I'm really sad guys.. I interviewed and got a verbal offer from this hospital a month ago. So took me about an entire month to do all the screening/background checks/drug test, physical. Mind you their physical test I had to run, check my heart rate after i run, do a lung capacity test, thumb/ grip strength test, hearing/vision, flexibility, pull, lift, squat. I live 2 hours away from this hospital, so I"ve been driving back and forth many times. So I called and asked HR if this was a pretty sure thing after I completed most of their requirements and they said just pending your physical, but yes, it shouldn't be an issue. Ive done many physicals for hospitals in the past and they were pretty easy, and I pass without any issues. The manager told me it's fine, and even told me I should be able to start by next month and when to go to orientation. The manager even told me when to sign the offer letter once HR clears me on my physical. So I found housing, put down a huge deposit for rent, signed a housing agreement. Not until a week ago, the HR called me back and said I failed their lift test. Scheduled me to go back again for lift test with a pully and weights. So I called around and was confused as to what the weight lift requirements were. and they said I failed because they required 50 lbs WITH EASE. (meaning you cannot look like you're struggling lifting 50 lbs). and its suppose to be a new policy that they implemented.. Mind you i'm a healthy young and petite girl..So I lifted again and only lifted to 40 lbs with ease and the PT stopped me. I begged her to let me try 45-50 but she stopped me and "didn't want me to struggle" but in my head I knew I lost my job offer. so today i called my potential landlord and lost deposit money of $500..
i'm really upset right now. I've never even heard of such a lift test policy for hospitals. I really wished they told me it was a 50 lb requirement and potentially a lot of people may not pass this test. but no one told me until I called HR and asked. Apparently HR is the one who looks at the scale and chart and determine if my score "matches' their requirement and tell me if i'm safe enough to perform this job. I"ve worked as a nurse for awhile now and I have no issues lifting. I just ask for help! They can potentially eliminate hiring anyone with injuries, older nurses, pregnant nurses. i just feel like i didn't go to school for years to get rejected from a job b/c i cant lift 10 more lbs and that i have a petite frame, i'm tall and less than 120.... I looked at the scores of the lift test, apparently other females failed this test too. why on earth is this happening..?! i'm really sad right now, I feel really blindsided. can someone please give me guidance.
the 50lb weight lift requirement is common across many industries. the employer is following a recommendation from osha, which in turn went to niosh (national institute for occupational safety and health) a division on the cdc, niosh has various studies and mathematical equations to determine the safe lifting limits: see http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/94-110/pdfs/94-110.pdf
an employer is protecting their interest and their insurance companies interest when they pre screen potential employees. the tests are designed to look for undisclosed injuries, ie back injury. if you are hired with a back injury your employer might then have to accommodate you under ada. so i understand why they do it, it sucks in the current economy there are dozens of other applicants…
the 50lb weight lift requirement is common across many industries. the employer is following a recommendation from osha, which in turn went to niosh (national institute for occupational safety and health) a division on the cdc, niosh has various studies and mathematical equations to determine the safe lifting limits: see http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/94-110/pdfs/94-110.pdf
an employer is protecting their interest and their insurance companies interest when they pre screen potential employees. the tests are designed to look for undisclosed injuries, ie back injury. if you are hired with a back injury your employer might then have to accommodate you under ada. so i understand why they do it, it sucks in the current economy there are dozens of other applicants…
..... =/ but i dont even have any back injuries! i'm just petite! it makes me wonder, a lot of facilities are promoting nurses to not use their backs, encourage use of lift teams, equipments... so does that mean that this facility probably will make me lift a lot on my own.. no equipment, no lift teams, nothing..?!
Specializes in Interested in Oncology and/or Pediatrics.
Wow, I can't believe there are some hospitals that bend over backwards to create "lift teams" for the sake of patients and nurses alike, and then there is this one exception hospital...If physical competence is necessary to be a nurse, then where is the mandate for CEU's in phys ed and the physical competence portion of the NCLEX? :thankya:
sure, we know that you're a BSN, and that therefore you should not ever have to give a patient a bed bath or change the sheets on their bed. after all, that would require a little physical work on your part. it would require that you be in decent physical condition in order to accomplish the work without injuring yourself or the patient. and besides, that patient with the partially amputated foot has only been on those sheets urinating into bedpans for 3 days now without any kind of hygenic care, and we have a box of donuts to eat, anyway.
