Unhealthy people working in the healthcare field
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If the unhealthy portion is strictly dietary, no one will become healthier (whether it be food choices or losing weight) until they're ready.
Sad but true, no matter what they see on a daily basis.
ETA: What I read out of the OP was them wanting to know why anyone would continue making unhealthy choices in their lives when they see what the direct results of those choices are in the patients they care for.0 -
Health care workers are human, just like the rest of us. Refusing to take advice from them regarding poor choices they may make in their personal lives is prejudice. They make poor choices, like many of us. It does not mean that they are unable to counsel persons that seek help regarding health issues.
A rep from our insurance company was at my work place last December helping with health screenings for myself and my co-workers. She admitted that she, personally, was not a perfect representative for good health, but she too is working on getting there. This screening, 7 months ago, was the beginning of my life style change. I listened to this woman, because she had good information, and she has the same issues, as many of us have, to deal with. Perhaps this information coming from a "perfect" human would have been enough to discourage me from even trying.
Judging anyone, at any job because of personal appearance, is unfair and wrong, as is any prejudice.0 -
I got in trouble once when I questioned a really overweight nurse about her ability to give me any good nutrition advice. She reported me to the union and the hospital and almost got banned from returning... I have always felt the same way about doctors and nurses who don't seem to take care of themselves and they work in the healthcare field only because that's what they went to school for and it is just another paycheck to them. My new doctor specializes in sports medicine and he's tall, skinny, and coaches me a lot about how to control my weigh through exercise and measured food intake. I trust him and his advise with my life.0
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The size of the person has nothing to do with the quality of care they can give.
A lot of people on here will be parents, and they will probably be over weight (or were over weight) that doesn't stop them from being a good parent!
Doctors and Nurses save lives every single day. Their eating habits or weight have little to do with their abilities. As long as they can save lives and do their job, they can do whatever they want in their personal lives.0 -
I work on a cardiac floor in the hospital. I had patients tell me to my face, it's funny you all give us advice on how to eat and that we should exercise, but it looks like your not following your own advice. yeah they had a point, However, not everyone can get healthy. Health care workers work crazy hours and shift sometimes you can go without taking a break. I work third shift so I don't get my recommend 8 hours of sleep especially with my two girls running around. It was easier for me to pick some fast food than cooking. But in the end the choice is their. I'm happy I made the right one for me and my girls.0
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I don't mean to be judgmental, since I'm trying to lose weight myself, and I know others may be on a weight loss journey of their own.
However, I'm currently a dietetic intern at a nursing home. Nearly every resident has some sort of nutrition related diagnoses - hypertension, type 2 diabetes, hyperlipidemia, osteoarthrosis, GERD, IBS, sleep apnea, heart disease, etc. Of course they are all on a million different medications as well. My question is, when you are working around patients/residents who have these conditions and you can clearly see the impact of a poor diet in so many different manifestations, why wouldn't you be doing something to take control of your own health so you can avoid those things in the future? We were sitting in a meeting at 9am the other morning and I noticed an employee eating a candy bar and a bag of Doritos. At lunch a lot of people eat salads with bacon, cheese, creamy dressing, etc. Are they just oblivious or are they under the impression that "it's not going to happen to them"? A lot of the employees are very overweight as well. Why do I see so many unhealthy choices being made?
