When did being pregnant become a disability?

Nurses General Nursing

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Full disclosure, I've never been pregnant... that being said everyone I've ever met has been. Once upon a time working with pregnant co-workers meant they couldn't go into radioactive rooms or take care of patients with chicken pox... at some point they may need more bathroom breaks, no sweat.

Now somehow I can't get through a shift without hearing about how pregnancy is making poor Susie suffer at 14 weeks gestation (give me shelter).

I'm sure it sounds ****** but if you can't do your job, get light duty orders from your doctor. We have full benefits.

We already have to work short staffed for 3 months while you are on maternity leave... don't half ass everything for 9 months before that and make us pick up the slack on top of it!

Today I tried to call report to the ICU while I was pulling my patient off the table in IR. The nurse told me she needed me to have a transporter meet her in IR to push the bed back to ICU for her because she is pregnant and can't push it herself.

We have self-propelled motorized beds, it's harder to push a shopping cart at the supermarket. I took the patient expecting to find a woman due any day now and was greeted by a young, healthy, girl who was barely showing.

I wish this was an isolated incident, but it's a growing trend and among hundreds of examples where women expect others to do their work for them because some of us take birth control and some of us don't.

There is no reason in the world a healthy pregnant woman cannot perform her work duties (baring obvious exposures). There is no reason in the world why an unhealthy pregnant woman should be at work in a damn hospital.

Thanks

Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
I'm sure some pregnant women do abuse their condition a little, but you also don't need to jump to conclusions. I had hyperemesis gravidarum with both my pregnancies, much worse with my second. After being repeatedly hospitalized and on home health, I was finally back at work around 14-15 weeks but on a subcutaneous medication pump for zofran. I was barely showing, looked somewhat healthy, but couldn't have physically pushed a bed. I couldn't even get up from a kneeling position without pulling up with the counter or up the wall. The catheter for the pump, and the zofran itself, are very irritating to the subcu tissues. I had to change my infusion site daily, so my abdomen was VERY tender and covered in hard, red bumps. If I did anything using my abdominal muscles, it hurt like hell. I might not have looked helpless or weak, but I sure felt it.

Old nurse here. I've been through serious back injuries, joint replacements and had cancer three times. There were some colleagues that were very kind and helpful to me knowing that even when I LOOKED healthy, I was in incredible pain most of the time. And then there were those who weren't. Interestingly, the ones who weren't happened to be the same ones who regarded pregnancy, and nursing as disabilitie and required hour-long breaks three times a shift to pump.

Question--if she hadn't been pregnant and just said she needed you to bring the stretcher for her, would it have been a big deal?

I think this may be the crux of the issue. We have a staff member who got intermittent FMLA for headaches and when her MD refused to extend it she went to another who gave her IFMLA for hip pain. She used both liberally which left us scrambling. When she did show up she would disappear and then reappear complaining of excruciating pain requiring her to leave early. Then she got pregnant and she wasn't "allowed" to do anything but desk work from 4 weeks on. Then that was too much for her. Now she's on maternity leave but we got wind that she's going to be on IFMLA for post-partum depression. She has not worked since April and we cannot replace her. She's essentially holding us hostage. Needless to say people were not all that thrilled to pick up her slack when she actually showed up for work and her being pregnant didn't soften the blow. I guess what I'm saying is we all have our limits of sympathy/empathy and without knowing the entire back-story of the OP's situation I'm going to reserve judgment.

Doesn't FMLA let the job be filled and you give an equivalent one to the returning FMLA user?

Old nurse here. I've been through serious back injuries, joint replacements and had cancer three times. There were some colleagues that were very kind and helpful to me knowing that even when I LOOKED healthy, I was in incredible pain most of the time. And then there were those who weren't. Interestingly, the ones who weren't happened to be the same ones who regarded pregnancy, and nursing as disabilitie and required hour-long breaks three times a shift to pump.

That's a dang lot of pumping. Did she have triplets? Nurse them til college age? Just kidding on the latter.

