How much lifting does an ICU nurse do?

NeosynephRN · Mar 11, 2009

Constant turning and lifting....the never ending battle in the life of an ICU nurse. Some patients only seem comfortable with their legs over the side rail head between the other rail and their vent tubes stretched to the max...but of course you cannot leave them like that...lol.

HazelLPN, LPN · Mar 11, 2009

I worked adult MICU for 35 years and have probably lifted more weight than Arnold Schwarzenegger! He got a nice body out of it, I got arthritis out of it.

I retired from full time nursing in 1992 and stated working contingent in the PICU and NICU. It took a while to adjust to taking care of kids..old dog...new tricks.....big adjustment. However, it was the best thing I could have done. I learned to love pediatric nursing and moving the 8 year old s/p crain is much easier than the 54 y/o morbidly obese diabetic with multi organ failure. I can honestly say that I was able to stay in nursing another 15 years simply because of the lifting factor alone.

Best to you,

Mrs. H

RNperdiem, RN · Mar 11, 2009

"lifting" is something of a misnomer.

I think we do a lot of pulling to turn patients, pushing to assist the nurse pulling on the drawsheet, pulling patients up in bed and turning patients onto slide boards to slide them to stretchers and back.

If my patient cannot support their weight, I don't take the risk of helping them to a chair. Instead, I slide them over to a cardiac chair and sit them up.

I am 107lbs and have managed fine over the years.

mnurse3139 · Mar 18, 2009

ICU does require a strong back, especially with pts that are intubated and sedated. I usually only requite help if moving them up in bed, but then again im 6 foot 280lbs and all MAN.

allnurses Guide · Mar 18, 2009

One hospital I worked at brought in a "no lift" policy into the ICU... yeah, right! We did get slide sheets and machines etc but they took so long to use that we had to keep lifting.

We need a bed where the sheet rotates automatically like a supermarket belt for when the patients slide down the bed every 5 mins...

wanderlust99 · Mar 19, 2009

A LOT!

Turning pts every 2 hours. Bathing them. Cleaning up poop. Helping them get oob to chair. Taking pts to CT scan.

It's a physical job, just don't do it alone and always be safe.

If your pt is obese, get the extra 3 nurses to lift the pt, 2 isn't enough.

Not enough hospitals have the proper lifting equipment. I wish this would change.