Need Your Opinion: Am I Finished in Med/Surg or Not?

Nurses General Nursing

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That is the question still uppermost in my mind today as I chew over the 'conversation' I had Friday with one of the assistant department managers regarding "concerns" that have evidently arisen over my reluctance to perform certain back-breaking aspects of the job, namely, moving our 300+ pound beds (that's unoccupied) up and down carpeted halls.

I've actually been refusing to do this for over a year, only because it strains my back so badly that I've spent nights in excruciating pain after having done so. I'll help with lifts, turns, transfers, etc.---even with bariatric patients---but I have told people repeatedly that I can't push beds, and I've told them WHY I can't do it. I've had back problems ever since I was 14 and thin enough for the breeze to blow away.......this is nothing new.......and now that I'm older and heavier, it's certainly gotten worse, and yes, I baby it more than I did when I was younger. I've had chronic pain for almost as long as I can remember, but I literally can't afford to screw my back up for good---my dh doesn't make much money, and if I go down, my family is back in the food-stamp line.

I can understand where the management is coming from; they need nurses who can do ALL the tasks demanded of them, and I never have been really forthcoming about my back problems until now because I wanted to WORK. It's also been a point of pride that I've managed to 'gut it out' despite the physical pain, and keep up with nurses who are decades younger and many pounds lighter. But I guess I've been living in Fantasyland......I CAN'T do it all. I strained my back again last summer trying to keep a very large patient from falling out of bed, and I never reported it to anyone because I thought I'd be OK, and since I already had the pre-existing back problems, I didn't want anybody to think I was malingering, or trying to 'take' the hospital for money for a disability claim.

Now, of course, I know that was a mistake, because it did cause some damage, but it's way over and done now and I can't fix it. I still think I'm a good nurse, and I still think I can be effective; but now I wonder....is there no place in Med/Surg for someone like me, who isn't physically able to do the hard physical labor but is great with patients? We have a nurse who can't manage anything near a full patient load, and goes into orbit if you hand her an admission; we have several nurses who are pregnant and can't do the lifts or move beds; we have nurses who are older, heavier, and more crippled-up than I am........yet my hospital continues to employ them, and I haven't heard any veiled threats leveled against them. (Of course, I don't know everything that led them to the places where they are, and I don't think I'm going to be fired just yet.)

Is there any hope for me? Inquiring minds want to know!!

Specializes in LTC, assisted living, med-surg, psych.

We only have carpet in the halls........the room floors are all linoleum. But yes, this does make a hard task even harder. We often have to rearrange the patients based on admissions and diagnoses (e.g., private rooms for everyone with even suspected pneumonia or other infectious dz until they've been on antibiotics for 24 hours; we double-up if we have 2 confused/demented pts who need 'babysitting'), and of course if we don't have enough male or female rooms, we have to reshuffle. It happens almost every shift........you'd think we could do better planning, but it doesn't pan out that way. :madface:

All of these freakin' beds are huge, bulky things that don't steer worth a tinker's damn, and when you put a patient in there and try to push it down a carpeted hall........well, it can really put the hurt on you. A lot of times the surgery people won't even come up to get patients if it's after 5 PM, they want us to bring them downstairs ourselves, which not only means having to leave our own patients, but also there's often no one to help get the bed into the elevator and then push it to the surgery desk two floors down. Owwwwww.......my back and shoulders are screaming at the mere thought of it..... :scrying:

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Specializes in Hemodialysis, Home Health.

Dang, Marla... I do hate this for you ! :o

It would appear that nurses' time would be better spent doing other things. It would appear that there would be some sort of " hospital assitive personell" to carry out these types of functions. I guess from what Tweety and others have said, this is not the case. But it does boggle the mind. What kind of "profession" is this, anyway? So little value placed on nurses and their health and wellbeing.

I find this truly disturbing.

