failed lift test, may have lost job offer..

[lovescapeRN]

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.

[emptyboxcars]

I know this is an older post, but I will be taking a physical assessment/lift test soon. I must pass in order to be hired. I must show I can lift 50 lbs without showing it's causing me difficulty. Does anyone have any tips on how to pass this test? I remember the basic body mechanics, but any tips on this, too? Thanks.

[SuzieVN]

I've never 'heard' of a lift test.

[tyvin, BSN, RN]

My work place put me through one of these after an accident (if it's the same thing). You go to a place that looks a lot like a PT place. There they put you through exercises of lifting blocks of wood at varying weights and stuff like that. They want you to show them how you lift things off the floor; things like that. You can't really prepare for it. If you can't lift, you can't lift. The average person should have no problem with it if there are no structural issues.

Look at #55 post...I remember having to do the block test fitting pieces.

Good luck!

[nurseprnRN, BSN, RN]

Come on people, it is discrimination, pure and simple.

This is absolutely NOT "discrimination," unless you use the actual dictionary definition that includes "the ability to tell one from another." It is not illegal to make an offer of employment provisional on passing a physical exam. It is not a violation of the ADA if the job has a bona fide physical requirement. Employers of all kinds have good reason to exclude people with higher risk of injury from employment in jobs that have a higher risk of injury. Don't like it? Apply for jobs that don't require (in this example) lifting.

[Morainey, BSN, RN]

I had to do one to be hired at my hospital. Lift with your legs, not with your back! I'd probably fail though, if you were showing 'demonstrable effort', because I'd grunt like a weightlifter.

[LTCNS, LPN]

I haven't read all the posts but I have to agree with GrnTea. I would imagine hospitals are simply trying to cut down on workman's comp. claims by requiring potential employees do lift tests to assess for and eliminate those at higher risk of injury. If I had to take a lift test, even using proper body mechanics, I would struggle with lifting 50# in a smooth motion. I have Fibromyalgia and am limited in how much I can lift, which is why I work in assisted living. No heavy lifting required, thus lower risk for injury.

[justashooter]

Hello, people. this is not about nursing risk as much as it is about patient safety.

Let's try thinking about the patient, instead of ourselves, for once.

God help the nurse who drops me on the floor because they can't handle a little physical labor...

[Streamline2010]

This is absolutely NOT "discrimination," unless you use the actual dictionary definition that includes "the ability to tell one from another." It is not illegal to make an offer of employment provisional on passing a physical exam. It is not a violation of the ADA if the job has a bona fide physical requirement. Employers of all kinds have good reason to exclude people with higher risk of injury from employment in jobs that have a higher risk of injury. Don't like it? Apply for jobs that don't require (in this example) lifting.

Wrong answer. Whose side are you on? Not yours. Just because nursing has made unnecessary physical demands on nurses for decades does not make it the right thing to do. It's not unreasonable to say "able to life 50#" and make the employee prove it. It's unreasonable that nurses have to do all the lifting and that the 35# limit is not strictly enforced, and in most cases, you can't even get enough manpower or womanpower together so that each nurse only lifts 35#. Right?

Nurses are complaining about how nursing is being reduced to nonstop gruntwork, not care as it used to be done. Well, make paradigm shift that work for you. In industry, we have riggers whose job it is to lift heavy things. So, if say, 200#-400# had to be lifted, they are not going to call in 4-8 middleaged women and make them do that. We will call the riggers. The riggers lift, so that employees do not get OTJ injuries.

Now, what you nurses need to do is put a politically correct name on that job, and the right spin, and market that to the bean-counters. It's another tech position that they *need* to create, to save the $22-$40/hr highly-skilled skilled labor for what the highly-skilled labor needs to do. Hospitals have personnel to transport people. They need designated personnel to do the heavy lifting, too, and I don't think that it's impossible to train some brawny males (or females, if they can do that work and they like it) to do that safely. A RN can stand there are direct them and supervise them, and not lift more than 25#.

Change your thinking and definitely stop martyring yourselves for the job.

[justashooter]

another person who values their own comfort over patient safety.

the worst kind of nurse is a person who wants to stand there and direct others to do work...

[osamejrn]

Well, I sympathize with this nurse and am very sad to hear this! I had a similar requirement prior to beginning a job. I had to do 20 toe touches, lift weights that were made progressively heavier, push and then pull a cart stacked full of weights, push the PT lady around the unit in a w/c, and squeeze a hand grip. I had my blood pressure checked prior to the the toe touches and after. I had a monitor in place for my heart rate to be monitored before and after each of these activities.

I was offered an RN position through a hospital but not in the actual hospital. My position was going to be in a clinic for worker's comp/walk in clinic. I was notified about a week later that they were rescinding their offer because my heart rate was too high and was too out of shape. I was stunned! I have worked in other offices without so much as a drug test let alone a strenuous PT assessment! Prior to going for it, I heard that it was quite a work-out and others were shocked at the expectations of the hospital.

So, you don't have to just have a slight grimace while lifting 50lbs. to lose out on a job offer. I had taken cold medication without a clue that they were going to monitor my BP and HR. I even stated that to the PT lady (who was giving me attitude right from the beginning).

Thanks to that, I am now excluded from a whole facility with a lot of offices as potential employment. The job I have now required a PT assessment also, which made me very nervous as it is hard to find a job as a new RN and have loans to pay. I passed it thankfully and I work in LTC where I actually am lifting people and have more physical requirements than I ever would in a clinic. Go Figure!

P.S. Mechanical lifts are used to lift those who aren't weight bearing-not people

[Wannabeeinscrubs, ADN, LPN, RN]

I guess I better hit the gym, I am 5"4 and 120 pounds, lifting 50 pounds gracefully is not something I can do right now. Good thing I have a year or so left of pre-requisites.

[hardkorthree]

I have an agility/physical exam on Monday, kind of scares me a little bit even as a male. I am 6 feet tall and weigh 145 pounds. I get a ton of flack as I am really weak physically, but I have always preferred running to lifting. It's kind of hard to motivate myself to lift even after my short runs of 7-8 miles a day as I am training for a marathon. Hope I pass this test, as I rejected another job offer to work here, also don't have any other offers that look to be coming any time soon lol.