lovescapeRN

...:redpinkhe

its really nuts. really really nuts.

Oh they made me do 1 lift, 2 pull push test. I got 40's on the pull push test,which only measures strength, not to test for hidden back injuries.. No job neither if u failed this strength test. It just makes me sad that most nurses probably risk their backs everyday for their profession. But guess what, when u go look for a job again, the new job is not going to want u. if they are checking for back injuries, then they can figure out some other way to test that. Not a test that also eliminates skinny, old, ppl with disabilities etc. It may be a step for hospitals to weed out the people who might end up using workers comp. I feel less compelled to work there now.. Since probably they will expect the nurse to do all the lifting. Im not going to pursue this any further, just wanted to inform the nursing community that this is the reality now. I guess learn it from me, ask the SPECIFICS prior to agreeing to do anything... Sigh

thank you for your comment, you're very kind.

:eek:thank you for your comment regarding bsn not wanting to change bed sheets/bed baths. please re-read your second paragraph and rethink what u just said. *smacks head*

..... =/ but i dont even have any back injuries! i'm just petite! it makes me wonder, a lot of facilities are promoting nurses to not use their backs, encourage use of lift teams, equipments... so does that mean that this facility probably will make me lift a lot on my own.. no equipment, no lift teams, nothing..?!

thank you guys for the reply. i explained the situation to my landlord and she sympathize for me..and she might help me out with the deposit.. perhaps finding a hospital that has a union is important.. because with a union, i doubt they let this slip.

thanks for the good laugh. my first laugh of the day. i didnt even realize they were trying to eliminate all those conditions!

I wasn't informed until I did my own research. I feel like I wasted a lot of time/ energy/ money..

i had to pull the weights up, then walk backwards with them, and walk forward with them. each test required me to do 10,20,30,40lbs. the minute your body "jerks' a little, the physical therapist considered it unsafe. this is for a med surg position..in a smaller hospital.

I'm really sad guys.. I interviewed and got a verbal offer from this hospital a month ago. So took me about an entire month to do all the screening/background checks/drug test, physical. Mind you their physical test I had to run, check my heart rate after i run, do a lung capacity test, thumb/ grip strength test, hearing/vision, flexibility, pull, lift, squat. I live 2 hours away from this hospital, so I"ve been driving back and forth many times. So I called and asked HR if this was a pretty sure thing after I completed most of their requirements and they said just pending your physical, but yes, it shouldn't be an issue. Ive done many physicals for hospitals in the past and they were pretty easy, and I pass without any issues. The manager told me it's fine, and even told me I should be able to start by next month and when to go to orientation. The manager even told me when to sign the offer letter once HR clears me on my physical. So I found housing, put down a huge deposit for rent, signed a housing agreement. Not until a week ago, the HR called me back and said I failed their lift test. Scheduled me to go back again for lift test with a pully and weights. So I called around and was confused as to what the weight lift requirements were. and they said I failed because they required 50 lbs WITH EASE. (meaning you cannot look like you're struggling lifting 50 lbs). and its suppose to be a new policy that they implemented.. Mind you i'm a healthy young and petite girl..So I lifted again and only lifted to 40 lbs with ease and the PT stopped me. I begged her to let me try 45-50 but she stopped me and "didn't want me to struggle" but in my head I knew I lost my job offer. so today i called my potential landlord and lost deposit money of $500.. i'm really upset right now. I've never even heard of such a lift test policy for hospitals. I really wished they told me it was a 50 lb requirement and potentially a lot of people may not pass this test. but no one told me until I called HR and asked. Apparently HR is the one who looks at the scale and chart and determine if my score "matches' their requirement and tell me if i'm safe enough to perform this job. I"ve worked as a nurse for awhile now and I have no issues lifting. I just ask for help! They can potentially eliminate hiring anyone with injuries, older nurses, pregnant nurses. i just feel like i didn't go to school for years to get rejected from a job b/c i cant lift 10 more lbs and that i have a petite frame, i'm tall and less than 120.... I looked at the scores of the lift test, apparently other females failed this test too. why on earth is this happening..?! i'm really sad right now, I feel really blindsided. can someone please give me guidance.

i feel the exact same way. sometimes its so overwhelming that i don't take breaks/ eat, which then i will end being weak - not a good idea! i also feel like everything needs to be done. sometimes everything just hits.. like for me the other day was literally came on shift at 7 am- someone has a panic attack, can't breathe, no RT for the patient at the moment, while sugars of 440, then low critical mag level, titrating insulin drip over and over because her sugars are flying sky high and the residents are writing 10 pages of new orders, then one patient is crying of pain,... and crying and crying.. and begging for dilaudid.. then next door, some lady's bp is 224/96, then pt's family is mad at me for not calling them back, all in awhile, the same lady with the low mag/high sugar/panic attack is being needy, helpless, can't get out of bed because she is too obese and weak, and is screaming and hollering for me every 5 minutes.. and then the older nurses are screaming at me for not organizing myself well and giving my meds late. haha i wanted to blow. from 7am- 3 pm, i had zero break, running like a mad woman trying not to let someone go into a critical level..i even stayed till 8 pm to chart that day. sometimes i go home wondering what my life has become welcome to life of a nurse. oyy

i dont know where it actually went wrong, i was actually involved in the care in the beginning, and just recently i had this patient again 3 weeks later. this guy is severely obese, reluctant to walk much. i remember it was an extremely back breaking shift awhile back. pt was very unsteady on the feet, unable to get up on his own, UTI so i pushed fluids, on lasix, unwilling to do much other than going to bedside commode/bathroom.

i have encountered a patient who initially came in for just shoulder pain from falls. after 3 days, this patient was doing good, aaox4, i was about to discharge him. but for some reason they decided to keep him just for pain management. Then after those 3 days, the diagnosis got longer and longer. First the patient has been reluctant to get out of bed/ immobile for days even to use the restroom -> UTI. Then somehow they found something in the xray so they did surgery. which leads to post-op pain, and the patient decided not to get out of bed even some more.. then comes respiratory failure. then comes ICU intubation. then it even went more downhill.. then the patient somehow got anemic, then pneumonia.. now he's dying. i'm just shocked at the cycle, and it was even more shocking i was about to discharge this fellow weeks ago when he was walking, talking, joking.. now he can barely open his eyes. i cant help but to think, what IF i discharged this patient weeks ago, would they be as ill as they are now.. did all these hospital treatments make him sicker..???

CALIFORNIA!!!!! near beautiful beverly hills, hollywood, beaches, and sunny sun all day everyday. :) love love love my job :)