Overweight and Working in Healthcare

info_nrs

I'm going to go a little in the opposite direction. I'm a nurse and I'm overweight, my BMI puts me in the obese category. I work in a delivery room, it can be very physical. Yes, it affects me in that I sometimes crawl out of there after a hectic shift, but so do the younger and thinner nurses. I've been doing this for 27 years. And while I may be tired and my back hurts, the seriousness of the job makes sure I don't get lazy, if there's an emergency, I'm there.

Now, as a patient, I've had many family practice doctors over the years. I've gotten the weight loss lecture more times than I can count. I know that medical school training doesn't spend much time on nutrition/weight loss etc.I also have a hard time listening to weight loss advice from someone who weighs 110 lbs and has never been fat a day in her life. Most of them don't get it. I left one doctor who suddenly got really rude about it on one visit and spoke to me in a highly inappropriate way when the scale showed I gained a few pounds since the last visit. This was a woman who wore her skinny jeans home after giving birth. While I realize doctors can't know what it's like to have every medical issue for their patients, I've always had a hard time listening to those who are thin/slender and don't have a clue on something that's this emotional/physical/mental.

I'm also a nurse and I've recently started having trouble with my weight. One of my docs said the greatest thing to me (we were discussing exercise and weightloss, etc.), now in my eyes, she was very tiny and she said "the easiest way to lose weight is. .. don't get fat!" Her reasoning was that, once you gain, it is just horribly difficult to lose it---she said she gets it because it has happened to her. So she wasn't being negative, she was telling through experience.

momzeeee

My sister has struggled with her weight her whole life and has always been overweight-she had no problem getting a job as an RN, but she works at a nursing home so I don't know if that makes a difference?

My doctor is a normal weight and the nurses are either normal weight or just slightly overweight. My husband's doctor is a big guy-but he's really tall so he carries the extra weight well. There are a couple really overweight/obese nurses at that office, but it doesn't bother my husband at all so I don't think it's a big deal. Now, if I was seeing a specialist in the nutrition field and he/she was overweight, then that would be a different story. But otherwise it's not on my radar.

quicklabs

As a healthcare provider with a heavy patient load and responsibility for teaching medical residents. I usually worked 12 hour days. During my last year, I worked 14 hours a day. I ate lunch at my desk in under 5 minutes. There was never a break. I grabbed junk food just to get quick jolts of energy. When I came home, I'd be so stressed out, I drank several glasses of wine just to settle down and ate a lot of frozen, processed foods and carb heavy meals. I slept poorly. I never exercised or took care of myself in any way. I packed on 30 lbs in just a year and a half, adding to the weight that had already accumulated. With each passing week, I was getting more and more unhealthy and unhappy. After more than 30 years in practice, I quit heathcare entirely last year for the express purpose of saving my own life. It was the best decision I ever made. I have less money, to be sure, but I am convinced that I will live longer and healthier. I greatly admire those who can balance a healthy lifestyle and working an unrelentingly stressful job with long hours. I couldn't do it. I don't judge my colleagues or other providers who are similarly overweight simply because I know that caring for oneself is of necessity sadly overlooked in our business.

hookilau

I worked in the Veterinary field a few years ago, 3 to 11 shift at an Emergency 24 hour animal hospital.
There were 2 of us on a shift with 1 assistant and maybe one person in kennel to treat a book of 75 to 140ish patients on a any given day.
We ate like hell, drank like crazy and smoked like chimneys (obviously not during our shift but certainly after almost every shift).

At this particular hospital, the doctors saw the patients, and sent back pets along with medical charts full of diagnostics that we were expected to do as well as treat the hospitalized patients. This may include radiographs, workups with full labs, pneumocystograms, unblocking urinary cats, barium studies, phlebotomy of exotics (reptiles, snakes, turtles, birds etc) installing IV catheters, starting meds & calculating dosages/drip rates etc. stabilizing traumatic injuries, casts etc.

Working this type of stressful job (the management) not to mention the actual job itself as I and many others, did multiple double shifts. As the years went on, I became more and more Insulin resistant, probably a combination of genetics & work. During that time, I'd watched my middle gradually widen.

I remember going to a doctor for routine medical check up & I also had what I believed was a nail fungus on my right hand. Not unusual, given my job and the fact that I had my nails done from time to time.

