fellow nurses

krazzybebe03
krazzybebe03 Posts: 39 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
does any of my fellow nurses know about how many calories they burn during a 12 hr shift?

Replies

  • TDGee
    TDGee Posts: 2,209 Member
    It all depends on where and how hard you work. Just like exercise.
  • andrialindsay
    andrialindsay Posts: 55
    Good question! I work 16 hour shifts on the weekends and sometimes will log 3 hours of moderate pace walking....
  • sherry_augustine
    sherry_augustine Posts: 29 Member
    I agree with TDGee...could vary every day depending on how busy your shift was.....
  • MrsRadder
    MrsRadder Posts: 207 Member
    Not a nurse but work in the health care field. I wear a heart rate monitor. It's the only way to know. Figure what the heck I have to wear a watch anyway might as well use it for good :)
  • alyssa92982
    alyssa92982 Posts: 1,093 Member
    It is going to vary, I work night shift and don't walk as much as the girls in day shift when its busier. The best way to know would be to wear a heart rate monitor
  • krazzybebe03
    krazzybebe03 Posts: 39 Member
    well i work in the icu on days...most days im super busy and am lucky if i get a 30 min lunch break. I cannot wear a watch on my unit due to infection control...i might try locking the watch and sticking it in one of my scrub pockets
  • tiedye
    tiedye Posts: 331 Member
    I once read that a floor nurse walks up to 5 miles per shift. I tried to program a cheapo pedometer once to figure it out but I never got the thing to work. I work at a very fast paced med-surg unit and usually don't ever sit down. My least motions are when I'm typing at a computer (each pt room has a laptop) and even then I'm standing. I wear support hose to work for the standing, but honestly I find myself walking quickly all the time. I have up to 7 patients and work day shift, and sometimes not all my patients are on the same side of our unit so I'm always zig zagging across the nursing station to the side of our floor.

    Question for ya'll, under your daily activity level, "nurse" is listed as "lightly active" whereas I feel as though my activity level at work is more like "waitress" under the "active" setting. However, on my days off (4 of them) I feel like I am quite sedentary when I am not at the gym. I try to be active--walk laps in the mall, ride my bike, carry groceries, however it's not the activity level I have at work. So I guess if i averaged out all my days I'd be lightly active. What do you guys put for your settings?
  • krazzybebe03
    krazzybebe03 Posts: 39 Member
    i do the slightly active setting even though like you i'm always walking/standing, thank God for support hose, but my days off are still hectic as i have an infant.
  • spoiledwife12
    spoiledwife12 Posts: 151 Member
    I definitely chose the "more active" option!! I didn't know whether to laugh or cry when I saw where "nursing" was listed!

    Obviously, each nursing specialty is different, but on my medical/tele floor, not only do I put the mileage in, the brain power and time (crunch) management required leave me exhausted, like I've just worked out!!
  • tiedye
    tiedye Posts: 331 Member
    Haha I know, when I first started nursing I would come home and be too tired to stand up in the shower, and then I'd put a heating pad on my calves in bed. Now my calves are rock hard haha.
  • TDGee
    TDGee Posts: 2,209 Member
    I've worked in large EDs where we averaged 12-17 miles in a 12hr shift just walking, not counting the lifting, dragging, and of course resuscitation effort burns.
  • krazzybebe03
    krazzybebe03 Posts: 39 Member
    well i wore my hrm....and 10 hours of my shift, bc i forgot to restart after one of my breaks, burned 2800 cals.

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