Doesn't FMLA let the job be filled and you give an equivalent one to the returning FMLA user?

The issue is that she is on intermittent FMLA. That means she can call off any time she wants, it is not considered an occurrence and the FTE is considered filled. So she shows up 2 times a month, works for an hour or two then goes home because of pain. As of a few weeks ago she is on maternity leave so her job is protected for a total of 12 more weeks. I just don't have much sympathy for her and neither does anyone else.

Specializes in EMS, ED, Trauma, CEN, CPEN, TCRN.
The issue is that she is on intermittent FMLA. That means she can call off any time she wants, it is not considered an occurrence and the FTE is considered filled. So she shows up 2 times a month, works for an hour or two then goes home because of pain. As of a few weeks ago she is on maternity leave so her job is protected for a total of 12 more weeks. I just don't have much sympathy for her and neither does anyone else.

She does not have to come back into her EXACT position, though. She is only guaranteed a spot, just not that particular spot; it could be in a different department. I would think your management would start looking at other areas for her if this continues. And she is going to run out of FMLA eventually. So sorry, I'm sure this is a huge headache.

She does not have to come back into her EXACT position, though. She is only guaranteed a spot, just not that particular spot; it could be in a different department. I would think your management would start looking at other areas for her if this continues. And she is going to run out of FMLA eventually. So sorry, I'm sure this is a huge headache.

One would think but because she's on intermittent the spot is considered filled and there is nothing my manager can do. Trust me, she's tried. Plus nobody else wants her. We are just holding out for her FMLA to run out. She's using short-term disability at the moment.

I was on intermittent FMLA during my last pregnancy. I'd been in the ER 3 times, hospitalized for 4 days the first time, overnight another time, and was on home health services (IV hydration and getting stabilized on the subcu pump) for 3 weeks, so my HR automatically initiated intermittent FMLA. I missed 3 nonconsecutive weeks in one month after sporadic absences the month prior. When I did start back to work, still wearing my pump, I went 3 months without missing a day or even calling out sick. I still got a low score on my annual review for attendance and dependability, which made me mad because it was completely out of my control. By the time I reached 36 weeks I'd been in the L&D 3 times with premature contractions and was finally put on bed rest. My FMLA ran out when my son was 6 weeks old, my short-term disability ran out then, and I was physically exhausted so I chose to not return at that time. The thing to remember with FMLA, whether it's intermittent or continuous, is you don't get paid while on it! Working in asthma/allergy, I've had to fill out intermittent FMLA forms so pts can leave work one hour a week to get their allergy shots, or for severe asthma pts with frequent flare-ups.

Specializes in EMS, ED, Trauma, CEN, CPEN, TCRN.
One would think but because she's on intermittent the spot is considered filled and there is nothing my manager can do. Trust me, she's tried. Plus nobody else wants her. We are just holding out for her FMLA to run out. She's using short-term disability at the moment.

Good point - after full disclosure, who would sign up for that? I feel sorry for her, though - chronic stuff is a nightmare. I am sure she would rather be well.

Good point - after full disclosure, who would sign up for that? I feel sorry for her, though - chronic stuff is a nightmare. I am sure she would rather be well.

The thing is she isn't chronically ill. That's why she doctor shops for FMLA paperwork. Trust me, we felt sorry for her at first. We helped her as much as we could but the more we helped the less work she actually did. She took advantage of it and our good will for her dried up pretty fast. We have several staff members, myself included, with chronic issues. Nobody else uses it as an excuse to slack off.

Ok so you went there, I'm going there. Yes &$#@^ I'm a nurse. I've been an RN since I was 21 years old, I worked in ICU and step down for 11 years before I changed specialties a year ago to Neuro Interventional Radiology. My hospital has the largest stroke program in the region. Before that I worked as a traveler and had the opportunity to be a guest staff member in ICUs in some of the top Magnet children's hospitals in the country.

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Just curious what is a "guest staff member in the icu"?

Specializes in school nurse.
Just curious what is a "guest staff member in the icu"?

Traveler, maybe? (Never heard the expression before...)

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