I asked this skinny, frizzy gray haired hippy type lady (who was my doctor) about the fact that I went to the gym 5 days a week & took classes as well as weight training 3x weekly and I still can't seem to lose any weight.

She did a complete medical exam, looked at everything, even made me take my socks off to look at my toes etc. She told me to get a book called Food for Life or Eating to Live or some such bull$hit...I remember being shocked that all she had to say on the subject was go get and read this book.

Of course I dismissed her as a quack. Whatever, I got the Rx for my fingernail fungus & I was ok with that.
A couple of days later, she called me & said my fasting blood glucose was a little high, 109 (this was 2007 or so) and she wanted me to come in to do a glucose tolerance test.

I said I'd come in but thought, piffle.

So what? She never explained what the indications may be and why I needed to do the test. I didn't give it a second thought because when I tried to talk to her about my inability to lose weight, she dismissed me with the dumb hippy book that I did purchase, if I remember correctly but it was a vegetarian diet and had some kind of weird cult-like philosophy (at least in my 30something view at the time).

Here I am some 6 years later, T2 Diabetic. Diagnosis was an incidental finding when I went to see a doctor for abdominal pain. Mine is a cautionary tale. I did numerous BG curves on cats, regulated hundreds of dogs, and treated a multitude of pets with T1 Diabetes. If this health care professional had only explained to me that she wanted to rule out/in Insulin Resistance, I wouldn't be where I am today.

Shellyyy7928

I'm a CHHA/CNA and work as a resident care aid at an assisted living facility (though in the past couple of months it's begun to feel like a nursing home >.<). Two out of three of my nurses are very overweight. And my fellow aids - the younger girls my age are all skinny/healthy except for me and one other girl and the older women have a good mix but most are no more than 20 pounds overweight.
Working with the elderly I feel like we are not judged as harshly? I've only ever heard one bad thing said about my coworkers from one of the residents and its because she is almost 300lbs and the residents call her the big one. I've even had one of my residents ask if I wear bikinis because I have the body for it haha (gotta love Creepy old men with alz lol)

miss_melissa_

Thank you to everyone who has shared their views. I am loving the open dialogue. Let's continue.

Mads1997

Hi Everyone,

I am a second year graduate student pursing a Master of Health Administration. As a student who will be applying for jobs next year, I feel an urgency to have my body reflect the health I promote. I also believe I am judge negatively for wanting to work in healthcare, but being overweight. I know some healthcare organizations outlaw employees smoking because of its negative health outcomes. Yet, hospitals don't regulate obesity in the same fashion.

I was wondering if anyone on MFP works in healthcare? If so, do you feel as if you are judged due to your weight?

As for people who do not work in healthcare, do you frown upon overweight healthcare providers (doctors, nurses, therapist, etc.)?

For me that is a big yes. If you are going to be giving out advice or a healthier life you had better practice what you are preaching

Buddhasmiracle

I have been an RN for a decade now. I have always had a normal BMI. I have worked with ALOT of very overweight nurses, it seems like weight issues are more predominant in nursing (would be interesting if someone did some research on that!). I don't judge a nurse on her weight, I judge them on their performance. Your just as lightly to meet a hopeless skinny nurse as you are a heavy one.

I agree. As a patient, I see it this way. I've been fortunate to have excellent medical care for a rare genetic cardiomyopathy. I imagine that has "distracted" me from judging the size of the health care providers.

pippywillow

I do feel there is a bit of double standard. Unless I am dying I will not go to the doctor. The first thing out of his mouth is "you need to lose weight", I am very aware that I need to lose but it is not as easy as putting it on. Just once I would like the Dr. to comment on the few I have lost.

It sounds like you either need a new doctor or you need to see yours more consistantly. If you don't go often enough they don't know that you've made progress. My doctor is very supportive of my attempts to lose weight and congratulates me on the progress I've made so far.

servilia

As a patient I don't think twice about providers who are overweight. Never really noticed really..

christianteach

Yes, I do. Barely over a week ago I took our son to see a doctor that specializes in weight loss. His PCP had referred him there. Imagine my shock when I walk in the door and we are checked in by an overweight woman and then the nurse (or CNA) that took his bloodpressure and weighed him was downright obese. I was relieved when we actually met his thin doctor and the lab tech. But then the nurse that administered his metabolism test was overweight. I found it odd that this doctor who specializes in weight loss can't get his own staff to obtain a healthy weight.

