No light duty for RN's in my hospital - is this typical?

[srleslie]

I am looking at having both knee and back surgery soon, both which would require several weeks before I could do any heavy lifting or transfers, etc. I have been told I won't be able to return to work until I am completely cleared to do lifting and transfers. The rationale given to their not allowing light duty (which would let me return to work sooner) is that if a patient fell to the floor, I could possibly injure myself in assisting the patient. I was wondering if this is typical of other hospitals. The nursing home I worked in allowed their direct care staff to work in light-duty capacities. I'm a RN on a med/surg floor. Thanks.

[RNsRWe, ASN, RN]

When I worked the hospitals, med-surg also, there was no light duty because if you were "half a nurse" then who would be the other half? If you're not able to lift and transfer your patients....who is going to? So, no.

If someone came up with a doctor's note specifying light duty only, then the nurse would be told to stay out on disability until the note said "cleared for full duty".

[marda]

I am on light duty....not allowed to do patient care...I put in orders, chart audits and answer call bells.....I am not factored in staffing, so I get to work and nurses get extra help....

[Nascar nurse, ASN, RN]

When I worked the hospitals, med-surg also, there was no light duty because if you were "half a nurse" then who would be the other half? If you're not able to lift and transfer your patients....who is going to? So, no.

If someone came up with a doctor's note specifying light duty only, then the nurse would be told to stay out on disability until the note said "cleared for full duty".

This is the same at my LTC facility. I don't have the budget $ to pay 2 salaries to get one job done.

[RNsRWe, ASN, RN]

I am on light duty....not allowed to do patient care...I put in orders, chart audits and answer call bells.....I am not factored in staffing, so I get to work and nurses get extra help....

Sounds like a dream I had when I was charge nurse and would've signed over one of my children to get a light-duty EXTRA set of hands!!

Nope, they didn't do that....then again, I'm not there anymore!

[Rose_Queen, BSN, MSN, RN]

Light duty exists in my facility only for those injured on the job. Elective surgery or injury not while working requires the use of paid time off/ short term disability hours until cleared to return to full duty.

[JustBeachyNurse, LPN]

Light duty exists in my facility only for those injured on the job. Elective surgery or injury not while working requires the use of paid time off/ short term disability hours until cleared to return to full duty.

Same for most healthcare facilities I've worked at...light duty reserved for on the job/worker's comp injuries or illness. Any other illness or injury required full duty before return to work was accepted. You were instructed to use state STD, sick time, FMLA (now partially paid in my state) until cleared by your treating physician to return to full duty.

[SHGR, MSN, RN, CNS]

We did have light duty in med-surg and LTC when I worked. Nurses do a lot more than lift and transfer patients.

[0402]

I had sx in May, and I was also told there was no light duty on my unit (I also work m/s). I was told that "back in the day," they would let RNs work as the unit secretary when on light duty, but the organization does not want to pay RN wages for a unit secretary. As much as I would have loved to work something out so that I could have a full pay check, I will say that I was impressed as to how easy the process was to apply for STD and to get it approved.

[brandy1017, ASN, RN]

Didn't you know nurses were mules, okay "professional" mules? The whole hospital system would collapse if nurses weren't breaking their back! Funny how all the other professionals out there aren't expected to break their backs for a job! Now if you were on workers comp then they would find you light duty in a flash to make sure you are not relaxing at home on their dime. They will have you do light duty even if you only have one arm to use to type with or do office work or for a CNA housekeeping. Seriously! I'm not kidding!

[Dazglue, ADN, BSN, MSN, RN]

No light duty whatsoever on my unit. I had to stay out an additional week due to a recent surgery. Then they got short-handed and begged me to come back, but since it was still no light duty and I couldn't lift, I had to say no. Hurt feelings? Yes but I did not care. Lol. However, the other floors at my hospital offer light duty. Weird.

[Meriwhen, ASN, BSN, MSN, RN]

Going on "light duty" in all of the facilities that I've worked at meant that you were taken entirely off of the floor and placed somewhere in a administrative capacity: unit clerk, staffing assistant, doing audits, education, training, etc. There was no modified floor position. If you weren't interested in doing that, then you had to burn up leave/sick time or try for disability.