Yes, I agree with others here as well... there are options out there for you. Sad htat you may have to leave what you love, but you MUST consider your own health here and look out for #one, as no one else will.

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This is off topic... but why do we still have these huge beds that nurses or whomever has to push? Why can't it be remote control or something?

Maybe I'll pop over to the Nursing Enterprener (sp) forum and suggest this...

-Dan

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Specializes in Me Surge.

Americans with Disabilties. Find it on the net. If they fire you, they'll get more than bargained for. Nurses are expected to workhorses and we are not. Most of us with back problems got that way from nursing.

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Specializes in NICU.

Instead of playing Musical Beds, couldn't you move the patient in a wheelchair, and then housekeeping could clean the bed as well as the room?

That might be easier on you. Maybe it wouldn't work with ortho patients, but it would with most others.

Wouldn't you love to see a Manager pushing a bed around, it's amazing how you can be expected to do something like that, when they wouldn't dream of helping out.

It's not worth doing your back in, take care of yourself!

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Specializes in Med-Surg, Trauma, Ortho, Neuro, Cardiac.
This is off topic... but why do we still have these huge beds that nurses or whomever has to push? Why can't it be remote control or something?

Maybe I'll pop over to the Nursing Enterprener (sp) forum and suggest this...

-Dan

Dan! Motorized beds that move like a go cart or something, wouldn't that be often.

But to answer your questions as to why we don't have them........money. They would be too expensive. Best to break nurses backs, cheaper in the long run.

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Marla

I can see management's point, in a fashion. After all, if you were no longer able to "pull your weight" in patient loads, and couldn't take care of your patients, then they would have a valid concern. On the other hand, you weren't hired to be a freaking furniture mover!! Given that management is willing to tolerate other nurses who can do less than you, any you still take a full patient load and give your patients good care, I'd say that you still have a future in med-surg, if that's what you want. Where moving the beds is concerned, I'd think management could be accomodating. But why?

Don't misunderstand my question. I'm really just concerned about you. Why are you so intent on doing yourself permanent bodily harm? You've already told us that you have had a bad back since the age of 14, and your husband can't earn enough to adequately support your family. Why are you risking serious injury to your back? I have to be honest, I've never understood what I call nursing machismo. We all keep doing it in spite of the pain, and we ridicule those who c/o injuries suffered on the job. This has always baffled me. We are so good at caring for patients, but we suck when it comes to caring for ourselves, or our co-workers.

I have a news flash for you. We aren't in the military, and we certainly ain't in the NFL. There is no reason, none, to play through the pain. My concern for you is that someday, you will retire. The only question then is what that retirement will be like. Will you be active, and finding other things in life that hold your interest? Or, like so many nurses we both have seen, will you spend your retirement sitting in your home, in pain from the years of accumulated abuse you've heaped onto your back in the name of "proving yourself."

The short version is there are a million ways to be a nurse. You and I have conversed before, and I'm convinced that you are not a dumb person. Find one of those ways that you love that isn't quite as taxing on your back. Regardless of what anyone else says, it's time you cared for yourself. Ain't nobody else going to do it for you.

Kevin

Edited to add: By the way, if I didn't make it clear, you "proved yourself" long ago. Marla, you know I love you, so quit trying to be 21 again.

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Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.

(((((((((((((marla)))))))))))))))

I can't even add to what already has been said here. But you have my support, whatever you decide. I think, maybe, med-surg is too much, too. That's ok. You are a wealth of knowledge and a valuable member of the nursing profession. I hate to see you walk away from it all......try to find a bit less taxing area, if you can. You have "proven" yourself, like Kev said.

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My first thought on reading this thread is why are you moving those beds? Are you moving them by yourself?? Also, to have ANYONE at all (i.e. CNA, housekeeping, etc) move them alone is unreasonable (at least in my opinion). We certainly wouldn't try to move even a 150# person by ourselves up in bed. We would get some help. Do the same for those beds if they do have to be moved. We often move pts from one unit to another and we move them in their beds frequently but we NEVER allow anyone to move someone by themselves. It would be unreasonable. Whatever happened to nurses watching each other's backside?

