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?
You are being judgemental and self righteous. The weight or health of your colleagues is not your business, and you have no right to judge anyone.
Again, although it's not your business, I am unable to run, to jump, to kneel or to squat. I can, however swim for an hour at a time in current and swell. I imagine a pool would be easier. And I can walk all over the place which is good, because that's my main mode of transportation. That and a bicycle, but I don't like bicycling.
If patients don't want to accept my care or my teaching because they disrespect "fat assed nurses", that is their right. Is a ignorant choice, and to voice it is offensive, but it is their right. But for you to judge and to preach at colleagues who surely know every bit as much about the benefits of exercise and the evils of junk food as you do is perhaps even more offensive. I'm glad you have your body just the way you like it; but have the courtesy and kindness to not comment on anyone else's body or choices. Unless, of course, they are your patient and you are giving them health information they lack. In that case, I'm sure you will display more tact than you have here.
I am not talking just about the weight of my colleagues; I am talking about everyone. It IS my business, and is the business of everyone else that has to pay high healthcare premiums because of the prevalence of chronic disease(which many are linked to obesity); it IS my business when many people who have unhealthy lifestyles have children who do the same. Health insurance should not have to pay for the chronic illness that comes with eating crap, not exercising, or smoking. I understand and feel for those that have food addiction, but seek help. People want the easy way out, and its not easy. No one, and I mean no one, can say they dont have 10 minutes a day to exercise.
Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
I am not talking just about the weight of my colleagues; I am talking about everyone. It IS my business, and is the business of everyone else that has to pay high healthcare premiums because of the prevalence of chronic disease(which many are linked to obesity); it IS my business when many people who have unhealthy lifestyles have children who do the same. Health insurance should not have to pay for the chronic illness that comes with eating crap, not exercising, or smoking. I understand and feel for those that have food addiction, but seek help. People want the easy way out, and its not easy. No one, and I mean no one, can say they dont have 10 minutes a day to exercise.
And all I can say is that you must have had a very blessed life so far to make the pronouncement that NO ONE can say they don't have ten minutes a day to exercise. When one has small children, they can be strapped into a stroller and accompany you on your run or walk, they can accompany you on your bike ride in a child seat, and my DH and I have taken the child "swimming" with her sitting in our little red rowboat while one or the other of us tows her along. (It certainly was a sensation among the power boats we were dodging.). But when my mother was with us, she couldn't be left alone for even a minute. She wasn't willing to ride in the rowboat and had her own ideas about when to leave the house and for what reason. We couldn't even SLEEP unless we slept next to her bed so we'd wake if she started to wander. I might have found ten minutes here or there to exercise when she was napping, but I was so sleep deprived that it wouldn't have occurred to me.
It is not your place to judge anyone else's circumstances.
Obesity is a national epidemic, but it's not the only health issue out there. Eating disorders -- where someone is skinny but not healthy, smoking drug abuse, mental illness (again -- Height/weight proportional but still perhaps using up many of your health care dollars), alcoholism (not overweight, and perhaps the yellow is adequately disguised for now). But perhaps you think everyone who isn't just like you should be cut off from receiving health care.
Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.
How's the air up there on that high horse? It's a complex issue. I think it would be nice if you allowed for that and stopped with the shouting (capital letter) self-righteous indignation. Do you address your patients in this way/tone?
Are u SERIOUS??? GO SWIMMING! Plenty of people with joint issues exercise. Being sedentary is NOT healthy. And it's not being self righteous. The point is that playing the whole I'm too busy card doesn't cut it. You get ONE BODY. Take care of it.
Also, ever heard of paralympics? Again, people overcome a lot of obstacles to be active.
Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.
With menopause staring down the barrel at me, ( struggling with peri-menopause now), I have realized it's very difficult to maintain (let alone not gain) weight. The changes that go with menopause are very real and a heck of a struggle. I was shocked how much things have changed.
My genetics are troubling, too, with several obese members in my family struggling like me. But I am trying. I go to the gym, do cardio and lift. Unfortunately for me, an old knee injury is becoming re-inflamed and I have been ordered by my doc to stop the lower body weight lifting. Sucks to be me. And my gym has no pool. I cannot afford dual memberships at the Y (45 minutes from me) and my regular gym, so I do my best. I count calories and control portions of food, too. I am working hard on this.
I have to have the knee looked at (xray/MRI) and let it heal before I can resume the lower body workouts. I do work the treadmill, usually 3 miles in about 35 minutes with a grade (gaining 600ft altitude) but even that hurts and the next day at work, I am limping. I guess you can say, outwardly, I am an overweight nurse who may or may not be doing anything to remedy that. And several would judge me harshly from what I see here!
