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?
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 was grossly underweight due to a hyperthyroidism. The only people didn't judge me were healthcare workers. Many people who didn't know my condition judged me terribly. Some of them called me a meth user. . Today, I still have my teeth from using meth (in their imagination). I mean, I have whiter and straighter teeth than them. Then now, I'm suddenly healthy. I must recovered from an invisible drug rehabilitation center. LOL.
Because of the bullies, I learned which words I want to be in my head. I don't want to make them feel awful so I keep everything confidentially. Everything else is like singing birds in my backyard. We'll get to suffer. Don't you worry, it's them have problems, not us.
I have worked with MANY overweight workers and I swear this has never been a "thing". Then again I am in KY, one of THE unhealthiest states in the union, so people are just so used to it I guess.
I have thought about this, as I am rather overweight. I have done a lot of patient education and have often though, are they really listening to me? Because I am overweight myself, are they really taking me seriously? So I have tried in the recent past to improve my health and my weight.
i am in MS and we are a very overweight, unhealthy and high morbidity state.
The nursing profession itself is NOT helping us live a healthy lifestyle for sure.
Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
Hate to say it but its true. Been a nurse for MANY yrs and this is a constant compliant. Pts definitely do not respect a nurse who is overweight-obese and worse, huffing and puffing while trying to do the job, sweating profusely, etc. I have many pts complain about this. I have also noticed the biggest and oldest nurses spend the most time sitting 'documenting' or 'charting', meanwhile everyone else is done and doing physical care but the obese ones are still lagging behind 'oh, Im 'charting'.
Really HOW can pts have confidence in someone who is obese. Family members of pts are the worst to freak out when they see it. They are 'outraged' and not convinced they made it through nursing school-total discrimination. When you remind them well we didn't all have to climb ropes to get our licenses. I have had so many complaints about fat or unfit or smoking doctors and nurses.
Vic, RN, ca
I think YOU don't respect overweight nurses; hence the nasty tone of your post.
Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
Been sober since '89 (well before becoming an RN) and I can talk to my patients about 3 day alcohol and coke binges but I don't recommend anyone go through what I did and it's unlikely I would be situated to have made it to a position in which I can advocate for sobriety had I continued drinking.
Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
Well, I'm sorry to see that yet another thread about obesity in nursing has devolved into yet another name-calling and flame-throwing contest. Many similar threads have been closed for just this reason. May we please stick to the discussion at hand without so much hostility?
"Us Folks aren't allowed to shame the coloreds and queers anymore but fat shaming is still fun."
(With apologies to our non-Caucasian and non-heterosexual friends, colleagues and members.)
Specializes in Leadership, Psych, HomeCare, Amb. Care.
I would like to know the real name of PinayUSA because I'm thinking of maintaining my weight so that I will have every right to refuse providing a care for her, assuming it's a she (Pinay means a female Filipino).
In reality this person is a non Filipino male who isn't a nurse, but likes to hang around here and throw in his 2 cents. Not really sure why he's even here.
I've actually had the opposite problem in the past. I was a nurse at BioLife Plasma Services, a plasma donating center. If a donor came into donate and the large blood pressure cuff did not fit their arm properly they would be deferred for the day and have to see the nurse before leaving or before trying to come back in to donate again. They would see the nurse for "counseling" purposes. We could not do leg cuffs. I am a skinny Minnie and I would have a hard time telling someone that their arm was too big to donate plasma. It was an uncomfortable conversation to have. I feel like I always presented it in an appropriate manner but no one likes to hear from the skinny nurse that they're arms are too fat so they can not donate plasma.
It really really frustrates me that the main reason that so many people lack the time and energy to adequately care for themselves is because their jobs are so engrossing and demand so much of them. It's the fault of the system and the institutionalized culture/expectation that you work yourself to death as a nurse.
Specializes in Mental Health, Gerontology, Palliative.
Hate to say it but its true. Been a nurse for MANY yrs and this is a constant compliant. Pts definitely do not respect a nurse who is overweight-obese
You should tell my patients and their families that.
Especially when most of them went to management and told the manager they wanted me back when I got moved to another ward to fill in for leave. They wanted me (the obese nurse) over the skinny nurse
I get respect because I seek to ensure their loved ones get the best possible nursing care and not being afraid to advocate for the well being of my patient.
yourfutureRN2019
3 Posts
I was grossly underweight due to a hyperthyroidism. The only people didn't judge me were healthcare workers. Many people who didn't know my condition judged me terribly. Some of them called me a meth user.
. Today, I still have my teeth from using meth (in their imagination). I mean, I have whiter and straighter teeth than them. Then now, I'm suddenly healthy. I must recovered from an invisible drug rehabilitation center. LOL.
Because of the bullies, I learned which words I want to be in my head. I don't want to make them feel awful so I keep everything confidentially. Everything else is like singing birds in my backyard. We'll get to suffer. Don't you worry, it's them have problems, not us.