I don't particularly share this view but my husband works at the hospital as a security gaurd and this is his complaint about respiratory therapists...they all go in and tell their patients with breathing issues NOT to smoke and they see what smoking does to their bodies and then they go every chance they get to take a smoke break. Their choice really to do that damage to their body....but then they come back insde with all the smoke particles on them and go to the resp. floor and take care of patients that have breathing issues. They smell of smoke and carry it on them into the rooms...he thinks they should at the very least be required to change their shirt and cover their hair when out for a smoke break.0 -
I'm actually a Registered Dietitian, and although I am morbidly obese it doesn't stop me from doing my job well. Like many Dietitians I struggle with a food addiction/disordered eating. We all make choices, and those of use in the healthcare field understand the consequences. Many times it is more than just making a bad choices, its time contstraints, self destruction, not feeling spiritually in tuned to your body. I struggle with my weight. I'm trying to respect my body and make the right choices, but it's an on going battle. I do think that my struggle helps me have more empathy for my residents. I know what they mean when they say I just can't stop eating, and how difficult it is for them to change life long habits. Yes, I'm fat but that doesnt stop me from caring for my residents and using my best clinical judegment to ensure that they have quality life. In the end, thats why we are in healthcare to help people.0
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Going through Nursing school is what encouraged me to lose weight! Just knowing everything that can happen to our bodies, when we don't take care of ourselves, scared the crap out of me! I felt like I could hear my arteries clogging up! Not to mention, I felt like patients would be judging me, if I were overweight!0
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Both a fat doctor and his fat nurse saved my life when it was in jeopardy...I was thankful for both their knowledge and training and I can assure you their dietary habits were not on my mind at the time.0
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We are all human beings with a variety of problems going on, whether work-related, personal related, health-related, etc. What right do I have to pass judgement on them? Absolutely none whatsoever.
I'm not questioning their ability to do their jobs well. I work with many wonderful people. I'm just wondering why they make the choices they do in regards to their own health when they can see firsthand how those bad decisions are impacting others.
Everyone is taking this the wrong way! Reread this ^^ post and my first post!
I am NOT saying it's impacting how they do their jobs or the quality of care. Not at all.
Personally, working around patients with chronic diseases, it makes me want to do ANYTHING I can to avoid ending up like that. I guess other people just might not feel the same way.0 -
So let me start off by saying I am a nurse, but I am fit and healthy. Next let me say, people who work in health care are no different than any other person, yes we know what is good and bad for us, but we have the same stress (probably more) as everyone else, we also have the same damn tastebuds, I mean let's face it food that is bad for us is tasty right????? Just because we know better doesn't mean we as healthcare workers have better willpower. I see respiratory therapist who smoke, the treat lung cancer patients all the time. The same struggles the non healthcare worker faces, is the same thing we as healthcare workers face, finding time to excercise, making good food choices. Do I think we should make a better effort of course, we need to be examples to our patients. Okay I am off my soapbox now.0
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I'm actually a Registered Dietitian, and although I am morbidly obese it doesn't stop me from doing my job well. Like many Dietitians I struggle with a food addiction/disordered eating. We all make choices, and those of use in the healthcare field understand the consequences. Many times it is more than just making a bad choices, its time contstraints, self destruction, not feeling spiritually in tuned to your body. I struggle with my weight. I'm trying to respect my body and make the right choices, but it's an on going battle. I do think that my struggle helps me have more empathy for my residents. I know what they mean when they say I just can't stop eating, and how difficult it is for them to change life long habits. Yes, I'm fat but that doesnt stop me from caring for my residents and using my best clinical judegment to ensure that they have quality life. In the end, thats why we are in healthcare to help people.
I don`t mean to sound bad, and I am sure you are super excellent at your job ;-)
And there is a but...as a dietician do you not feel that you have to present an impression to your clients?
I really am not trying to be nasty to you, I am just thinking if I were to come to you for dietary help then I would feel a bit upset if you were not `trim`
For example if I went to a personal trainer and they were overweight then I would think that thry really don`t know what they are doing?
I am not trying to single you out and am sure you are fantastic at your job...I am just asking the question0 -
Whoa whoa whoa... calm down with the "fat nurses" thing.... I've been working in the medical field for about six years now. I used to wonder the same thing... 'If they are on their feet so much, why are they so over weight?". Once I was in that situation I learned:
Nurses have hectic schedules
They are stressed almost all the time
Work late nights and early mornings
No time for lunch.... there's the vending machine.
They won't eat for hours, then go home and eat up.