I can't even use the elliptical because it kills my bum knee, so my options are limited.
I have managed to lose 18 pounds in 2 months. But it's been a hell of an uphill battle and it's been painful.
Stop the judgmental behavior and try some understanding. I bet if you talked to your patients this way (those of you being so self-righteous about weight here) they would fire you. I sure as hell would.
My biggest gripe with weight loss issues is the criticism of different strategies. It triggers the **** response when an individual or group will try to discredit things like a paleo diet. Why do that? If someone finds something that works, even if not long term, why the discouragement? It's like, lose the weight but only by our approved methods.
I am not talking just about the weight of my colleagues; I am talking about everyone. It IS my business, and is the business of everyone else that has to pay high healthcare premiums because of the prevalence of chronic disease(which many are linked to obesity); it IS my business when many people who have unhealthy lifestyles have children who do the same. Health insurance should not have to pay for the chronic illness that comes with eating crap, not exercising, or smoking. I understand and feel for those that have food addiction, but seek help. People want the easy way out, and its not easy. No one, and I mean no one, can say they dont have 10 minutes a day to exercise.
I totally agree; it is your business when a code is called and they are too big to move quick enough to save the patients life. Morbidly obese is not okay and that's not being judgemental, it is a fact!
How's the air up there on that high horse? It's a complex issue. I think it would be nice if you allowed for that and stopped with the shouting (capital letter) self-righteous indignation. Do you address your patients in this way/tone?
Having the mentality that one must be sedentary is absolutely rediculous , unless a physician has medically declared that for health reasons, you must be sedentary. As for the other poster, having a disables mother is very unfortunate, but I still don't think it's a valid reason to let ones self become extremely unhealthy. If anything, it should change your outlook so that you'd want to be as healthy as possible in order to have the strength and ability to be there for her.
If someone said to you that by putting a certain type of gas in your car it would shorten it's life and ruin the engine, would you use that gas? So why treat your body any differently? I applaud people that are active, no matter what their weight. But making excuses as to why one chooses to actively live in an unhealthy manner (being sedentary and eating garbage) is terrible. It's the same as a smoker that argues why they should just keep on smoking. Makes no sense.
I'm not arguing that it is right or wrong, but I do think that it can be a consideration. I know someone who goes to a Dr that likely qualifies as morbidly obese. When the doctor told him that he needed to loose weight his response was that the dr should start with himself.
I personally would have trouble going to a personal trainer that was completely out of shape or an addictions counselor that spent all of their off hours drinking at a bar. My grandmother stopped going to a certain veterinarian because she discovered that he hunted. However, I also have never gone to any nurse to consult about weight loss. I realize that nurses must do this occasionally, but nursing is such a varied field. I certainly don't believe that an overweight nurse should be fired.
Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.
Again, you have no idea the personal struggle of an overweight/obese person if you never have been one. There are multiple facets to the problem and reasons why. And if you have and overcame it, you should actually be the most understanding of anyone!
Why not give a hand up instead of being mean and judgmental? I guarantee EVERYONE has their struggles, including seemingly healthy, slim people ( a few I know kept that way by eating poorly or actually purging). Some struggle with other addictions or unhealthy behaviors. And overeating IS an addiction, like alcohol, drugs, etc. Maybe the notion that such a person could use counseling or understanding would go a lot further in helping them with the problem? Crazy thought, I know!
I have never had a patient turn me away or refuse to listen to me when counseled on healthy living. Just haven't. I have done more than my fair share of lifting/moving patients, and can, and have, done CPR as well as any skinny person has. But patients, and coworkers don't know my struggles and how I got here, and what I am doing to get better.
Again, you have no idea the personal struggle of an overweight/obese person if you never have been one. There are multiple facets to the problem and reasons why. And if you have and overcame it, you should actually be the most understanding of anyone!
Why not give a hand up instead of being mean and judgmental? I guarantee EVERYONE has their struggles, including seemingly healthy, slim people ( a few I know kept that way by eating poorly or actually purging). Some struggle with other addictions or unhealthy behaviors. And overeating IS an addiction, like alcohol, drugs, etc. Maybe the notion that such a person could use counseling or understanding would go a lot further in helping them with the problem? Crazy thought, I know!
I have never had a patient turn me away or refuse to listen to me when counseled on healthy living. Just haven't. I have done more than my fair share of lifting/moving patients, and can, and have, done CPR as well as any skinny person has. But patients, and coworkers don't know my struggles and how I got here, and what I am doing to get better.