Athena53

I don't judge a nurse on her weight, I judge them on their performance. You're just as lightly to meet a hopeless skinny nurse as you are a heavy one.

I agree. As a patient, I see it this way. I've been fortunate to have excellent medical care for a rare genetic cardiomyopathy. I imagine that has "distracted" me from judging the size of the health care providers.

Weight wouldn't be an issue for me if the health-care provider were, say, a gynecologist or a thoracic surgeon or the phlebotomist at the blood bank. If it's someone I'm consulting to stay fit, healthy and off prescriptions, I want someone I know will support those objectives. DH once changed primary care physicians because the original one felt that meds were the only solution to high cholesterol and displayed no interest whatsoever in DH's diet and exercise. I have no idea if the doc was overweight but clearly he and DH weren't working in the same direction. If I encountered an overweight primary care physician, cardiologist, nutritionist, etc. I'd wonder if we'd be on the same page when it came to preventing/moderating health problems through lifestyle changes instead of prescriptions. I realize some conditions require prescriptions- DH is on some that are vital- but in many cases they can be avoided.

coreyreichle

Hi Everyone,

I am a second year graduate student pursing a Master of Health Administration. As a student who will be applying for jobs next year, I feel an urgency to have my body reflect the health I promote. I also believe I am judge negatively for wanting to work in healthcare, but being overweight. I know some healthcare organizations outlaw employees smoking because of its negative health outcomes. Yet, hospitals don't regulate obesity in the same fashion.

I was wondering if anyone on MFP works in healthcare? If so, do you feel as if you are judged due to your weight?

As for people who do not work in healthcare, do you frown upon overweight healthcare providers (doctors, nurses, therapist, etc.)?

I don't know about employers judging you based on weight, but I do know as a patient, I would have a hard time taking health advice from a health care professional who is obese.

okcat4

unfortunately our society in America equates skinny ( of any size) with health. Try to convince some one otherwise. I have even had the conversation with my doc about metabolically healthy but weight wise overweight he thought i was nuts, but all my numbers were fantastic, I had good cardio, quit smoking,etc. The only thing he could ***** about was weight. But in his mind I was unhealthy... I asked him if some one came in with my numbers and under 150 pounds, my height if they were healthy, he said yes. IF some one had high A1C, triglycerides and BP, but was ok in weight if they were healthy, his response was "yes, they just need to work on some things. I think I need a new doc who is more current. and yes, I need to lose more weight...

bizzyeck

I work in healthcare as an RN. I have read a lot of these posts assuming quite a bit about healthcare workers.

First, I was taught very little about nutrition. I was taught a lot about how to SAVE your life in acute situation. Shame on you for judging my intelligence on my weight. I can also say that the top 3 students in my class graduating summa cum laude (of which I was one) were all overweight. Why, because we poured our heart and soul into taking care of other people and never thought about what it was doing to our own health.

Second, unless you have worked in healthcare you have no idea what the demand is like. Just yesterday I worked from 745 am to 215 pm with not 1 single break. No water, no food, no bathroom. I am the norm NOT the exception. When we finally get the chance to eat we usually have 10 mins and tend to eat bad food quickly. Not ideal and I am working on this for myself BUT try to work a 15 hr day from door to door and see how much energy you have to prepare all your food for the next day.

Another thought for the person putting down an obese nurse in a weight loss MD office... did you ever think she IS part of his program?? Maybe she already lost 50lbs and likes the MD so much she went to work for him.

I choose to be a nurse and I love what I do but it does take a toll on my body. I will surely come to your aid faster than the thin woman I work with and you better hope it's me and not her because if you are really sick you may die under her watch! AND I care if you are overweight and have trouble ambulating... I will help you as much as I can, not whine that I have to help you (which the thin nurse will do).

My point... becoming a nurse was the best and worst thing I ever did. The best thing: It taught me to be tolerant!!
DO NOT assume you know what is going on in someones life by looking at them. Any good nurse will tell you they have asked and heard some truly heart-breaking stories that go along with what "appears" to be a lazy, overweight person.