The stress alone can cause you to gain weight. Not sleeping well will cause you to gain weight, not eating at all then eating on the go will definitely cause you to gain weight. Don't judge those people in the field. Yes, it can be avoided, BUT think about it.... You have a choice to exercise, eat right, sleep right, and work normal hours.... but then you are given the option to pick up shifts at the hospital, so you do it because you are thinking of that fat paycheck, you pick up more and more shifts, you stay at work later, you now have no time to think of yourself and your health. You eat on the go, you live off of the vending machines, you go to McDonald's for lunch because it is fast. You don't want it to happen but sometimes it does. I thank God that I got out of that environment because even though I didn't eat a lot, I gained weight. I had the weight of 15 patients on my shoulders every day as well as my own weight. I was at work stressing about my job, then was home stressing about what tomorrow would bring. It's Hell. And I give all the Nurses, Doctors, CNAs, Surgeons etc etc some big props.
So, all you 9-5ers out there that will easily judge someone in the medical field for being over- weight or obese, put yourself in their shoes. You know what though, you might not be able to fathom it.
I, happily, have my 8a-7p cooking job now and I couldn't be happier or healthier.... AND I"M EATING MORE THAN I WAS THEN!0 -
I'm a nurse too, but i work in mental health. seeing the destruction illicit drugs can cause, i'll never be naughty again!! seeing the problems people have with smoking, i'll never smoke again.
but i lost weight for my own reasons. obviously as a nurse i'm acutely aware of the long term damage a poor diet, smoking, and taking drugs can do. yet still i participated in all of those things for a long time (but i only did drugs when i was a teenager, as you do!). i'm still fat now though.
knowing what can happen is often not enough of a deterrant- well, not for me anyway. i had to grow up and have kids before i thought further ahead than tomorrow.0 -
well i am currently a nurse at a hospital. when i started i was skinny but 10 years later and i gained all this weight. I actually noticed all the nurses i work with have also gained a lot of weight. I was wondering why this is happening? Sometimes i have no time to sit down and eat in a 12hr shift. Well the answer i came up with is that health care is STRESSFUL you are taking care of so many people that you forget to take care of yourself. Patients family would always bring us snacks but not good snacks...chocolate cookies ext. We are all so busy all we had time to do is grab a cookie shove it in are mouths and move on. Finally i said enough is enough so i organized a nurses biggest loser 6month program thanks to my fitness pal that we all have and weekly activities every Thursday on top of exercise all my fellow co workers are finally losing weight the right way and feeling better. We are in are second month and we hope to all have a new lifestyle change. I definitely agree that health care professionals need to start caring about them selves more so that they can keep taking care of people and not end up in the hospital beds. Other floors in my hospital have heard we are doing this and are starting to join us and i think its great
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We are all human beings with a variety of problems going on, whether work-related, personal related, health-related, etc. What right do I have to pass judgement on them? Absolutely none whatsoever.
I'm not questioning their ability to do their jobs well. I work with many wonderful people. I'm just wondering why they make the choices they do in regards to their own health when they can see firsthand how those bad decisions are impacting others.
Everyone is taking this the wrong way! Reread this ^^ post and my first post!
I am NOT saying it's impacting how they do their jobs or the quality of care. Not at all.
Personally, working around patients with chronic diseases, it makes me want to do ANYTHING I can to avoid ending up like that. I guess other people just might not feel the same way.
Third time is a charm? Lol. I guess it's akin to people watching loved ones die of smoking related cancer and continuing to smoke, or knowing people who've lost so much getting popped for DUI's (or even themselves) and continuing to take the risks. I am very close to a man diagnosed with end-stage liver disease from alcoholism and he continues to drink everyday and believes he will be saved by a liver transplant. As humans, we frequently have to choose between doing what feels good or doing the right thing. I think, for many, people, it isn't that they believe it won't happen to them, but that it won't happen to them "right this minute" and "eventually" will alter their habits. Too many times, that "eventually" never arrives because their habits DID affect them "right this minute" this time.0 -
To be honest, I wont pass judgement.
I work in healthcare... The health system I work in has well over 300+ physicians of well over 30 different areas of medicine and combined medicinal therapies.
The OBGYN that delivered my daughter 19 years ago was a hispanic older gentleman who did have some pounds on him, but I didnt take that into consideration of his ability to affectively give care. The man saved my life as I was rolled into emergency surgery to have a C-section.
