Can I be a nurse with my condition?

meanmaryjean, DNP, RN · May 2, 2017

Not all nursing requires heavy lifting- but nursing SCHOOL does. Consult your physician as we cannot provide medical advice.

hannah2358 · May 2, 2017

Hi Meanmaryjean,

Thanks for your response. I understand that you can not give medical advice, and maybe my post was unclear. I was wondering if there was anyway that a person with back problems could be a nurse or is heavy lifting was a job requirement.

Thanks!!

llg, PhD, RN · May 3, 2017

As meanmaryjean said, there are nursing jobs that don't require heavy lifting. However, heavy lifting may be required of you as a nursing student.

While you are a student, you will be expected to provide direct patient care in an inpatient setting -- and you may have trouble with that. You'll need to get your school to make accommodations for you if you have lifting restrictions. That is theoretically possible, but difficult. I have only known 1 person to get such an accommodation. Not all schools will accept a student who can't perform the usual physical labor that most beginner-level nursing jobs require. It's a legal "gray" area. You'll need to talk with schools that interest you to see what they will require and how much flexibility they will allow ... and you probably should talk to an attorney so that you have a clear understanding of disability law.

And then there is "common sense." A lot of nursing careers are ended by back injuries. Is it really wise to enter a career known to be hard on the back when you already have an injury and will be exceptionally vulnerable to addition, more serious injury? While you might find a way to become a nurse, it might not be a wise move. I recommend a career that will be less risky for you.

Vern4229 · May 15, 2017

I would not advise anyone with back issues to begin a career as a nurse. We have the highest rates of back injury/complaints of ANY career. That said, there are positions that are not as "labor intensive" as an RN that might work for you. Getting through school with accomodations may not be realistic. I am sorry to sound so glum. But as someone who became and LPN then an RN because I LOVE caring for others it turned into needing narcotic pain medications more and more often to perform daily duties. I moved on to supervising so I no longer have to perform direct care, but that takes years of experience doing the jobs you really shouldn't be doing. Good Luck :)

SmilingBluEyes · May 15, 2017

Like others said, lifting will be required in school and likely, your first job after unless you get lucky. Probably not a good idea.