Interesting. We must be reading two different posts. I never heard her say she was too good to give any care or planned to give poor care. I only weigh a bit over 110 lbs, and am very physically fit, but it is hard for me to lift half my body weight alone when it's dead weight. I also am working on my doctorate. I do full patient care on every shift. I can't believe you assume that the degree makes the nurse. It's not the degree, it's the effort & intelligence, the compassion & skill.
sure, we know that you're a BSN, and that therefore you should not ever have to give a patient a bed bath or change the sheets on their bed. after all, that would require a little physical work on your part. it would require that you be in decent physical condition in order to accomplish the work without injuring yourself or the patient. and besides, that patient with the partially amputated foot has only been on those sheets urinating into bedpans for 3 days now without any kind of hygenic care, and we have a box of donuts to eat, anyway.
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:eek:thank you for your comment regarding bsn not wanting to change bed sheets/bed baths. please re-read your second paragraph and rethink what u just said. *smacks head*
OP... just reading your post got me confused...I was thinking "what kind of job is that? Can't be a hospital, maybe military training or something"... but it IS a hospital!? Running test? Lift test? How stupid is that?
I think it's an attempt to hire the healthiest of the healthy in an effort to control their healthcare costs for employees.
Just as car insurance goes up if you have an accident, the premiuums businesses pay to provide health insurance to their employees goes up with the next contract negotiation if the claims submitted by subscribers have been exceptionally high.
Specializes in Emergency Dept. Trauma. Pediatrics.
I posted this in another post, copying here since it's relevant to this post. They are doing this here too now for one of the local health systems. They have to pass cardio, flexibility, strength and weights.
A local hospital here is now requiring all new employees to pass a physical fitness test. It was implemented in the last 6 months. It makes sense on their reasoning why, but I guarantee that if it was given to all current employes a lot of them wouldn't pass. A friend of mine just got hired there because she was a contracted student. She said it was pretty intense and her employment was contigent on passing it. She is in good shape so it wasn't a problem for her but it seems like it is a work around to the discrimination laws. I wonder if other hospitals will start following suit. This health system owns 2 local hospitals here and is taking over a few others in their effort to expand.
Very sorry for your loss & the treatment you received. However, I think this is a blessing in disguise. I wouldn't want to work at a place who views nurses only as work horses. Did they check your teeth, gallop, and canter as well?
This is not new. The job descriptions always have a caveat of x amount of whatever for so much a length etc... It appears many places are now implementing the policies.
I was in an accident at work and was out for 6 months. When I went back to work before I could go back I had to pass a series of strength tests. Now I didn't do these strength tests prior to being hired but it's my understanding that they could've had me do it because it was in my contract. And since I had been in an accident and was just coming back to work they made me do the strength test and it was no easy task. They had me go to a gym type business office for 2 hours I did what ever and was exhausted when I left. There were pullies, weights, just all sorts of things to test varous postions of strength. This happened to me 7 years ago.
Before I left the gym/testing area the person said to me that they think I might have passed. What! of course I did and I did so ... I understand where you're coming from. If you had known they were watching you like that I know you wouldn't have shown them that you were tired. This is a good warning for all.
No asthmatics allowed, cant pass the lung function test. Preggers belong in the kitchen. Woman should be barefoot and pregnant anyway, all they are good for. Over 40, you are losing your grip, cant run, have HTN, pulse a little fast, not like the young ones. Fat people, we can't use you either. Can't move fast enough or flexible enough to touch your toes. Can you even see them...nope vision off too. Diabetics, your vision, grips, and potential to fall due to neuropathy, hypoglycemia is too great. Deaf folks, oh, pleeze, you can't hear the alarms, plus your balance is off. You had what 10 years ago, sorry, fail. Perfect as we see it, only need apply.
..... =/ but i dont even have any back injuries! i'm just petite! it makes me wonder, a lot of facilities are promoting nurses to not use their backs, encourage use of lift teams, equipments... so does that mean that this facility probably will make me lift a lot on my own.. no equipment, no lift teams, nothing..?!
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SimonJester
88 Posts
the 50lb weight lift requirement is common across many industries. the employer is following a recommendation from osha, which in turn went to niosh (national institute for occupational safety and health) a division on the cdc, niosh has various studies and mathematical equations to determine the safe lifting limits: see http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/94-110/pdfs/94-110.pdf
an employer is protecting their interest and their insurance companies interest when they pre screen potential employees. the tests are designed to look for undisclosed injuries, ie back injury. if you are hired with a back injury your employer might then have to accommodate you under ada. so i understand why they do it, it sucks in the current economy there are dozens of other applicants…