Hospital Won't Hire Obese Workers

EmTheNewRN · May 6, 2012

What's so appalling is that there is not even a veneer of "We are doing this for health!" No, the hospital specifically said it is about the image their nurses project. At best, it is about what "looks healthy" rather than what IS healthy. Do they also turn away nurses with facial asymmetry or scars, non-white appearance (Tanning causes cancer and aging! If you have dark skin, you look unhealthy!), nurses who are too short or too thin? Whose teeth aren't white enough?

The way you tell if someone is a competent nurse is to look at their job performance. Period.

To discriminate against an overweight person who exercises regularly, eats a diet rich in fresh produce, whole grains, & healthy oils, is strong, hardworking and metabolically healthy - in favor of a "thin" person who lives on restaurant burgers, spends their off hours watching TV, has high blood pressure, and won't lift a finger to do any work above the minimum... Well, it's absurd.

Andy Droid · May 6, 2012

more sick days?

Pffft... I've been in the same job for just under 10 years and have taken off a grand total of 6 days due to illness.

that's working night shift for 5 days a week, 12 to 15 hour shifts.

Compare that with the "thin people" I work with, all of whom are lucky to go a full 2 week posted schedule without needing someone to cover a shift for some illness or other excuse.

JZ_RN · May 6, 2012

If they stop taking obese nurses, they oughta stop taking obese patients. I weigh 100some pounds, and turning those 5-600 pounders is a chore, I tell you what...

LOL But in all seriousness this is discrimination. How someone looks doesn't affect their job performance unless they can't physically function.

jelly221,RN, MSN · May 15, 2012

Just throwing this out there- how do all you fine nursing candidates and specimens feel about working with and having as patients- people of other races and religions??
I don't see how you can be good at any job with those feelings and view points, much less the nursing profession.
Here's a real life example of the skinny beautiful perfectly coff'd RN BSN- I have for a nurse manager, I might add she is in her 30's. and a 41yr old tall All American girl looking provider. 1 week ago we had a 30 something female post gastric bypass come into the clinic because she "had been vomiting" A pregnancy test was done and was positive. The baby was not her hubby's, she had been to a party and blacked out. When she told the circumstance to the provider the 41 yr old skinny tall 'all american looking' provider began to admonish her. I heard the interaction. The patient came to me crying and told me the provider made her feel like an "alcholic ****". I went to my nurse manager whose reply was 'You do know how she got that way, don't you" Is this the quality of healthcare "professionals' these hiring practices are encouraging or is this a sign of the generation it come from. Give me an overweight old nurse any day- they know how to do and do their job. These barbie dolls are the dumbest things on 2 legs. i might add neither the nurse manager nor the provider felt that said or did anything wrong- they felt they were perfectly justified.

8mpg- I am truely dumbfounded that your callousness and lack of empathy was allowed to continue in any nursing program. Please, do patient's a favor and get out of nursing before your prejudice and cruelty causes any more patients permanant emotional harm, especially the obese patient's that are subjected to your personal disgust for them they see in your expression and actions toward them when they ring that call bell needing assistance from a nurse. Do No Harm.
I can't imagine discriminating against any group of people is considered"advancing the profession" or any profession for that matter.
I, too, am glad I do not work with you.

Could you maybe extend this hatred for "callousness and lack of empathy" towards those discriminating against "skinny tall 'american looking'" or "skinny beautiful perfectly coff'd" people too?

UpTheLadder12 · May 23, 2012

I think if someone's primary duty is going to entail a lot of lifting and transferring and physical work, they can do a fitness test to make sure that the employee can do the job related tasks BUT a blanket BMI rule is totally unacceptable. That really is judgemental and discriminatory. It says nothing about the capabilities of the individual.

And not to mention enforcing that blanket rule across the facility???? So a BMI can tell the employer how good the employee will be at case management or supervising, or making clinical judgements? I think not. I am not a skinny person, not big either, very 'average'. But sometimes I am running out of steam half way through my day, and I have worked with people in all kinds of fields whose energy level and stamina surpasses mine even when they are twice my size or more. Weight/ BMI is not a singular determinant of energy, strength, stamina, or physical ability. Why not just enforce a simple test of physical ability, when appropriate based on the job requirements, without regard to the weight. if you can do the job you can do the job-period.

nursingisok · May 23, 2012

http://www.texastribune.org/texas-health-resources/health-reform-and-texas/victoria-hospital-wont-hire-very-obese-workers/I'm not sure this link will take you to the article, but I read it this morning and couldn't believe my eyes! Seems a few lawsuits will be coming their way along with the race discrimination one in place already. What do you all think about it?