DragonSquatter

As for people who do not work in healthcare, do you frown upon overweight healthcare providers (doctors, nurses, therapist, etc.)?

Yes, especially when the healthcare provider is significantly bigger than me and lecturing me about losing weight. (yes this happened).

goodtimezzzz

First of all you look awesome and sexy:) second there is nothing healthy about healthcare by and large! promise me you will be different!
Best from NYC
Kristian Rocco

lithezebra

A health care professional can do what I need without being fit. I'm not going to stop exercising and start overeating if my doctor is overweight. I've had a few doctors and nurses give me less than adequate care because they assumed that I didn't have certain conditions based on my fitness level. I would like that to stop.

DaughterOfTheMostHighKing

just because you know something doesn't mean you practice it. just because you work in that environment doesn't mean you have time to do all you preach. Doctors and nurses fall into a trap where they are so busy helping/saving other people, that they have no time for themselves... My cousin is a surgeon and his wife a nurse...they are both near obese.

my cousin once remarked to my desire to become a nurse (when I was in high school) that I would fit in cause most nurses are fat. ummm hello?

DrCaspianDoll

I am a medical student studying for the boards and if anything the unrealistic expectation that is held of us if the reason why I had to put my health aside during finals and such, its not that we don't know any better but its hard to hit the gym after 16 hours of studying and running on 3 hours of sleep.

learninmama

I am a nurse & I work my booty off. My weight has never got in the way of me performing my job. It did however take a toll on my self esteem.

I knew/know what I should be eating & what I was doing to my body wasn't the right thing. However, for me I needed to look at the reason why I was treating myself the way I was.

I gained 20 pounds in nursing school & another 10 my first year of work as I got into the "well since I don't ever since down it doesn't matter what I a putting my mouth mentality".

I do find as I continue this journey & lifestyle change I have a lot more energy, feel better about myself, & am getting lots of compliments

StarChanger

Here I am some 6 years later, T2 Diabetic. Diagnosis was an incidental finding when I went to see a doctor for abdominal pain. Mine is a cautionary tale. I did numerous BG curves on cats, regulated hundreds of dogs, and treated a multitude of pets with T1 Diabetes. If this health care professional had only explained to me that she wanted to rule out/in Insulin Resistance, I wouldn't be where I am today.

So because you either haven't had a physical exam & bloodwork since 2007 and/or you didn't pay attention or even read what was in the book she DID recommend to you, it's somehow that doctor's "fault" you are a Type II Diabetic? Point fingers much?

I was a vet tech too....prior to moving into human healthcare. If you knew what your vets were testing for in the animals, I'm quite confident you could make the short jump to your human condition as well. How about taking a little responsibility? Sure, you may have had some genetic predisposition, but you knew the deal AND it sounds like you didn't go back for follow-up....so you must not have been all that concerned.

Clearly, from a number of these posts, it's very evident that most people go to their doctor to "get whatever prescription I want". You're not there to listen to what we have to say, and frankly, we have very little time to say anything anyway thanks to your insurance companies that demand we see "X" number of patients a day just to keep the lights on. (soapbox material there...so I'll move on).

As for overweight / obese employees...guess what? We can't discriminate based on weight any more than any other employer can!!! I can't believe any of you would even think differently of your provider due to something like that! We would love EVERYONE - especially people we work closely with, or love - to not have ANY bad habits such as smoking, over/underweight, drugs, anger issues, psyche issues, etc....but we have the same faults as everyone else and hire people with faults as well. Do we make helpful / hopeful suggestions to people we think need it? ABSOLUTELY!!! Do they listen or appreciate it? Not always...people have to want to change. No one can "make" them....especially not their employer.

While I totally agree that I would expect my "weight loss" physician to be a healthy weight, you also need to understand that most of us (nurses / PAs / CNM / NPs etc) are working hours that MOST people have no concept of (I personally work 80-100 hrs/ wk...and have for the past 12 years. I average 5.5 hrs of sleep....not by choice, but because that's what my job demands). Yet here I am TRYING to make what changes I can to get my weight back down AND not put myself in an early grave from stress, chronic fatigue, and diabetes. Cut your healthcare providers some slack. We bust our butts to try to take care of YOU....even if all you really want is prescriptions.

