How good of shape (physically) do you need to be in to be a nurse?

I am in really bad shape but I managed all right. My friend is obese and she has only the regular ol' complaints.

There are plenty of nurses who are in terrible shape who still manage to do their jobs. But I will say that being in shape helps. There is a lot of manual-labor in nursing. The issue with the physical work is that it doesn't require you to be in shape, but being in shape acts as protection for you. For example: when you have to turn a patient, or pull a patient up in the bed...a person who is physically strong will use less of their body to do the work. A person who is not physically strong will recruit accessory muscles to help the job..what you lack in arm strength you will try to compensate with back strength and if you aren't careful, it will lead to injury.

But don't worry about if you are in good enough shape to be a nurse. Are you in good enough shape to lead a long, healthy life?

You should be in good enough shape to be on your feet for several hours at a time, to repeatedly bend and stoop and to boost, turn, and assist patients with transfers.

It's all relative.

Compared to a desk job, nursing is a physical job... compared to a lot of physically demanding jobs I've had in various trades, it's not too bad.

The obesity rate among nurses appears to mirror that of the general population.

Beyond body mass, the single biggest thing you could do to help yourself would be trunk strengthening.

I'm a new RN with 1 yr on Tele floor and I lost 30# the first 4 months. Most days I run my ( ! ) off the entire 12 hr shift. Start with 4 pts, d/c 1 or 2 and the bed doesn't get cold before I have a slip with new admit so I've actually assessed and charted on 6 pt's. If you're not in shape, floor nursing will get you in better shape.

This may seem like a silly question, but I keep thinking about how out of shape I am and will this affect me being a nurse. (basically I could stand to lose about 30-40lbs) How physically demanding is being a nurse? Thanks for your responses!

Probably the majority of nurses are not particularly in tip top shape, yet still manage to perform the job well. There are quite a few that are quite overweight and still function just fine. I don't think you should worry unless you have some underlying health problem.

Of course taking care of your body will keep you able to do the job for longer.

i am soooo in shape, i can pick up the majority of my patients with one hand! :pumpiron:

then again.....i work in nicu.....:thankya:

You do not need the physique of an athlete to do this work.

You do need a certain amount of stamina and the ability to stand for long periods of time.

Fitness can be built up on the job.

Thanks for the replies. I am a bit overweight, as I said, and I also have moderately severe scoliosis which does cause me some pain. It seems to be occuring more often now that I have gained weight, so maybe weight loss will help with that. I do work in retail now so I am on my feet 8-9 hours at a time there and can manage that. I'm just dead tired when I get home though, lol. Thanks again!

Thanks for the replies. I am a bit overweight, as I said, and I also have moderately severe scoliosis which does cause me some pain. It seems to be occuring more often now that I have gained weight, so maybe weight loss will help with that. I do work in retail now so I am on my feet 8-9 hours at a time there and can manage that. I'm just dead tired when I get home though, lol. Thanks again!

You should be alright. The majority of nursing is being on your feet all day. Most people get used to that after a few weeks. I am overweight, although there is a few nurses at my hospital bigger than me,, I have problems with my feet sometimes. But that is my own fault, I tried to fix my shoe problem when I didn't have a problem, so now my feet hurt again. Gotta go back to the old shoes, or find some just like them.

Like I said, your body will get used to it, and since you've already been working on your feet then it shouldn't be a bad transition. Be careful about your back and turning patients!