I think this is good. If I had to work with an obese nurse I am sure he/ she would have tons of excuse for not being able to do this or that and other nurses would pick up the slack. The big nurses tend to have desk jobs anyways... At least from what I've noticed in Texas. It seems most admins are a bit overweight in texas.

its_meee · May 23, 2012

If they are not going to hire someone with a BMI of 35 or higher, are they also not going to hire those people with a BMI of 18 or lower? I've seen very thin nurses that probably fall into that catagory. Personally, I feel that weight should not matter as long as you can perform your duties properly.

tothepointeLVN, LVN · May 23, 2012

I've found as a "obese" that my coworkers tend to leave the brunt of the lifting to me. Not the other way around. I gained most of my weight from a med. I gained 60lbs in 60 days that I could never get off. You too could be obese in the blink of an eye so I would leave your judgement at the front door.

Scarlette Wings · May 24, 2012

what about the overweight doctors or the doctors and pa's who smoke. what about when you call the doctor on-call and he has a few beers under his belt and "i really shouldn't drive up there to see them" and then they give you a verbal order that's as wrong as it can be.

the administrators won't make them follow the same rules because "they bring in the revenue." they have told nurses that for decades. i am fat and i smoke and you could count the times on 2 hands i have ever called off sick in over 27 plus years. i am not diabetic because i eat a fairly balanced diet. i do not have high blood pressure. my heart is fine. my knee suffered a traumatic injury and gives me fits but that would be that way regardless of how big i was or was not. i am actually healthy.

but, because doctors bring in the dollars they can wear the fake fingernails, do as they please, and as usual it is the healthcare staff that has to tow the line. i am over all the double standards. when they make the doctors have to set a good example as well the nurses, if it really is an image and health thing,then they can tell me how i should live.

my mom weighed the same on her graduation from college and her wedding day as she did when she died, 220-230 pounds. she stayed consistent. i was always normal until i grew hormonal and blossomed out at about 12. now i am like my mom. my daughter was always the smallest in her class until those hormones kicked in and she has blossomed out into a mini-me for sure.

fat is not always unhealthy, it is far better than going up and down the scales or developing bulemia or anorexia which i dealt with for many years hating myself for being fat. it is emotional rape when you already feel ugly, useless, and fat and the society tells you that you must obviously over eat, have poor self control or you could quit smoking and eat less, what is wrong with you and your weak willed self? you pig out and have no self control. or "you would be so pretty if you would just loose weight."

dang nab it!! i know that and so does every other fat person out there without anyone telling us. every fat kid, or even chubby kid, lives bullying every single day. i tried to kill myself in the 3rd grade hating myself, my life, and my body and how stupid i felt.

do we really need healthcare employers to be discriminating against us because we are fat too. we have proven we are capable and have passed our boards and after 25 plus years i know my patient care inside out and backwards. i am never late to work. i never ride the clock. i know i need to be thinner and i can promise you if there was an easier way i would all have quit smoking and be skinny and shapely by now.

let me crawl off my soap box and slink back down into my hole munching on grilled cheese sandwiches as i go and puffing on my cigarette.

tothepointeLVN, LVN · May 24, 2012

Let me crawl off my soap box and slink back down into my hole munching on grilled cheese sandwiches as I go and puffing on my cigarette.

I'll bring some tomato soup if I can have a bite of your sandwich. Grilled cheese + tomato soup just go together. But let's face it when your fat there's no where you can hide where you don't get criticism lumped on you.

UpTheLadder12 · May 24, 2012

Thinking more about it, the idea of a hiring rule based on BMI is similar to the "No New Grads" blanket policy that is rampant everywhere.

Lazy, incompetent management that can't figure out how to size up a good candidate, so they make broad generalizations instead of taking the time to look at individuals. Everyone loses here- the person doesn't get considered for the job, and they may have been a fantastic nurse that would have benefited the company and the patients.

tothepointeLVN, LVN · May 24, 2012

Thinking more about it, the idea of a hiring rule based on BMI is similar to the "No New Grads" blanket policy that is rampant everywhere.

No its not the same thing at all. Being a new grad means you don't have the necessary experience to do the job and require training. Being "fat" just means your well fat. It's an assessment based on something unrelated to doing the job. It does not have anything to do with competency or skill/knowledge level.

Under this rule two equally qualified candidates one thin and one fat the fat one would be discriminated against.

Not having experience is not discriminatory