Older nurse falling to bits

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Specializes in midwifery, gen surgical, community.

Hi everyone. I have been nursing since 1981. How do other older nurses cope with the physical demands? I have arthritis and diabetes (diet controlled but a problem when we get no breaks). I work on a surgical ward, and love the patients/staff/work but sometimes feel as if I am 100 years old instead of 45. Any tips to make life easier?

I have just applied for an outpatients job. I know it is still standing on your feet all day, but maybe less lifting/handling which is what really kills me.

Any ideas would be welcome.

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Cutting your hours way down so you only work once a week?

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lifting?????

thought that was outlawed in the uk, it was 3 years ago where i worked. we had the equipment and the education so that we didnt have to lift patients. something that the us has to catch up on .

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Specializes in ICU, midwifery, Nurse Practitioner.

Have you thought about getting into practice nursing? I did it for a while and its so very different to working on the wards. Good luck ;)

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Specializes in ob/gyn med /surg.

my mom just retired as a nurse here in the USA after 50 years. she is now 71 and has very bad arthtiris in her knees and was unable to walk. she worked her last day as a nurse this summer. i hope you got an easier job and things are going well for you. you are an angel on earth.

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Specializes in midwifery, gen surgical, community.

I agree Cariad about lifting and education, but we really need to educate relatives and patients about non lifting techniques. I am constantly amazed about how relatives expect nurses to lift patients up the bed. Some of the abuse you get from relatives when we say we do not lift has to be seen to be believed. I hope and pray younger nurses do not have to suffer the way older ones do from being taught incorrect lifting techniques (the Australian lift springs to mind).

I am intrigued by the fact the US lags behind the UK in lifting techniques. Why is this? I would have thought the US would be a world leader in preventing harm to its employees.

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Lifting/positioning is a big bug bear on my ward. Why do the public think one nurse (average weight about 160lbs) can move a 200+, 6ft patient in his bed without help?

Hell, even little old ladies are heavy.

Our patients ***** like crazy if we want to use a mechanical lift on them, but most will do as little as possible to assist us reposition them. One even complained when we put the bed into Trendelenburg to assist him in assisting us....

My back hurts, my feet hurts, I get dehydrated, my hot flashes are getting hotter and I'm ready to go work at WalMart...

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the answer to lifting over here and nurses hurting themselves is all to do with something called workmans comp that you get if you go sick after hurting yourself and then theres not enough sick pay for you or compensation if you never go back to work. the minute that your work realises that you are off for a long time then you just lose your job.

theres not the same loyalty towards their nurses that there is in the uk.

although some states are starting to mandate lifting requirements.

my new job requires that you can lift 50lbs before employing you.

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op . there many different types of nurses, clinics, ltc, asst living,

find something that doesn't sap your strength..you need to maintain your health for the rest of your life

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Specializes in OB, M/S, HH, Medical Imaging RN.

I went through the same thing. I was a nurse at age 20. After 31 years of working in the hospital, one day (or so it seemed) I just could not physically handle the 12 hour shifts anymore. I went into home health which was wonderful for a while but then the pay was decreased by 38% plus other things going on. I'm starting back at the hosp on May 14th but I'll be working in the Outpatient Imaging Center taking brief patient histories and starting IV's for CT's. 10 hour shifts 3 days per week. No weekends, no holidays, no call. 2 hour paid lunch break. Very relaxed. I really lucked out big time. In this case it was who I knew not what I know.

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Specializes in Advanced Practice, surgery.
I agree Cariad about lifting and education, but we really need to educate relatives and patients about non lifting techniques. I am constantly amazed about how relatives expect nurses to lift patients up the bed. Some of the abuse you get from relatives when we say we do not lift has to be seen to be believed. I hope and pray younger nurses do not have to suffer the way older ones do from being taught incorrect lifting techniques (the Australian lift springs to mind).

I am intrigued by the fact the US lags behind the UK in lifting techniques. Why is this? I would have thought the US would be a world leader in preventing harm to its employees.

Ohh I remember the Austrailian lift.

CC you need to look after yourself because what you do now to yourself you will have to live with even after you finish work. I have a typical nurses back, and i have now got to the stage of abolutely refusing to do any repositioning of a patient without the proper manual handling aids. I know that if I even bend to look at charts for too long my back will remind me that it is there.

Stick to your guns and look after yourself. No-one will thank you when you can no longer function.

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Specializes in Case Management, Home Health, UM.
Stick to your guns and look after yourself. No-one will thank you when you can no longer function.

:yeahthat:

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