Obese Nurses

Nurses Stress 101

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I am wondering if there is a weight requirement for nurses in Illinois. Is an obese nurse hirable?

LOL BMI doesn't indicate weight, which was my point.

Yes. I think we are saying the same thing but not quite synching up. I gotchu now.

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Hi OP!

Don't you know anyone who is working in the hospital where you want to work? Maybe you could ask them?

In our hospital, they don't hire RN's who are obese and smoker. I tell this to my little "huge" friends who are planning to work in our hospital so they can start watching their diets now and start working out

Hope you all the best!

If I were your little huge friend I'd stop being your friend the minute you tried to "help" me like this.

I'm morbidly obese and in a weight loss program supervised by a physician. She initially calculated my BMI, looked at the recommended weight for my height, looked at my skeletal muscle mass, and laughed. According to the CDC, I'm supposed to weigh 120-130. She's putting me at a goal weight of 145-150.

My employer has no issues about my weight provided I passed the skills test and can perform my duties. If they restricted hiring by BMI they'd have to close.

As an aside, I can and have outrun a few of my thinner coworkers to a code/emergency. As my hubs says, for a fat girl I can *move*. Thinner =/= healthier.

(Go read the book Thinner by Steven King. *shudders*)

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Gypsy pie.

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Speaking of The Biggest Loser.

Contestants have metabolisms far below normal for their final weight that persists for years after the rapid weight loss. It's not always lack of self control or laziness that causes a person to regain lost weight.

The National Weight Control Registry collects data on people who have lost weight and kept it off - Joe Schmoes with success stories. If you are concerned about weight interfering with your career, that's a good place to start for the most commonly effective weight loss and maintenance strategies.

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Specializes in Psych.
Yes. You have to have a BMI of 20 for women and 22 for men. Studies show critical thinking and task performance are directly related to weight. I personally refuse care from a nurse who is overweight, as he/she cannot possibly care for me safely.

I extensively interview all nurses who care for me. Factors that I feel impede safe care by an RN are a caloric intake above or below the trend of the day (I so agree, fatties are icky), history of domestic abuse of any sort (I go back 3 generations), drunkards (more than 2 drinks in your lifetime), lack of education (don't want any nurse with less than a BSN), IQ, menstruating nurses, nurses with a family history of slave ownership, religion (don't want any religious nurses except those who are among "the truly redeemed), skin colour, unclean nurses (I require references and photos of the home), and my nurses must always have a compatible star sign.

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Yes. You have to have a BMI of 20 for women and 22 for men. Studies show critical thinking and task performance are directly related to weight. I personally refuse care from a nurse who is overweight, as he/she cannot possibly care for me safely.

Wow. Just wow.

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Wow. Just wow.

It's okay, it's satire.

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Sorry guys. I just asked bec I'm a new nurse and my BMI is 40. I know that there is an anti-discrimination act but I also heard that hospitals dont hire nurses like me. Ty God bless.
A long time ago I picked up on the fact I was being discriminated against because of my age. Obvious, because remarks were made during hiring process. But overweight and looks have been more subtle barriers. You just have to do the best you can with what you've got, and make the changes you are able to make.
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How's that working out for ya? Did your huge friends smack you down? [emoji23]

ROTFL

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It's okay, it's satire.

Didn't read that way!

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Didn't read that way!

The Internet is where sarcasm goes to die. The subtleties of inflection, facial expression, and body language that help most of us interpret serious vs. sass can be missing... I promise, that was satire, as were most of the replies.

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This thread gave me the giggles. As a night shifter who just regained consciousness after a crazy night, I thank the lot of you. Now, I shall go oil my hair (free-flowing, of course) to get ready for tonight's festivities. [emoji106]🏻

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