Extremely Overweight Nurses

SoldierNurse22, BSN, RN · Jul 12, 2013

I know what you're getting at. But you stand to offend a lot of very intelligent, compassionate people on this site with a post like this. If you get flamed, don't say you weren't warned.

Editorial Team / Admin · Jul 12, 2013

Don't judge health by looks. Also, remember that nurses aren't superhuman, they are regular humans and prone to the same health issues and unhealthy habits as every other human on the planet.

llg, PhD, RN · Jul 12, 2013

As long as a person is capable of doing the job, I don't care about their weight. Just because a person has a "perfect body" doesn't mean the he/she is a good nurse. The "perfect body" person might have all kinds of deficiencies that aren't so easily visible. And just because a person's body is not perfect does not mean that person is a bad nurse. That overweight person might have many strenghts that are not visible at first glance.

Real life is simply more complex than that. Maybe someday, the OP will learn that lesson.

TBlase · Jul 12, 2013

The health effects of obesity are clear. The cost to the health industry are becoming clear. The pushback against overweight is happening all over the place- like charging them more for flights. Overweight is the new tobacco issue. From a visual point of view, however- compare the opinions on overweight nurses, to the comments about nurses with tattoos or piercings, and job performance. Many think tattoos and piercings are 'unprofessional'. I'm sure a lot of very overweight nurses are among that group. Do tattoos affect job performance, or does being overweight? Does a patient that sees an overweight nurse come in the door think: Hmm. Another do as I say, not as I do, type? Depends on whether the patient is also overweight. The odds are the patient IS overweight.

Suffice it to say that the issue of overweight is too touchy still to be PC. Might want to avoid it, even if you think it, because there are so many overweight and even obese nurses. It's an evolving situation, made ever worse as our food becomes ever less nutritious. The situation will get much worse before anyone can get a handle on it. And I'm not talking about love handles. Me? I find staying slim takes ever more time and energy and planning- time and energy and planning (not to mention motivation) that more and more people just can't muster up.

loriangel14, RN · Jul 12, 2013

Nurses are also human.Weight has nothing to do with how good a nurse you are.

fairyluv · Jul 12, 2013

boy., you opened a can of worms on this one. It's about the same as nurses who smoke. some are thin, some are overwieght. We all have our faults. If you wanna take it to a higher level...what about the Doctors who are overwieght and smoke ?? i know some of those. and I also know some who drink alcohol to excess. Is it alright for a doctor to be overweight, smoke and drink, but not a nurse ??

TBlase · Jul 12, 2013

boy., you opened a can of worms on this one. It's about the same as nurses who smoke. some are thin, some are overwieght. We all have our faults. If you wanna take it to a higher level...what about the Doctors who are overwieght and smoke ?? i know some of those. and I also know some who drink alcohol to excess. Is it alright for a doctor to be overweight, smoke and drink, but not a nurse ??

"Iko Iko", by Cyndi Lauper, is a great interpretation of the hypocrisy in America, that is also reflected in this forum. I can smoke dope because I have cancer, but you smoke dope because you're a drug addict, but I'm slim because it's OK to take diet pills, but you're fat because you're lazy, and I pray daily so I'm a saint but you're going to hell because you drink beer, but it's OK to drink wine so you're doomed, and etc. It's called intolerance, people. Aside from that, we all know that nurses are our own worst enemies.

Guests · Jul 12, 2013

I've been seeing a lot of obese nurses lately.

I've been seeing lots of obese nurses and physicians and cops and teachers and politicians and priests and clerks and engineers and...

Obesity is a huge issue in our country and nurses are a significant percentage of the population and hence, many obese nurses.

Go figures.

In my opinion it's not setting the right example

Who gives a rip? We're not here to be examples of piety and virtue. And the truth is, the patients don't look at us as examples, anyhow.

not is it SAFE.

Oh, I see. Do you view 'safety' as a binary condition, either something is or is not safe? What is the safe BMI? How 'bout the safe IQ or safe age? Or safe knowledge level? Or safe sleep habits? Or safe amount of upper-body strength? Perhaps only men of certain stature should be permitted to be nurses. Much safer, you know.

If someone codes or there's a fire a nurses who is huge can't run to get to/from the emergency.

Hm... in my 700-bed trauma center, running is forbidden. It's not safe, you know.

Another example ... CPR ! It's exhausting,if you're not fit to do it...should that patient pay the price?

Well, one can have a BMI of 21 and still be unfit if they don't get aerobic exercise. And I've seen some pretty large folks pull their 2-minutes in the rotation without difficulty.

In fact, I'd argue that 250 lb nurse is more likely to give good chest compressions than a 125 lb nurse... more upper body weight to drop onto the chest.

Not to mention that nurses generally have more specialized tasks in codes than doing CPR.

It's so hypocritical.

Hypocritical? How's that?

Definition: The practice of claiming to have moral standards or beliefs to which one's own behavior does not conform.

Does the fact of being obese mean somehow that said nurse is claiming some moral standard or belief about obesity?

Here's a thought: Maybe the hypocrisy is facing you in the mirror since you seem to be picking this particular health disorder out of the myriad.

I understand with long shifts and not much sleep... Gaining weight is extremely easy to do. However,choosing healthy food options ( not vending machines and pepsis) and staying active even on your days off is important.

Sure it is (or they are). So are driving the speed limit, avoiding tobacco, and wearing a helmet every time one rides a bike. Does that mean violators of those good-health practices are also unfit to be nurses?

Your prescription for the problem is so oversimplistic that it's almost difficult to believe that you're actually a nurse. Perhaps you just know very little about disease processes.

Signed,

a 69", 175 lb male.

Guests · Jul 12, 2013

it's almost difficult to believe that you're actually a nurse...

Oh, you're not.

Never mind.

Guests · Jul 12, 2013

Real life is simply more complex than that. Maybe someday, the OP will learn that lesson.

As a 2009 high-school graduate, she will (hopefully) have a long time to figure that out... though hopefully it will dawn upon her much sooner.

allnurses Guide · Jul 12, 2013

I've been seeing a lot of obese nurses lately. In my opinion it's not setting the right example,not is it SAFE. If someone codes or there's a fire a nurses who is huge can't run to get to/from the emergency. Another example ... CPR ! It's exhausting,if you're not fit to do it...should that patient pay the price? It's so hypocritical. I understand with long shifts and not much sleep... Gaining weight is extremely easy to do. However,choosing healthy food options ( not vending machines and pepsis) and staying active even on your days off is important.

How about if the "skinny" nurse has bulimia and the "overweight" nurse has cancer, is taking steroids, and needs to work just to manage co-pays on their medical bills?

If we buy into the nurse must set an example viewpoint such an unfair scenario could play out. I'd hate to think someone would forego basic health and fitness guidelines because the nurse was overweight when he or she really had a medical condition or side effect of treatment.