What sort of physical labour do nurses do?

Pangea Reunited, ASN, RN · Jul 22, 2016

The heavy lifting revolves around heavy patients. We have each other and some "devices" to help ...but the reality is that those devices are sometimes difficult to locate and often time-consuming to use.

And some cities are more "obese" than others ...at my first job, it seemed like I had more morbidly obese patients than "normal" ones. At another job, we once had a 750lb patient that managed to put four people on medical leave. Almost everyone I work with over age 30 has back and shoulder aches from time to time. You're very smart to get yourself fit ahead of time.

KelRN215, BSN, RN · Jul 22, 2016

Basically any kind of physical labor you can think of, nurses do it.

NOADLS · Jul 22, 2016

Work in a setting where you don't have to lift patients. Not every nurse has to lift patients. The last time I lifted a patient was years ago.

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Jul 22, 2016

The heavy lifting revolves around heavy patients.

^ This ^

Be mindful that two-thirds of all people in the U.S. are either overweight or obese, and that these particular populations are more likely to end up as inpatients due to lifestyle-related afflictions (e.g. type 2 diabetes, hypertension, elevated cholesterol, osteoarthritis, sleep apnea).

Three years ago, my former nursing supervisor and three coworkers injured their backs while trying to lift a 550-pound patient who had fallen. The fire department was subsequently called, and it took seven strong firemen to successfully lift this patient.

Our Hoyer lift machine had a weight limit and could not accommodate this patient.

bugya90, ASN, BSN, LVN, RN · Jul 22, 2016

I work in a clinic now so I don't do anywhere near the lifting that hospital or Nursing Home nurses do. However we don't have any lifting equipment and typically we are lifting a patient because they fall. Obese patients are worse but even a frail old person only weighing 130 pounds can be difficult as they are dead weight and you are lifting them from floor to a chair. Myself and a physician were lifting an older lady (normal weight) last year and we both injured our backs. It was more muscle strain than anything but both of us were moving pretty slow for several days after that.

RainMom · Jul 22, 2016

Like stated above, assisting with pt transfers & positioning is probably where the majority of injuries occur. Most nurses spend hrs on their feet with little break. If you work in an ortho unit that uses CPMs, those are awkward & bulky; I often found that I was more achy & had mild muscle strains in the shoulders & back after placing several of them. Working in PACU now, I have to transport pts in their beds after hrs when transporters are gone. Those things are heavy, even with an avg size pt (but I am a little bit of a wimp); I always ache after that.

Extra Pickles · Jul 22, 2016

Work in a setting where you don't have to lift patients. Not every nurse has to lift patients. The last time I lifted a patient was years ago.

yes this is true but she still has to get through 2 years of clinical assignments in nursing school and I don't remember getting cut any slack when it came to grunt work as a student!

AFnurse211 · Jul 22, 2016

I'm glad to hear that you are strengthening your back in prep for moving patients! With proper poster and mechanics our bodies can lift objects that are HUNDREDS of pounds without injuring ourselves. (take weight lifters for example, at least those that use good form).

You will help patients slide up in bed, get from bed to chair and chair to bed, ambulate, and possibly lift a patient from a unfortunate fall.

So if other nurses tell you that you might hurt your back, just tell them you'll hurt their face...then flex at them (but don't actually hurt their face; it's just intimidation factor)

Horseshoe, BSN, RN · Jul 22, 2016

I no longer have to lift patients, but I do have to wash and make the beds after I discharge my patients (except on the rare occasion I have an aide to help me). Then I have to transport the bed back to the preop area. Combine that with the fact that we have no chairs or stools, so spend the entire shift on our feet, I am EXHAUSTED when my shift ends. Nursing can be very very physical in nature.

BSN16 · Jul 22, 2016

I mainly just have to turn, reposition, and clean patients. And depending on the size and how squirmy they are...some days are worse than others :sorry:

Kitiger, RN · Jul 23, 2016

I have a back condition that makes me a bit slouched over (I'm 6'1 and I guess this condition can happen to tall females). I'm worried about making my back even worse. I've started to go to the gym and I'm working on strengthening my back but I'm worried it won't be enough.

You are 6' 1". Make it a habit to raise the bed anytime you do a procedure that takes more than a minute or so. Standing and leaning over will cause you all kinds of problems.

I work in homecare, and when my kiddos get to weigh more than 50 or 60 pounds, we start using lifts, usually Hoyer or ceiling lifts.

Ceiling lifts are wonderful. Once the track is in place, the motor can be moved from one bed to another. Hospitals could install tracks in all patient rooms. Then - if they only would spend the money! - they could put motors in the rooms where needed, and leave them until the patient is discharged or moved to a different unit.

Wouldn't that be something!