Neither do any of you, really.
If you look at one of my previous posts, I did recommend people get help for food addictions. I gained 60 lbs during my first pregnancy and lost all of it. Gained it by eating unhealthy , lost it by eating right and exercising.
I think u are getting defensive because u are taking it as people attacking overweight people, and attacking them for the way they look. They're not (at least I'm not).
If being overweight had no illness associated with it, I wouldn't care. But it does. Lots of them. And countless people who have lost weight testify to how it has made them feel much better and improved or reversed their chronic disease. Think about it logically: why on earth would anyone want to do anything that harms their organs, shortens their lifespan, and makes adls harder? I had two serious health scares in my life and have two young kids. I want to be around, and healthy, to see them grow up. Sure, doing "everything right" doesn't definitely mean you won't have something happen, but it sure makes life more enjoyable. You can keep arguing why it's ok to do whatever you want to contribute to being overweight, but logically it doesnt make sense.
It really isn't our place to judge where other healthcare professionals have been or where they are in their health journey, and it definitely doesn't make them less capable of giving excellent care. An overweight person is not automatically unhealthy. Research has provided evidence that overweight and even obese people are capable of being free from disease and lead healthy lives. As for the nurses whose weight gain resulted from emotional eating, I sincerely hope they get the help they need for optimal mental health.
Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.
If you look at one of my previous posts, I did recommend people get help for food addictions. I gained 60 lbs during my first pregnancy and lost all of it. Gained it by eating unhealthy , lost it by eating right and exercising.
I think u are getting defensive because u are taking it as people attacking overweight people, and attacking them for the way they look. They're not (at least I'm not).
If being overweight had no illness associated with it, I wouldn't care. But it does. Lots of them. And countless people who have lost weight testify to how it has made them feel much better and improved or reversed their chronic disease. Think about it logically: why on earth would anyone want to do anything that harms their organs, shortens their lifespan, and makes adls harder? I had two serious health scares in my life and have two young kids. I want to be around, and healthy, to see them grow up. Sure, doing "everything right" doesn't definitely mean you won't have something happen, but it sure makes life more enjoyable. You can keep arguing why it's ok to do whatever you want to contribute to being overweight, but logically it doesnt make sense.
Best wishes and good luck.
First off, text speak e.g. "U" is prohibited on allnurses.com and adds nothing to your argument or the discussion at hand.
Second, if overweight (or others with addictions or mental illnesses) COULD be "logical" why wouldn't they?
My point is, you have no idea what is going on with the overweight nurse. It may be she is working hard on herself and MAY Be she eats healthy foods, but is still overweight. Yes, such folks need counseling and help, but it's not up to you to judge.
You come across as condescending and arrogant. If you were standing before me with this attitude, I would not really hear much of what you said, for the way you said it. Overweight people don't want or need your judgmental words, but they could do with a little support and kindness.
Since I can remember, overweight is one of the few conditions whereby it's a-ok to deride, make fun of or be rude to such people. Many health care professionals are not concerned with their overall health as they are with the very fact they are overweight and a "burden".
Well it's not ok by me. Sure, obese patients are hard to care for, and overweight nurses like me aren't always too pretty to look at to the skinny, conventionally attractive person/coworker. But if the teaching/counseling I provide is genuine and I don't come off as arrogant or condescending, it's much more likely to be well-received.
An outwardly healthy, in-shape person who comes off arrogant won't be well-received at all. There are a lot of lifestyle habits that lend to poor health. Are you equally as judgmental with them as well?
Like I said, I have never had a patient turn me away or refuse to hear me when I counseled on healthy lifestyle management. I am often very upfront with my struggles and what I am doing about them. I think I come across as a fellow human being with her own issues with weight, who has valuable advice, whether it will be followed or not. No nurse should look down his or her nose at such people, or anyone, for that matter. For if they do, the patient is not going to listen and will resent the delivery of such advice.
I just hope you are kinder to your overweight/obese patients than you have been here with your colleagues.
RunnerNurse09, BSN, RN
185 Posts
I am not talking just about the weight of my colleagues; I am talking about everyone. It IS my business, and is the business of everyone else that has to pay high healthcare premiums because of the prevalence of chronic disease(which many are linked to obesity); it IS my business when many people who have unhealthy lifestyles have children who do the same. Health insurance should not have to pay for the chronic illness that comes with eating crap, not exercising, or smoking. I understand and feel for those that have food addiction, but seek help. People want the easy way out, and its not easy. No one, and I mean no one, can say they dont have 10 minutes a day to exercise.