My PCP is a man who has known me for 22 years and knows that prior to taking me on as his patient, he knew the abuse I put up with from other PCP's who just didnt give two craps about the mysterious problems I was going through. He didnt toss me aside. The man was my mother's favorite customer - she used to serve him and his family dinner.. and the man ate some pretty unhealthy meals from time to time... I didnt care because that was done on his personal time. He helped me avoid being quarantined when my liver was failing due to extreme high doses of insulin was flooding my body right as I was about to be hospitalized.
My Dermatologist is a loving and caring individual, shares a practice with his wife. The man is unfortunately gaunt for someone 6'5", but does his best considering he too, has problems. I honor the ground the man walks on as he helped me with my hair-loss problem and made no judgement against me. I just had my last visit with him, and I cried knowing I wasnt going to be seeing him again because he was just that damn good of a doctor, but also a friend. Out of all his patients, I willingly chose to be part of a case study for women dealing with a number of medical problems like I am. He trusted me as a fellow medical professional, a patient and friend to give him the data he needed.
We are all human beings with a variety of problems going on, whether work-related, personal related, health-related, etc. What right do I have to pass judgement on them? Absolutely none whatsoever.
This and why are you watching what other people eat? Are you the food police? Maybe their creamy dressing on their salad was reduced fat, or did you go to the trash to dig out the packet to investigate? Maybe they work out two hours a day six days a week and feel they deserve the bacon bits. Who knows?
My perinatologist who helped to save my child while I was pregnant was overweight and I didn't give a damn fat doesn't equal stupid or incompetent and for you to think such a thing reflects more on you than the very people you're talking about.0 -
As a nurse, a big part of my job is education.. I educate my patients on everything from procedures, to medications, to their diets. I feel as though I need to be a healthy role model for them. I agree that I would be less likely to take other people seriously if they were unhealthy themselves.. It's like going to a personal trainer who could be mistaken for a sumo wrestler.
I am not overweight, so I do not have input from a personal standpoint. But I'll admit that it takes some willpower to not give in to the cookies, cakes, pizza, and whatever else that patients, their families, or other staff members bring us. We have very busy schedules and sometimes it's eating in a pinch and it may not be the best food choice in the moment.. Add rotating shifts and inconsistent schedules into the mix, and it's a set up for disaster.
-- NOT making excuses for those people, though. With proper planning, bringing lunches, willpower, and the desire to be a role model, that's more than enough to remain a healthy weight.0 -
well i am currently a nurse at a hospital. when i started i was skinny but 10 years later and i gained all this weight. I actually noticed all the nurses i work with have also gained a lot of weight. I was wondering why this is happening? Sometimes i have no time to sit down and eat in a 12hr shift. Well the answer i came up with is that health care is STRESSFUL you are taking care of so many people that you forget to take care of yourself. Patients family would always bring us snacks but not good snacks...chocolate cookies ext. We are all so busy all we had time to do is grab a cookie shove it in are mouths and move on. Finally i said enough is enough so i organized a nurses biggest loser 6month program thanks to my fitness pal that we all have and weekly activities every Thursday on top of exercise all my fellow co workers are finally losing weight the right way and feeling better. We are in are second month and we hope to all have a new lifestyle change. I definitely agree that health care professionals need to start caring about them selves more so that they can keep taking care of people and not end up in the hospital beds. Other floors in my hospital have heard we are doing this and are starting to join us and i think its great
See, that's all I was looking for is some sort of explanation as to why I might be observing this so often. That makes a lot of sense to me. I'm glad you guys are making some changes and taking the time to look out for your own health! 0 -
Finally i said enough is enough so i organized a nurses biggest loser 6month program thanks to my fitness pal that we all have and weekly activities every Thursday on top of exercise all my fellow co workers are finally losing weight the right way and feeling better. We are in are second month and we hope to all have a new lifestyle change. I definitely agree that health care professionals need to start caring about them selves more so that they can keep taking care of people and not end up in the hospital beds. Other floors in my hospital have heard we are doing this and are starting to join us and i think its great
That is so great! 0
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