Overweight/underweight Nurses

SeattleJess · Jul 22, 2014

You are SO right about this! You've described the nurses who inspired me to get into nursing. It wasn't their hair... or their weight... or their age, color or creed. It was the skill and the love that healed.

greenerpastures · Jul 22, 2014

I agree. I've never had a patient refuse care from me because I was overweight. In fact, I think because I'm not "perfect" they feel less judged.

betm, CNA · Jul 22, 2014

I almost died of pneumonia when I was a teenager and I was in the hospital. I don't remember anything from my hospital stay because I was mostly unconscious or awake and delirious (when I woke up at home in bed with a hospital bracelet on, I panicked because I didn't remember leaving the bed), but now, years later, I do have vague memories of my nurses caring for me. I don't remember what they looked like, I couldn't pick them out of a lineup, but I remember they cared for me and that's all that really matters.

I have had severely overweight coworkers at LTC/ALF facilities I've worked for who were unable or unwilling to perform basic tasks, largely due to their weight, but I would never apply that to overweight hospital workers in general. All this speaks to is those specific coworkers. I wouldn't want to be judged for my size (I'm overweight, personally, but I've been working to change my situation and I've lost 40 pounds this year so far and I'm still losing, working hard toward my goal weight). Even though I notice a major positive difference because of my recent weight loss, I do struggle with foot/leg pain, I'm quick to tire, etc, so for me, I know I'll be a better nurse at a healthier weight personally, but I can't speak to the situations of every person who is overweight.

Plus, since I'm still overweight, a part of me prefers overweight nurses because I feel less judged--not that I've really ever felt judged by a thin/healthy weight nurse, it's just my own perception and I acknowledge that, I just think there's a "market" (so to speak) for body diversity among doctors/nurses/aides/etc for the sake of the patients. For example, I had an overweight resident one time who preferred to have me and other "bigger" aides transfer her because she was terrified that she was going to "crush" the "skinny-mini" aides if she fell on them. On the flip side, in that same facility, another resident was highly aware of her caregivers' sizes and had no qualms about pointing it out.

We never know someone's situation. Someone could look at me and judge me for my weight, think I'm lazy or that I don't care for myself, when in reality, I'm working out and logging every sip/bite/nibble on MyFitnessPal religiously and I've lost 40 pounds. They don't know why I gained the weight to begin with and they don't know me enough to know I'm getting smaller and smaller every week. And I don't know that about people, either, so I can't very well go around judging the sizes of people I don't/barely know.

However, I will say that I can't stand it when people I DO know complain about their weight, but then refuse to do anything about it. I will say that I do feel a little judgmental when coworkers neglect duties because of weight-related issues and then, because it's NOC shift and there's only two of us, I end up shouldering all of the responsibilities. That gets really old after six months, or even a few weeks. I worked with one woman who was approx. 320 pounds & was physically incapable of doing some of our NOC duties because "I can't bend down that far," "If I get down on my knees to scrub the carpet, I won't be able to get up/my knees will kill me for the rest of the shift," etc, and I get that and I was willing to make it work with her by trading to tag-teaming it, but instead of trading duties with me, I ended up doing all of the duties alone because she would walk around to make sure everyone was in bed, then tell me her ankles were now "too swollen" and she had to go put them up at the nurses' station. I understand the feelings of weight/health-related fatigue and I'm sure I've worked with healthier coworkers who felt I was too slow or maybe even lazier than them because of my weight, but to sit with your feet up & looking at your iPhone for 90% of the shift and then somehow get the energy to go do your AM cares before day shift arrives while I've been answering every call light and doing the extensive NOC duties list alone...I'm sorry if that makes me a little judgmental that you also had the energy to grab a few regular cokes and some leftover food from the kitchen.

I just don't think the above situation should be applied to every doctor/nurse/aide who isn't at a "normal/healthy" weight. At a different facility, I worked with someone who was exactly the same as my 320-pound coworker, but she was maybe 90 pounds soaking wet.

Krzysztof · Jul 23, 2014

When it comes down to brass tacks, who cares about body habitus? Just "carry your weight" on the physical, intellectual, and emotional levels... and respect will follow.

TheSkyIsPurple · Jul 23, 2014

Lesigh.

Krzysztof · Jul 23, 2014

@TheSkyIsPurple: You can stop being so apologetic. Your posts sound as though you're in some sort of court-mandated sensitivity training and the assignment is to make amends with overweight people. It's weird.

We get that you're slender [healthy or otherwise] and many other people are not. It's OK. We still love you.

TheSkyIsPurple · Jul 23, 2014

If thats what you got out of it.... - shrug -

Krzysztof · Jul 23, 2014

I'm more cynical than most. Don't go by me. I don't mean to be a meanie. :blink:

Someone with a broader view will correct me. :angrybird1:

TheSkyIsPurple · Jul 23, 2014

Didnt mean for it to come across that way. Its been hard as hell trying to stay on track, and I suppose I more or less wanted to show support - didnt mean anything more that just that - although I can see areas that could in the exact way you stated.

I apologize for that. It really wasnt my intention at all. D:

anon456, BSN, RN · Jul 23, 2014

For some reason I work with a bunch of nurses who are on extreme diets and exercise routines. They are so underweight and proud of it. Most are also in heavy make-up, some I know for a fact have been surgically augmented (they said so themselves), and wear the most expensive cutsie scrubs at work. I always considered myself in the healthy category and I exercise 3x a week and eat right, but am not slim or toned. I wear clean ironed scrubs but not the most expensive (why would you?). I feel so self conscious and frumpy around these nurses. They are always sipping their special nutrition shakes or drinking warm water to make themselves feel full or complaining of how sore their legs are from their last workout. I would much rather work with a larger nurse who is down to earth and has a good self-esteem than someone who is fretting over every calorie when they already look like Barbie.

I just have to remind myself that I am a down to earth person who is in decent shape, and I honestly would rather put my energy into living life than making a hobby out of my body.

nurse0614 · Jul 23, 2014

I've been an overweight RN most of my career. I blamed it on the stress of working ER. Got into so many bad habits, especially eating fast before the next trauma came in. I've often wondered why so many nurses are heavy. We are always taking care of others and not ourselves it seems. Another RN introduced me to a fantastic nutritional cleanse that is working like a charm. I've already released 6 lbs. in 8 days, with 17.5 inches gone to boot. I'm so excited and look forward to going from a size 16 to a size 6 again. I am committed to taking care of myself and not becoming one of my patients.