**deep cleansing breath**

mizbah09

i really found this post very interesting i.m 20yrs old 2nd year MD student and after 4year i will graduate .although i didn,t work in health care center i.m aware of my future obstacles that being overweight will be major issue .even before being adoctor you have to be in health weight and have alot of confidence to communicate with your patient ,i believe what ever your knowledge level is this world will only judge you by your physical appearance (if very sexy ,skinny and attractive girl applies the same job that overweight girl did i,m sure they will give that skinny girl which is in normal health bmi even though they have the same certificate or degree ) so before i become adoctor i want to be in normal weight and healthy bmi and i,m in progress now from obese bmi of 34(222lbs) to overweight bmi of 29(192lbs) and gw is bmi 18-19 and 110-115lbs

Mokey41

I don't get how busy, overworked or any of the other excuses equates to overeating. You don't need to have time to go to a gym to not be overweight. You don't need hours to prepare special meals to not be overweight. If you're putting in the level of activity most are describing then you should actually be able to eat a fair amount without gaining weight so there has to a disconnect of how much you are actually eating or doing and reality if weight is an issue.

StarChanger

I don't get how busy, overworked or any of the other excuses equates to overeating. You don't need to have time to go to a gym to not be overweight. You don't need hours to prepare special meals to not be overweight. If you're putting in the level of activity most are describing then you should actually be able to eat a fair amount without gaining weight so there has to a disconnect of how much you are actually eating or doing and reality if weight is an issue.

I think I can say for many (most?) of us, that OVER eating is not the issue. No eating at all (i.e.: skipping meals) for 6-12 hrs at a time is common place. I will agree that WHAT we eat is generally the issue. I know that my hospital has a cafeteria with a lovely little salad bar and some other appropriate, if not bland and very boring after the 100th time, healthy choices.....but it's only open a few hours a day during the breakfast / lunch / dinner "customer" rushes for patients / families. If I can make it during those times, yes, I generally get better-for-me food. But late at night and in the wee hours of the morning, when I'm on my 22nd - 36th hour of call and every one else is home in bed, that venti peppermint mocha and huge rice crispy treat from the all night coffee stand off campus sure hits the spot. When I was in residency, it was NOTHING for me to down 5 of those mochas in a day / night....without having a bite to eat. 895+ calories of pure sugar....each.

When you work that much the choice to stay up and make tomorrow's meal vs getting an extra half-hour of sleep becomes a no-brainer. Sleep it is....

lillith1991

I agree with spinderella95. Its not over eating but what they are eating. Drs and nurses don't get much time if any to eat let alone eat properly. Is that a good excuse ? Nope. But things fall by the wayside when you don't have time. How do I know this? Well epilepsy, fused kidneys, and an adrenal disorder means I interacted with drs and nurses a lot in my 22 years of life. I know they have next to no time for themselves.

Spinderella95, is it reasonable to say theyed make better choices if said choices were on hand for them 24/7?

Candi_land

I'm currently in my last year of school pursuing a degree in Respiratory therapy and I would only feel awkward about my weight if I were attempting to lecture someone on fitness and/or eating habits. But since that won't be my field I'm not really worried about it.

Also, I really don't think they'll be paying as much attention to your weight as you may think...

bigjretrac

To the original poster-- you don't look overweight at all!

obeseandsassy

As someone who works in healthcare, I regularly see nurses/nursing assistants pulling 16 hour shifts 6 days a week, and that's normal for them. Healthcare is an extraordinarily demanding field. Putting aside your own health to take care of your patients is extremely common. I think it's too easy and too lazy to judge a medical professional on physical appearance alone.

I definitely don't believe the health of a medical professional reflects upon how good they are at their job. My mother's been a nurse for 40+ years, been obese during every single one of those years, and she's had scores of patients and staff tell her she's the best, kindest, and most knowledgable nurse they've ever had.

StarChanger

Spinderella95, is it reasonable to say theyed make better choices if said choices were on hand for them 24/7?

For those of us who care, probably. For the rest....depression, eating disorders, and lack of motivation due to chronic fatigue, etc who knows? We aren't superhuman, even though our jobs / demand / public / lawyers try to make it so. There is a reason healthcare workers (and doctors in particular) have such a high divorce / suicide / substance-abuse rate...