Pregnant, when do you start light duty?

[DesiDani]

First, I am not pregnant nor have I ever been. Some coworkers who do have kids are balking at some coworkers who immediately go on light duty upon knowing that they are pregnant. They say they ran to their doctor so they didn't have to work. I've seen some stay on the floor far into their pregnancies. 

I don't know what to think. Others who have worked while pregnant call BS. What say you?

[DesiDani]

I didn't think much of it until a few pointed it out. Besides I'd think seating down for 12hrs would be bad too if pregnant.

[DesiDani]

8 hours ago, T-Bird78 said:

(couldn’t have a water bottle at the nurse’s station). 

That's ridiculous medical reasons or not.

[Hoosier_RN, MSN]

23 hours ago, Sour Lemon said:

I've never worked at a hospital that allowed light duty. They've just written people unable to do their jobs right off the schedule.

Always the same everywhere that I've worked

[klone, MSN, RN]

With a healthy normal pregnancy, there is no need for light duty. As others have said, we are not privy to other people's health situations, so I would MMOB.

[nursemols, ADN, BSN, RN]

I went on light duty at 25 weeks due to medical issues related to my pregnancy. Essentially I’m used as a huc or a monitor tech. I’m just glad my hospital does accommodate me for my needs. It’s kept me working and kept me from using what little maternity leave I do have early 

[Kooky Korky, BSN, RN]

On 9/13/2021 at 11:16 AM, JKL33 said:

If numerous staff are being given light duty and it is causing a problem on the unit then some of the employer's policies aren't well thought out.

I've never worked where everyone was allowed to clamor for desk duty/light duty. Whatever policies were in place made that a very short-term and relatively rare scenario.

I don't worry about the advice, instructions and prescriptions coworkers receive from their HCPs; it's none of my business and has nothing to do with me.

It could be your business.  You might be expected to do the work that they aren't doing.  You wouldn't like to have to do all of your own work plus some of your light duty peer, would you?  Especially if she is getting full pay and you are not getting any extra pay.

[Kooky Korky, BSN, RN]

On 9/14/2021 at 6:55 AM, T-Bird78 said:

As someone who had rough pregnancies, I can understand the need to at least ask for a lighter load. I had hyperemesis gravidarum, or “severe morning sickness” with both mine (calling HG ‘severe morning sickness’ is like calling a hurricane a ‘gentle tropical breeze’). I was hospitalized twice and on home health services for 3 weeks, including IV hydration at home, and wore a subcutaneous pump for a month. I missed a full 3 weeks, then a few days intermittently, in my first trimester. I didn’t have a light duty option, I was just out when I was sick. I worked until the day I hit 36 weeks, when my OB put me on bed rest due to premature contractions due to dehydration for the 3rd time (couldn’t have a water bottle at the nurse’s station). 

Hope you and your family are doing well.

Yes, water at the nurses' station or on your med cart are against OSHA - whether we workers think that is reasonable or not.  Guess someone might mistake a urine or poop sample for water.  Whatever.  

Can't get a meal or rest break for 12 hours.  But God forbid someone should sip some water at the Station.

[JKL33]

10 minutes ago, Kooky Korky said:

It could be your business.  You might be expected to do the work that they aren't doing.  You wouldn't like to have to do all of your own work plus some of your light duty peer, would you?  Especially if she is getting full pay and you are not getting any extra pay.

What I mean is that if an employee has restrictions per the advice of their healthcare provider and can't perform their role, it is really the employer's responsibility to have a policy to handle that situation appropriately, whether it be medical leave or whatever. If the employer doesn't have an appropriate plan to handle that it doesn't mean that I decide my coworker's healthcare needs are my business. I see the issue as being between them and their doctor and their employer, and separately between me and my employer.

Personally I don't like the gossip about who should or shouldn't be doing what. It's so immature and not at all innocent. It is disruptive to patient care and destructive in other ways. I go take care of the assignment I was given, which kills two birds with one stone--my patients get taken care of and I don't have to listen to it.

 

18 minutes ago, Kooky Korky said:

Yes, water at the nurses' station or on your med cart are against OSHA - whether we workers think that is reasonable or not. 

Water at the nurse's station was never a violation of OSHA regulation and it isn't now. This has been challenged and debunked. It was never more than a bunch of non-thinkers not thinking.

[Been there,done that, ASN, RN]

In 30 years of bedside nursing, I have only seen one nurse reassigned  to a desk job due to a back injury. I thought management  feels, if you cannot do the nursing duties as described in your job description... you are out of luck. Either use FMLA or get a leave of absence.

[Hoosier_RN, MSN]

10 hours ago, Kooky Korky said:

It could be your business.  You might be expected to do the work that they aren't doing.  You wouldn't like to have to do all of your own work plus some of your light duty peer, would you?  Especially if she is getting full pay and you are not getting any extra pay.

Or if there is no specific need for them to be on light duty, while you run even more, or pick up more shifts to cover the light duty person. 

I once worked with a young lady (in my factory days) who demanded light duty as soon as she got pregnant, even had MD documentation. She continued to ride horses (barrel racing) in the county fair, drive in the demo derby at the county fair, and riding dirt bikes off trail on weekends. Because of that, policy changed to no light duty. You could either do the job or not, and you were scheduled, or not, accordingly 

[SmilingBluEyes]

On 9/14/2021 at 4:37 PM, klone said:

With a healthy normal pregnancy, there is no need for light duty. As others have said, we are not privy to other people's health situations, so I would MMOB.

Right. Emphasis on normal and healthy. I did not have light duty in either of my pregnancies. Sadly I ended up delivering 6 weeks early with my son, but no one saw it coming and I don't think it was the job. I worked right up until a few days before my scheduled c-section with my daughter. No light duty there either.

No one should just demand light duty d/t soley being pregnant. There should be medical reasons why.

[CommunityRNBSN, BSN, RN]

This falls under the heading of “people like to gossip and complain.”  When I was pregnant, I was teaching school. Another teacher was also pregnant and was constantly taking time off to “protect the little baby growing inside me.”  I just rolled my eyes. It wasn’t really my problem. We all have coworkers whom we think are taking advantage of this or that, but you can’t be the light-duty police. It’s between them and their OBs.