COMPANY NURSE HELP

[fernanie]

I am a newly hired company nurse, and after a month, what i am repetitively doing is taking blood pressures of employees who come to me in my office. Then, the rest of the day is empty. I did health history and assessment to every client and also making leaflets for health awareness stuff, posting about risks of possible diseases that can be prevented such as hypertension and diabetes. In times I do not have things to do, I help my co-workers from a different department with their clerking jobs. Please help me what other tasks I should do to make my job productive. The company I am working is responsible for the electricity lines, telephone and network installations in the city. Accidents also rarely happen. I am bored and I feel that my job is so light compared to the workers in the admin office who are busy in their computer encoding and doing other stuffs for the company. All responses are very much appreciated. Thank you.

[Floor_Nurse]

I wish I had that problem. My hectic day often has a rushed, frenzy of go-go-go tasks. Maybe I should be wearing roller skates!

[Anonymous865]

Consider starting some classes for the employees like a "Lunch and Learn." The employees bring their lunch and you teach a health topic. Topics could be:

1. what to expect peri-menopause/post-menopause

2. nutrition - this could be multi week

a. essential fatty acids and where to get them

b. saturated vs. mono-saturated vs unsaturated fats

c. how to get your kids to eat better

d. how to modify favorite recipes to make them healthier

e. vitamins and trace elements - what do they do

f. choosing wisely from restaurant menus - get menus from various restaurants and fast food places. Ask the participants to pick what they think would be a healthy meal. Then show them the calories/sodium etc. Then help them pick healthy options from each menu

etc.

3. preventing / managing hypertension with the DASH diet and exercise

4. stress management

5. using exercise bands to increase strength - exercise bands are pretty cheap. You might be able to get management to purchase a band for each attendee and do some simple exercises with them

6. What is hypertension? How does it affect my body?

7. stretching to increase flexibility and reduce injury

8. What illegal drugs are showing up in this area? What are their effects? When should I suspect my kid is using? What do the drugs look like?

etc.

Start a health newsletter / email for employees to help employees improve their health. You could do an "Old Wives Tale or Really Effective? What Does the Science Say?" column and discuss current fad health recommendations like

Does drinking cranberry juice prevent UTIs

Does ginkgo improve memory

Remember that information that is second nature to you is probably unknown to them.

Teach a basic first aid class.

Get someone to come in and teach CPR to the employees.

Organize a blood drive at your location.