I was accepted into an accelerated nursing program starting in September. I've always heard that nurses do a lot of heavy lifting and it's hard on their backs and lots of nurses get injured but I've never known exactly what kind of lifting they do they do. Is it mostly lifting patients? What amount of weight should I be expected to lift? What if I just can't lift someone? 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. Also, I've heard of lifts that can be used to lift patients but I'm not sure how helpful they are or if all hospitals use them?
- equipment which is chronically malfunctioning, misplaced, not available, not enough in numbers, cumbersome to use, etc.
- equipment which cannot be used with the particular patient even when available. We have lifts, but they are not OK to use for patients with "unstable spine" and are not generally tolerated by claustrofobic patients. Both things are pretty common.
- not enough hands to move the patient or use that equipment (one lower extremity to stabilize per RN, each bearing line or something else "vital" and weighting not much less than that RN)
- the fact that nurses can be made responsible for literally everything. I had to crawl directly under the bed crooked like a fried shrimp cleaning off blood and only God knows what else more times than I care to count to quickly make the room looking "presentable" for the family after yet another unsuccessful code, just because I was there, and "environmental service" people was not
- policies and regulations
My most memorable case so far was with morbidly obese patient whose automated stretcher just gave up and slowly, gently moved him down within 10 or so inches from the floor. The patient was to be moved to the exam table. He was actually pretty mobile and was roaming floor with no help less than an hour before that. He was happy to get up and get going, but there came someone who knew about existence of a policy which, according to that person, said that any patient who happened to be on malfunctioning stretcher must be moved from it manually. It took an hour to find and bring seven more people to that remote diagnostic suite to pick up the patient almost from the floor and hover him on the table. Four of the people who participated in that show went to Occupational health right away, one of them had to be brought in ER. The person who brought the policy up took upon himself a role of team leader and happily SAT nearby all the time
To put it simply, it is usually not one single episode of heavy lifting. If you've ever heard the story about holding a glass of water, it is very relevant: "[COLOR=#292f34]A psychologist walked around a room while teaching stress management to an audience. As she raised a glass of water, everyone expected they'd be asked the "half empty or half full" question. Instead, with a smile on her face, she inquired: "How heavy is this glass of water?" Answers called out ranged from 8 oz. to 20 oz. She replied, "The absolute weight doesn't matter. It depends on how long I hold it. If I hold it for a minute, it's not a problem. If I hold it for an hour, I'll have an ache in my arm. If I hold it for a day, my arm will feel numb and paralyzed. In each case, the weight of the glass doesn't change, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes." She continued, "The stresses and worries in life are like that glass of water. Think about them for a while and nothing happens. Think about them a bit longer and they begin to hurt. And if you think about them all day long, you will feel paralyzed – incapable of doing anything." It's important to remember to let go of your stresses. As early in the evening as you can, put all your burdens down. Don't carry them through the evening and into the night. Remember to put the glass down!â€[/COLOR]
I had a patient recently - family member at bedside- that was a little confused at times, and had some behaviors that were baseline anyway...and I was assisting getting her to the sit on the side of the bed and she had some pain even though she had a lot of medication--- and she reached out with a sneer on her face and grabbed me around the neck. I felt pain in my neck. Luckily, it went away. And that was only one moment in one shift.
I have a slightly different work environment. Sure we move patients from the stretcher or bed to the table... And our positioning plans are not what is used outside the OR. On days we almost always have enough staff around to lift and position appropriately. Nights and weekends? Maybe not so much. Alternatively, I also have to watch for cords, crawl around on the floor from time to time, climb sometimes, lift trays that should be lighter weight than they are, etc. By far what bothers me the most is wearing lead all day. All of our "nice" and "new" and "lightweight" lead has disappeared (my theory is people stashed it in their lockers for use as personal lead), leaving the "communal" pile to include the older heavier lead. It's *so* much fun to wear lead for 11 hours straight.
It's not only lifting. Reaching, stooping, bending, pushing, miles of walking and hours of standing also tire you out.
Yes. I never thought about how much of what we do involves leaning forward until I had an injury where leaning forward caused pain. I am short, so regardless of he height of the bed, there is no way to avoid leaning for patient assessments & procedures because hospital beds are much, much wider than my reach. I must echo the person who said elevate the bed to your comfortable height ANY time you are caring for or assessing the patient.
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).
"With proper body mechanics" ahahahahaha. I've never seen a barbell wiggle, trip, buckle, hit, or kick.
OP: I would first talk to you doctor about how to best manage your condition while going through the program. You made an excellent choice by choosing to build your strength before you even begin; that will help. Of course body mechanics are important: Use your legs to power the lift; keep your spine neutral (do not twist or curve forward or back) and brace your core to provide stability.
My nursing clinicals were not extremely strenuous. We were there in addition to the usual clinical staff, so it wasn't hard to find another pair of hands to help with something heavy. But working the floor after you graduate is different. You may find yourself stabilizing a patient who is making an unexpected vertical descent. You will have large, heavy patients who need to be boosted up in their bed every. single. time. you. go. into. the. room. You will need to get patients of the floor. Your lifts will be in use, out of use, or it's been so long since anyone bothered that no one knows how it works. You will have lifting partners who don't do their share. Lots of work involves leaning forward and contorting yourself into awkward positions.
It varies by the type of role you take. If you love nursing but find that the more strenuous clinicals are challenging for you, apply for units where the patients tend to be up ad lib rather than requiring assistance or being completely physically dependent.
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.
The electronic beds are very heavy and difficult to maneuver...especially in an emergency situation.
- equipment which is chronically malfunctioning, misplaced, not available, not enough in numbers, cumbersome to use, etc.
- equipment which cannot be used with the particular patient even when available. We have lifts, but they are not OK to use for patients with "unstable spine" and are not generally tolerated by claustrofobic patients. Both things are pretty common.
- not enough hands to move the patient or use that equipment (one lower extremity to stabilize per RN, each bearing line or something else "vital" and weighting not much less than that RN)
- the fact that nurses can be made responsible for literally everything. I had to crawl directly under the bed crooked like a fried shrimp cleaning off blood and only God knows what else more times than I care to count to quickly make the room looking "presentable" for the family after yet another unsuccessful code, just because I was there, and "environmental service" people was not
- policies and regulations
My most memorable case so far was with morbidly obese patient whose automated stretcher just gave up and slowly, gently moved him down within 10 or so inches from the floor. The patient was to be moved to the exam table. He was actually pretty mobile and was roaming floor with no help less than an hour before that. He was happy to get up and get going, but there came someone who knew about existence of a policy which, according to that person, said that any patient who happened to be on malfunctioning stretcher must be moved from it manually. It took an hour to find and bring seven more people to that remote diagnostic suite to pick up the patient almost from the floor and hover him on the table. Four of the people who participated in that show went to Occupational health right away, one of them had to be brought in ER. The person who brought the policy up took upon himself a role of team leader and happily SAT nearby all the time
í ½í¸¡. Oh wow! I can only imagine what that was like having that patient hanging 10 in from the floor. Whoa!
Anna Flaxis, BSN, RN
1 Article; 2,816 Posts
...as little as possible.