Overweight Healthcare Workers

[EmpoweRN]

Imagine a weigh in as part of your employment application… followed by a reassessment throughout the year. Could this be a reality in the future? Since hospitals stopped hiring smokers - it does bring up the question: How far could employment requirements go?

Whilst hospital staff should be shining examples of health and happiness, the reality is, we are really just normal people; Some mothers and fathers, many of us struggling to manage long shifts combined with our other responsibilities.

Nurses work long hours, and throughout the day must put their needs aside for their patients, making it especially hard to stay healthy. I do believe it is possible to stay healthy and fit on the job. However, it does take a tremendous amount of planning, focus and discipline.

Some argue that patients will not accept our advice or education when they think we do not care for our own bodies as they think we should. In this situation, stick to the research and facts. Regardless of your own health issues, it does not have any effect on your patients.

[video=youtube_share;oC0f8QBLB3s]

[NuGuyNurse2b]

This is actually already happening. At my old place of employment you have health screenings annually - BMI, BP, labs (sugars, cholesterols) - and you were given a rating. And depending on the rating, you had to do certain things - follow up with the nutritionist, doctor, etc. - throughout the year. It doesn't mean you were required to be healthy, but as an incentive (or punishment, depending on how you look at it), your insurance rate was higher or lower based on your rating. For example if you are a smoker, you naturally got a higher score on the rating scale, and your premium was higher than someone who wasn't a smoker. You can reduce your premium by doing their cessation program.

[EmpoweRN, RN]

Hi NurseOnAMotorcycle, what would you like to see?

You're going to be seeing a lot more videos.... not just from me, but from other creators, so if you let me know what you prefer to see, that would help :)

xoxo

~Caroline

[Libby1987]

What's wrong with the video? (Other than it may not resonate with everyone). Isn't it saying that we shouldn't judge or discriminate? And seemed directed at the presenter's peer group who might be judgmental?

[EmpoweRN, RN]

When I first started working as a nurse (8 years ago) this used to be a huge problem, I don't really see this anymore (co-workers smoking) do you?

[TruvyNurse]

Feel like this is opening an old can of worms. Wasn't there a similar topic about a year ago? I'd rather have an overweight nurse who cows her stuff than a fitness freak who knows nothing. :)

[Tenebrae, BSN, RN]

Never fly here. Thank goodness

[NotAllWhoWandeRN, ASN, RN]

Weight =/= Health

Weight =/= Health

Weight =/= Health

Weight =/= Health

Weight =/= Health

[martymoose, BSN, RN]

i thought i was having deja vu......

Maybe we should all look like Stepford wives.

Whatever happened to do as I say, not as I do? Or am I dating myself saying that,lol

[NuGuyNurse2b]

Feel like this is opening an old can of worms. Wasn't there a similar topic about a year ago? I'd rather have an overweight nurse who cows her stuff than a fitness freak who knows nothing. :)

Um why does the fitness freak nurse need to be the know-nothing nurse? it cuts both ways, you know...

[guest974915]

While I understand the rationale behind these indicators (BMI, tobacco use, lipids/cholesterol...) and their potential implications for health, I feel that mandatory testing for many of these may lead us down the wrong path. Will soon, genetic testing/genomics be a required next step for health insurance coverage? Some may argue that women, carrying the BRCA 1 & 2 gene (although not diagnosed) should pay higher premiums. I get that smoking is a completely modifiable factor, but few other examples are this 'cut and dry'. This type of thinking can quickly spiral out of control until most, if not all of us, are quickly exempted. Insurance providers would like nothing better that this type of unrestricted leverage to exponentially raise rates, deny claims, and pay out high dividends to shareholders. Just my opinion of course!

[CrunchRN, ADN, RN]

I just think there needs to be separation between my personal/home/health information and my employer. Just the violation of privacy bothers me the most.

[Rocknurse, MSN, APRN, NP]

I think the argument in general is too simplistic. Nurses are human and there are many factors playing into health and body weight. Here's a scenario: a young 23 year old healthy female nurse who runs 3x a week, eats like a bird and likes to snowboard, cycle and hike on her days off. She's the picture of health. Awesome for her. Take that same nurse, add 20 years, 2 divorces, a sick child, a bout of ill health due to menopause/endometriosis/PCOS (take your pick), the weight starts to pile on because she's having hormonal issues, she's stressed, she has no time to eat healthy at work because the management keep giving her more and more patients. Life happens. It's easy to think you'll be just as energetic and slim as you are now, but trust me....pre-menopause/menopause is a *****. Facilities are guilty of contributing to this mess because the job gets more and more stressful so nurses do what everyone else in the population does...they eat to comfort, they drink to unwind, and before you know it...*poof* 30lbs has crept on. You can make great choices all you want, but life is hard and things happen. People should be supported not penalized. How about we make work a more amenable environment?

Also, I don't smoke but I do vape. I use the lowest nicotine possible. I still run, weight train and cycle. I don't need to leave my area to smoke. I don't have breathing or health issues. Should I be penalized? I would probably fail a cotinine test. I don't think it's anyone's business what I do outside of work and I don't think my health is any worse than anyone else's. Where do we draw the line?