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Specializes in ICU, CCU, Trauma, neuro, Geriatrics.

We use maintenenace to move empty beds.

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Specializes in LTC, CPR instructor, First aid instructor..

Marla,

Have you given any thought to getting a job as a telephone nurse for a health insurance company? You could work from home doing that. Or even working in a doctor's office.

There are multiple choices in the field of nursing these days, and I'm sure you would qualify to do lots of them.

Maybe just being a wound care nurse or something like that.

Anything but Med/Surg. I didn't like it when I was in school, I don't like it being a patient, and that area would be one of my last choices. They work you as though you're heavy equipment used to to do that stuff.

It all comes down to money, doesn't it. Management doesn't want to spend; no, in fact, since computers are a common commodity now, they have decided to put even more work on nurses. How naieve I was years ago when the computers first came out. I actually believed the line, "Computers were invented to ease the workload of employees:rolleyes: Yeah, RIGHT! Instead, management uses them as an excuse to pile more work on to the help, and usually don't give one hoot about what happens to the nurse.:angryfire I'm beginning to get hot. I better quit.

Do take care of yourself, dear friend. Nobody else will, and in fact when it comes to organizations you have worked for having to dish out some medical help for you, they either ignore you altogether, or they just don't care what happens to you, they don't know you. You are not a person, you're just another number.:angryfire Aargh! I must go before I blow a gasket.

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Specializes in LTC, assisted living, med-surg, psych.
Marla

I can see management's point, in a fashion. After all, if you were no longer able to "pull your weight" in patient loads, and couldn't take care of your patients, then they would have a valid concern. On the other hand, you weren't hired to be a freaking furniture mover!! Given that management is willing to tolerate other nurses who can do less than you, any you still take a full patient load and give your patients good care, I'd say that you still have a future in med-surg, if that's what you want. Where moving the beds is concerned, I'd think management could be accomodating. But why?

Don't misunderstand my question. I'm really just concerned about you. Why are you so intent on doing yourself permanent bodily harm? You've already told us that you have had a bad back since the age of 14, and your husband can't earn enough to adequately support your family. Why are you risking serious injury to your back? I have to be honest, I've never understood what I call nursing machismo. We all keep doing it in spite of the pain, and we ridicule those who c/o injuries suffered on the job. This has always baffled me. We are so good at caring for patients, but we suck when it comes to caring for ourselves, or our co-workers.

I have a news flash for you. We aren't in the military, and we certainly ain't in the NFL. There is no reason, none, to play through the pain. My concern for you is that someday, you will retire. The only question then is what that retirement will be like. Will you be active, and finding other things in life that hold your interest? Or, like so many nurses we both have seen, will you spend your retirement sitting in your home, in pain from the years of accumulated abuse you've heaped onto your back in the name of "proving yourself."

The short version is there are a million ways to be a nurse. You and I have conversed before, and I'm convinced that you are not a dumb person. Find one of those ways that you love that isn't quite as taxing on your back. Regardless of what anyone else says, it's time you cared for yourself. Ain't nobody else going to do it for you.

Kevin

Edited to add: By the way, if I didn't make it clear, you "proved yourself" long ago. Marla, you know I love you, so quit trying to be 21 again.

OK, you got me on that one! :chuckle Thank you, Kevin, for your care and concern...........you're absolutely right, I've got to take care of me, there's nobody else to do it.

I'm not sure exactly how this is all going to work, but I promise you all, I'll try to do a better job of caring for myself.......all of this stuff that's happened to me in the past year has been leading up to some very necessary and major life changes, and the proverbial handwriting is on the wall: I know if I don't start seeing to my own health and my physical and emotional needs soon, I'll either die early, or wish I had. :stone

Thanks again, to everyone. :)

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