Does an obese nurse set a bad example?

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  1. Does an obese nurse set a bad example?

    • 83
      yes
    • 48
      no

131 members have participated

I need some opinions about how you feel about the example an obese nurse sets to the patient and family. By obese I mean a BMI over 30. We were asked as a class to each post a question on a discussion forum. Thanks.

double post

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OP, I don't think your question pertains at all to whether the nurse can pull her fair share at work but that is where the responses and comments are headed.

"Bad example" What do you mean by that?? Stop and think about what you are looking for ? What do you want to know ? What is the point of the assignment?

For your "results/responses" to be meaningful, your question needs to be more specific.

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Specializes in Trauma, ER, ICU, CCU, PACU, GI, Cardiology, OR.

one has to consider that nursing is a demanding and stressful career within itself, and good examples come in many shapes and forms. in addition, not to use as an excuse but we can't forget that we are human as well, and some of our fellow nurses could have a unbalance hormonal condition. consequently, following the issue on hand, then you add whatever habits one acquires in order to deal with the stress on a daily basis in nursing; which in turn can present the fluctuating weight among our nurses. having said that, instead of bring to the light the obvious, one should look within itself prior being so critical of others.

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Specializes in pediatrics, geriatric, developmentally d.

honestly i would say depends on their situations i know a couple people who are obese not because of diet but because of something else like pills for example. if they are obese because they aren't trying to live a healthy life then yeah, especially if they cant perform their job duties. i think those nurses who need to take a break every hour for a cigarette break then go back to their patients room smelling like it are bad examples

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personally im a nursing assistant that is a bit obese, Its NOT about the looks, its about the quality of that employee, If they are a bomb ass worker, PROPS, If they are lazy and they give more work to others, thennnn thats a different story, THEN and ONLY then should they be labled as setting a bad example. Im a bomb ass worker, but im a lil fluffy, my weight doesnt interfier with my job, and if anything working as a nursing aide has made me healthier! I used to be one of those lazy employees, but as a nursing aide i LOVE my job and if anything comes up guess what im there doing what needs done, it keeps me on my toes and keeps me from being bored!

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"12:44 pm by rita359 12:44 pm by rita359 A member since Aug '04. Posts: 336 Likes: 212

Age: 63

Awards:

If the obese nurse does her work effeciently she does not set a bad example. If she/he doesn't pitch in and do whatever needs to be done to get the patients satisfied that is a bad example (ie getting the reputation of sitting while ordering others to do simple tasks she could easily perform instead of sitting). Once weight is put on it is HARD to get off. Maybe an obese nurse in cardiac rehab would not be the best example."

I happen to be with rita359. I will not see this obese or very slender nurse (who maybe unhealthy) from just the outside. I will see them as a "whole package." Are they caring, competent, efficient on the floor, and respectful, and considerate to coworkers and fair to subordinates?

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Yes! Most defiantly! How can an obese nurse be listened to and taken seriously during patient teaching on proper diet control?

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Specializes in psych,maternity, ltc, clinic.

I could stand to take off some weight and i'll tell you why i am succesful at at least beginning a conversation with patients about food. I tell them i struggle right along with them...that i know its tough...people will respond to "down to earth" much more than "finger wagging".

But I do not consider myself a role model as a nurse. I am a human being with a job to do. struggling right along with the rest of you....we all have our weaknesses, whether it be food, smoking, money problems, family issues, mental illness...whatever. I will give you the benefit of the doubt.

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As a nurse who works at a cancer clinic, it doesnt matter if youre obese or anorexic to your patient. Cancer affects everyone and youll be glad to get good nursing from a obese or whatever shape in they come nurse. Love and care is the most important to a patient when theyre at their worse..

xx

amy

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I am speechless looking at this post and horrible horrible survey. This borders on bullying and discrimination. There is so much that needs to be "fixed" in nursing right now, but to profile an overweight nurse as a poor role model...what were you thinking? As a more "mature" nurse I know what's it like to be looked at and even told because of my "maturity" I won't be able to keep up. (By the way...not true) What do you want...a Stepford Nurse? To become a nurse in the future will we have to have Barbie or Ken measurements to be a "good role model". To become an excellent nurse you need compassion by the bucket load, empathy, life experiences and the ability not to profile someone by their looks.These are a few of many traits to be a "good role model", something the ones designing this survey, I'm afraid, will never have (sorry I profiled you) Absolute shame on this terrible survey....shame, shame, shame. Let's support each other instead of bullying each other. Please find another type of survey...this makes me sad

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I know this may sound strange, but I think it all depends on the circumstances. For example, I have PCOS, which caused me to gain 50+ pounds in a month. Bear in mind that before I developed PCOS, I was a steady 115 pounds. I have given up sodas, meat, and processed foods. The weight is still extremely slow coming off, and it's not because I don't work my ass off exercising and eating well. I still have plenty of energy, but I do miss the feeling of being substantially smaller. I am working on losing as much weight as I can before I start nursing school, but it's not an easy battle. I do Zumba every day, run the track, and go up and down stairs every day during the week, in addition to the mile or so that I have to walk to get to my classes. I believe that there are some cases in which being obese may hinder someone, but having a few extra pounds doesn't always slow someone down, thus not preventing them from being a great nurse. Some family members of patients may have a different view, but I think that if the nurse is doing all they can to make sure that their patients feel comfortable and aren't making a bunch of mistakes, it doesn't matter. I'd rather have a 300 pound nurse who is competent than a 100 pound nurse who doesn't know what they are doing.

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Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.

Fat kills, and 2 other obesity myths

Dr. Nortin Hadler, author of Worried Sick and Stabbed in the Back, is well-known for debunking medical myths. But in his latest book, Rethinking Aging (UNC Press), Hadler, a professor at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, commits what some might call medical heresy, suggesting that, perhaps, as we approach middle-age, "It's OK to be Overweight."

Wait a minute. What is Hitler saying? Everyone knows that obese Americans are driving our health care bills to the moon. Some argue that they should pay higher insurance premiums. Meanwhile, those extra pounds are sending millions to an early grave. And we all know that if our obese neighbors would just put down their forks and get on a treadmill, the pounds would melt away.

But as is so often the case, what "everyone knows" just isn't true.

Fat kills, and 2 other obesity myths

I found this interesting

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