Hospital Won't Hire Obese Workers

WannaBNursey, ADN, ASN, RN · Apr 14, 2012

I could just see the snowball effect in something like this. First they stop hiring "fatties", then they stop hiring brunettes. Brunettes aren't protected under the constitution so there shouldn't be an issue!

Anna Flaxis, BSN, RN · Apr 14, 2012

I'm afraid that if hospitals go to not hiring nurses that are overweight as some previous posters have cheered I will be unemployed. THAT is what happens. Supporting the hiring ban is not just an intellectual exercise in theory; this is something that will affect many, many people.[/quote']
LOL, have you tried "just going on welfare" lately?

HeartsOpenWide, RN · Apr 14, 2012

Those over weight cost the employer more for heath insurance. Maybe an option would be for the employee to pay the difference between what a healthy person cost in medical bills and what a obese person costs in medical bills. I see the discrimination factor, but why should the hospital, and healthy people paying into premiums, have to pay because of someone else's choice of life style?

Anna Flaxis, BSN, RN · Apr 14, 2012

My facility has a state of the art, cutting edge cardiac center that draws patients from all over the State. This cardiac center offers weight reduction programs free of charge to employees. You have to have either a BMI of 30 or greater, or a BMI of 25 or greater along with 2 other cardiac risk factors to qualify for the program. I think it's really great. It's not mandatory for anyone to participate.

kcmylorn · Apr 14, 2012

As far as the cost of insurance- why should us post menopausal women and our spouses be charged an insurance premium that includes maternity care and well child visits? The insurance companies I have reviewed, all their basic plans include maternity care and pediatric care- This is not appropriate for us. But to get an insurance plan we buy maternity care along with it. This is making us throw money out the window for services on a health care insurance plan we are not ever going to use. Oddly enough- prescription plans were not included but the maternity care was. So who are we paying for?

caroladybelle, BSN, RN · Apr 14, 2012

Those over weight cost the employer more for heath insurance. Maybe an option would be for the employee to pay the difference between what a healthy person cost in medical bills and what a obese person costs in medical bills. I see the discrimination factor, but why should the hospital,and healthy people paying into premiums, have to pay because of someone else's choice of life style?

Exactly!!!!So why do I have to pay for the insurance of my younger coworkers that have baby after baby after baby.That, after all, is a lifestyle choice, that can be quite expense.Why do I have to help subsidize the health care of my coworkers with family plans. Being married/partnered is a lifestyle choice after all.

kcmylorn · Apr 14, 2012

I don't see too many overweight staffers calling out.

I see the young skinny ones who have been out partying all night and too hung over to drag their bums into to work. I have seen one of skinny young partyers crawl up on the conference room table in the nursing break room and tell every one during report how hung over she was.- the monday morning after Superbowl Sunday.

I see the young skinny ones texting their boyfriends and bff's all day, ongoing converstions, during the shift so much so, that the nurse manager had to call a "special" staff meeting instructing them to stop and stay off the cellphones.

I have seen these young skinny nurses leaving their credit cards at the desk computer when they have been on-line shopping- I found her Visa and went looking for her to give it to her- I needed the computer to do my notes, such a drudge I am. She would disappear often through out the shift leaving the rest of us to answer her lights- she was running around with a surgical resident. Skinny little blue eyed blonde(bleached).

I also work with a younger thinner nurse ( goes to the onsite gym during her lunch time) who calls out every time she has a "sick relative or a funeral Her relatives are ill and die alot. Maybe she is related to all of the city. She claims she has to travel 50 miles away. Then there are her"vacation days" and dentist appts. Three of us older 50yr and older overweight nurses comment to ourselves- "Boy, she treats herself well."

Us overweight older post menopausal nurses manage to drag our fat old butts into work with colds and flu, and we don't crawl all over the conference table during report when we do.

Vespertinas · Apr 14, 2012

Though I can appreciate your frustration, stereotyping in the other direction isn't going to help this discussion.

dream'n, BSN, RN · Apr 14, 2012

LOL, have you tried "just going on welfare" lately?

It's neither here or there. But if recently is last couple of years, then yes. Not so I wouldn't have to work though...but because I couldn't work. And it wasn't related to being fat LOL

wanderlust99 · Apr 14, 2012

Wow. Some of the responses here make me sad. I am 5'7" and was once 250 lbs, size 22. Have sense lost that and am now a normal weight. I had no problems with the physical aspect of nursing at that weight. I have worked with many obese nurses in my 7 years as a nurse and have never witnessed one who was unable to due his or her job because of obesity. How exactly would you measure the inability to stand, lift, walk, etc.. based on someone's weight? Completely absurd and insulting.

ctnjason · Apr 14, 2012

These changes made possible by the over saturation of the nursing market. Pump more nurses out and even more changes like this will be possible.

this ^^^^^

ctnjason · Apr 14, 2012

I don't see too many overweight staffers calling out.
I see the young skinny ones who have been out partying all night and too hung over to drag their bums into to work. I have seen one of skinny young partyers crawl up on the conference room table in the nursing break room and tell every one during report how hung over she was.- the monday morning after Superbowl Sunday.
I see the young skinny ones texting their boyfriends and bff's all day, ongoing converstions, during the shift so much so, that the nurse manager had to call a "special" staff meeting instructing them to stop and stay off the cellphones.
I have seen these young skinny nurses leaving their credit cards at the desk computer when they have been on-line shopping- I found her Visa and went looking for her to give it to her- I needed the computer to do my notes, such a drudge I am. She would disappear often through out the shift leaving the rest of us to answer her lights- she was running around with a surgical resident. Skinny little blue eyed blonde(bleached).
I also work with a younger thinner nurse ( goes to the onsite gym during her lunch time) who calls out every time she has a "sick relative or a funeral Her relatives are ill and die alot. Maybe she is related to all of the city. She claims she has to travel 50 miles away. Then there are her"vacation days" and dentist appts. Three of us older 50yr and older overweight nurses comment to ourselves- "Boy, she treats herself well."
Us overweight older post menopausal nurses manage to drag our fat old butts into work with colds and flu, and we don't crawl all over the conference table during report when we do.

the young skinny girls you speak of in these scenarios are easier to punish and correct than someone obese. you can say hey stop texting but you cant say politically incorrect things that would offend someone.