice, but OK. Because again: There is no way in the world to know how healthy I am or what kind of food/exercise choices I've made just by looking at me.
It seems a lot of our colleagues just want to be nasty/mean/hateful about body size. That is their right, of course. But it says something about how they interact with others . . . Including patients.
I just graduated PN school..about to take my NCLEX and start RN school soon. I didn`t even know that this was an issue and I am hurt. I am chubby and an emotional eater. I have lost weight since being out of nursing school. But my weight is what makes me a good nurse? I feel like I don`t even want to be a nurse now if this is what goes on within the "circle". Being judged. I will say this...I would rather be a chubby, nice, caring and devoting nurse than a hateful one. To me that should be the issue. There are a lot of people who choose nursing as a career for the money knowing too well that they don`t belong. Having poor social skills, being rude to patients and staff. They don`t have heart. But yes, by all means...lets talk about the overweight nurses. THAT`S the real problem. pssfff.
Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
I worked in a Diabetes Educators team and the bulk of them were overweight. Their presentations about healthy eating and lifestyle changes fell on deaf ears.
Furthermore, slim individual nurses are often targeted and bullied by a pack of overweight nurses. This I experienced first hand, two obese senior nurses of a mental health service, both grossly overweight in excess of 100kgs each, targeted me for I was of the same age but slim. It was extremely unpleasant.
And I'm sure it was just mean fat people who were jealous of your relative slimness and beauty. It may have had nothing at all to do with the fact that you looked down on them for being fat.
Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
I personally find this whole debate offensive and abusive. I was 98 pounds and was diagnosed with a brain tumor, tumors on my thyroid. Suddenly I started gaining weight at a very rapid pace. 98 - 250 pounds in less than a year. I don't feel like I should apologise for my weight nor should I have to explain my weight to anyone. Nurses are meant to be compassionate and understanding. There are many reasons people have weight issues, even if it is a psychological one. Nurses should be kinder then they are. Shame on some of you! It is no secret that nurses are one of the biggest bullies to each other all the time yelling that they are professionals. If you are truly a professional you would judge people on their abilities and not superficially on appearance.
I am sorry about your tumors; I know a bit about being fat following treatment for cancer. Eating on program following Weight Watchers or South Beach and working out (gently, as prescribed) 1-2 hours a day, I still wasn't losing weight. Then I went back to work and didn't have 1-2 hours a day to work out. I should not have to apologize for my weight, either.
While I agree with the one part of your post, I have issues with another. Nurses are not "meant to be compassionate and understanding." We're people, just like everyone else. Some of us are more compassionate and understanding; others of us are less so. We should all be kinder to our colleagues; not just nurses. The EMTs, paramedics, administrators, RTs and everyone else on this thread should be nicer, less judgemental people. But they're just people, too.
Nurses are not any bigger bullies than anyone else out there. Miners are bullies, lawyers are bullies, teachers are bullies, Stay at home moms are bullies -- all at about the same rate as the general population. Nurses have no corner on the bully market.
Classic!
RadiantLynneBSN
38 Posts
"Please tell your "coworkers" I am retired now, but I worked for 34 years as an LPN, and we were busy doing our jobs. We didn't have time to discuss the weight of our coworkers. I was chubby then and I still am, so what. " Lmbao Exactly!