Healthy Nurses?

[OnlyDreaming]

Should nurses be in a healthy range for size and weight? Is this what you see in nursing? I am overweight though most people wouldnt even guess I weigh what I weigh(big boned). Its not that I am not trying to loose weight. Ive had 6 kids in 7years and most of the weight is from the 1st pregnancy almost 8 years ago. Ive lost 30lbs since baby #6 who is 15months old. But the rest is not budging and stress isnt helping.

Do you think it will look bad on me for being overweight or is it fine? I will continue to try to lose weight before starting my Accelerated BSN and hopefully be smaller and smaller. LOL. Or am I over-thinking this?

[duskyjewel]

I think it's always best for someone who will be educating others about their health to be as healthy as they can. That's going to look different on different people. I think attitude is more important though. I've worked with overweight nurses who were slow and frankly, lazy, and pretty much no one likes seeing them come on shift. But I've also worked with overweight nurses who bust their butts, take awesome care of their patients, and are some of my favorite co-workers. I've also worked with thin people who have the same range of behaviors.

Your best reason to slim down is your own health. It will also make the physical demands of nursing work easier to take. I'm a CNA and lost 50 pounds a little more than a year ago. I can't even tell you how much less torn up I feel, especially in my knees, shins, and ankles.