Nursing Student : Back Injury

Adele_Michal7, ASN, RN · May 30, 2015

Have you asked your doctor how your potential career would mesh with it?

RNsRWe, ASN, RN · May 30, 2015

I don't see how any of us could possibly help, but....since you asked.....my advice would be to meet with your doctor or whatever specialist you saw for the initial injury and treatment.

Nursing IS very physical, at least initially, in order to get through nursing school and working as a new grad you are going to be pulling, schlepping, tugging, lifting. Turning and positioning morbidly obese bed-bound patients is no small feat; having help only lightens the burden but the end result is a workout no matter what.

You will be standing for long periods of time. You will be walking, you will be trotting even. Can't get around the physical aspects of nursing school and beyond.

So....talk with your doc, see what he/she says, and decide from there.

Good luck to you!

dream'n, BSN, RN · May 30, 2015

Not to be too negative, but floor nursing is very physical. Even people with great backs can have issues with all the standing, lifting, turning, etc. When I come on shift, I don't sit for at least the first 5-6 hours and even then it's only sporadically. Honestly I wouldn't waste my time or money pursuing a nursing career if I had a bad back at the very beginning. Maybe you should look for something else in the healthcare field that won't be so demanding on your body. Even if you worked with babies/small children, you would have to be on your feet for long stretches of time. I have no physical issues but sometimes after driving home after a shift, I have to muster my strength to just get out of the car and walk in the house.

calivianya, BSN, RN · May 30, 2015

There are nursing jobs with less back involvement. I imagine MD office, school nurse, public health nurse, etc. don't require as much physical labor, but I could be wrong. However, these types of positions are not something you can usually get right out of school. Most of them want you to have at least a year or two of acute care experience.

So, you don't have to work somewhere that's hard on your back all of the time. However, you're probably going to have to sacrifice your back for a year or two to get there. It's up to you whether that year or two sacrifice is worth it.

littlepeopleRNICU · May 30, 2015

You could join me in NICU ðŸ˜‰ we still do a lot of walking/standing/running around, but the biggest patient I've ever had to lift there was in the low 20 pound range.

On a more serious note, nursing IS a pretty physical career field. The vast majority of jobs are going to make you have to do a lot of walking and standing, and many will make you lift.

There are, of course, some that require this stuff more than others, and even some nursing jobs that aren't bedside at all...but they are few and far between, and often hard to find, especially as a new grad. I would consult your doctor who is most familiar with your condition and medical history, and ask them for advice about what they think regarding you going into nursing/making the journey easier for you.

Good luck!

littlepeopleRNICU · May 30, 2015

I can't speak for everywhere, but the few friends I've had that've worked in offices say they oftentimes felt just as busy in an office as they did in hospitals. Lots of standing in the patients' rooms, and tons of running back and forth to different rooms, grabbing supplies, etc.

SmilingBluEyes · May 30, 2015

Talk to your doctor. No one here can say for sure if it's right for you or not. If you are coming out of the gate with serious back issues, you will likely have real problems in clinicals in school. It's very physical, no way around it. In your job, people may be a bit upset if they have to do the heavy work for you in the case you cannot. Most nursing jobs, even with physician-directed limited limitations are hard. And nursing is team-oriented. Everyone has to be able to pull their weight.

As said, you might get a less physical job, but those are coveted by people who have been nurses for years who had developed issues in their careers. And that will be only after you have finished school and the clinical components associated with it.

Good luck. Only you and your doctor can decide for sure if you are ok with being a nurse and all it entails.

ixchel · May 30, 2015

Megan, I was in my third year of school when I found out I have spondylolisthesis of L5/S1. I am now a BSN and I work on a stepdown unit. I would love to talk to you more about this. Do you have enough posts to PM yet? If so, please send me a PM.

I remember how shattered I felt when I got my diagnosis, and I wish I had someone back then to help me know this is something you can live (and thrive) with. My MRI shows I've had mine for decades, but I fell in 2012 and that's what made it become a problem. I take active measures to prevent pain, I've had enough time pass to know what I can and can't do, and I am realistic about how this will end for me. I know a fusion is in my future, and there is a chance it will not go well. So for now, I am living life as fully as I possibly can. If the fusion is inevitable, I'm not going to slow down for it. It will happen when it happens.

(((Hugs))) I really hope peace comes to you soon. You will go through the five stages of grief (same as five stages of dying) and there will be days when you bounce around all five. You will be okay, though. I know it, because I've lived it.

ixchel · May 30, 2015

Btw, I just saw your other thread describing things in better detail. Any single activity for a long time will hurt. Also laying on your belly, if your listhesis is an anterolisthesis. You don't have enough posts to PM yet. Go respond to some threads and PM me. It's against the rules to give medical advice, but I would love to share what works for me.

While you are stable, use this time to interview neurosurgeons, ortho surgeons and surgeons who specialize in only the spine. Ask for opinions on them. Ask nurses and other doctors. It is a blessing you are getting a head start and you're not finding out when surgery is required, I promise!

Been there,done that, ASN, RN · May 31, 2015

Your health is the most important issue.

You cannot possible love nursing with all your life, as you have not done it yet. Your back, your mobility, your pain free life is much more important.

Speak with your doctor. 38% of nurses DEVELOP back injuries, to go into the field with an existing injury is rolling the dice.

IrisRN.blogspot · May 31, 2015

I feel your frustration and desperation @meganec17,

I definitely agree with the others in there being less labor intensive nursing roles out there such as research, clinics.. but have you reached out to your faculty? is it mandatory for your hours to be completed within a set time frame? Does it have to start in the fall? Perhaps the school policy requires re-evaluation... As a nurse you are a leader, empower yourself and reprimand it if necessary.

All that being said you also need to take a step back and critically re-evaluate what it is that nursing means to you. The principles? approaches? evidence based knowledge? bedside care? critical thinking? human interaction? Everything you've learned till now are all life skills and knowledge that are transferable. Why is it the ONLY thing you've ever wanted in life?

The definition of health is not merely just a mechanistic gaze anymore. Your ADLS, IADLS, friends, family.. etc. you get where I'm headed with this. Life is not a race. Take the time and discover what being healthy really means to you and how to maintain it. Apply those humanistic approaches.

Wishing you all the best