Now, although accidents can happen in any setting, the abundance of sharp tools and infectious fluids at a hospital ups the ante when it comes to danger. Yet, behind the flashy “incident prevention” strategies lies a whole list of slow, progressive occupational health hazards.But their slow development brings about an unexpected advantage: it’s never too early to start preventing them.
How Working in Nursing Can Hurt Our Bodies
Depending on the type of unit you work at, a regular shift may include any or all of the following:
- A mad sprint towards the next code
- Lifting, dragging, or rolling a patient much larger than you
- Little time for bathroom breaks
- Frequently skipped lunches
- Anywhere between six and twelve hours walking around
- Constant exposure to fluorescent lighting, and almost no chance of seeing the sun
- Frequent arguing and bargaining with uncooperative people
- A never-ending list of tasks that grows every time you think about a break.
At first glance, none of these activities feel worthy of an Olympian. However, they all create wear and tear, often followed by insufficient sleep. After a few years on the job, any of them can create career-ending problems for your physical and mental health.
Top Occupational Hazards for Nurses
What are the most common health issues that develop? How do they happen? And is there something you should be doing to remedy them?
Musculoskeletal problems
There’s a reason why “body mechanics” is taught in every Fundamentals lab, often before you even get a chance to set foot in clinicals. Lugging the human body is no easy task; even if you’re a regular lifter who squats 150 pounds on a regular Tuesday, you’re likely to struggle to drag a patient of the same weight.
Why? Because the human body is far from balanced or ergonomic. Instead of symmetrical dumbbells, hospital work will require you to deal with joints, parts you can’t grab, and patients who may be actively fighting you.
Add the occasional slippery floor and the awkward positions of hospital beds, and it’s a recipe for musculoskeletal injury. The result may include temporary back soreness, or a slipped cervical disk that will require surgery. Other common injuries include hernias, chronic pain, dislocated knees, and torn rotator cuffs.
Studies in places as distant as New Zealand, Ghana, and Iran have all shown that nurses suffer from back injuries at rates two to three times higher than the general population.
What can you do to prevent them?
Start by reviewing your body mechanics notes from time to time, and note how much of that advice is meant to protect you, not just the patient (as I foolishly assumed at first!). If you ever need to move or reposition a patient, start by checking the floor for any wet areas or anything that may make you trip.
It also doesn’t hurt to go to the gym and hit the weight rack regularly. Stronger muscles and ligaments are more resilient to overexertion injuries. Plus, weight training will teach you about your own limits. You don’t need to become an Olympic lifter – but you should be able to tell at a glance whether a patient is within your limits or if you should ask for help.
Finally, remember there is help out there! Any adult hospital floor should have access to a crane, hoist, or hydraulic chair and extra attendants or technicians. Bring a back brace. On a busy day, you may feel pressured to just “get it over with” rather than request extra equipment, but remember that it’ll be more of a hassle if you need to take sick leave due to a hernia repair.
Urinary tract infections
Unlike regular office jobs, nursing is full of incidents where “stepping out” for five minutes is simply not possible – at least, not without asking someone else to keep an eye out for any arising life-or-death scenario. If the day is hectic enough, you may accidentally notice that half your shift went by without a bathroom break.
And what’s more, many facilities ban the presence of water bottles, glasses, and cups at the nurses’ station. Sure, this is supposed to be a (debatable) method of infection control, but it often results in keeping water out of easy reach. Mild dehydration and few bathroom breaks mean you’ll be carrying around concentrated urine for hours on end. This will give bacteria a chance to grow inside your bladder.
Unsurprisingly, the three professions with the highest rates of UTIs are truck driving, teaching, and nursing – all three jobs with little water and sparse bathroom breaks.
What can you do about it?
Nursing school teaches you all the basic lifestyle choices that can help you prevent a UTI, so it’s just a matter of keeping to them: drink more water and try not to hold your pee.
Unfortunately, this is often easier said than done. You may need to proactively remind yourself that it’s time for a sip of water every hour. Also, keep track of how much water you drink over your shift, and make a point to drink extra once you get home.
Make sure you start each break with a quick trip to the restroom. And if you ever see a colleague running behind schedule or struggling to get everything done on time, offer to watch their patients for a few minutes and remind them to hit the restroom. They’ll be more likely to do it if someone else stresses its importance.
Depression and stress
Healthcare professionals are often exposed to painful situations and workplace violence. Whether you want to call it “compassion fatigue,” “burnout,” or “getting fed up,” the truth is that many nurses eventually reach the point where their mental health suffers. According to experts, burnout and depression are technically separate, but they frequently coexist, and one will sharply raise your likelihood of the other.
Rates for depression and anxiety among nurses shot up during the pandemic, but they’ve been a key factor in the ongoing nursing shortage for at least a decade. Unfortunately, there is no easy answer when it comes to preventing or treating depression.
Can you protect yourself from it?
Definitely – but the exact tactics here will depend on your personality and your general psychological resilience. For some nurses, it’s easier to build a strict separation between their hospital lives and personal lives. For others, the stress can cross from “concerning” to “overwhelming” very easily (and this doesn’t make you a bad nurse!)
Most advice I’ve heard about preventing depression comes down to the same point: keep and nurture a space where you can be you outside of your caregiver role. This may mean:
- Checking in with your non-healthcare (“civilian”) friends regularly
- Protecting your sleep and exercise schedule
- Talking to a counselor or therapist, even if just to vent
- Cultivating a hobby that has nothing to do with sick people
Circulation problems
Long hours standing and walking take a toll on your veins, especially in your lower extremities. This may take the form of soreness, noticeable varicose veins, or even venous ulcers, all of which are more prevalent among nurses and CNAs.
By themselves, varicose veins or spider veins may seem like a purely aesthetic concern. But even if you’re just planning to give up on shorts after a few years, varicose veins will increase your likelihood of deep vein thrombosis.
How can you delay the damage?
Venous damage is slow and cumulative, so this is one area where prevention should start as early as possible – even before graduation. One of the most cost-effective strategies is to wear compression stockings under your scrubs every day from the moment you start clinical. Get the flesh-colored ones to ensure they don’t show through your uniform!
Well-fitted, comfortable shoes and loose scrubs also make a difference. Often, what seems like it’s just “figure hugging” in the changing room can become uncomfortably tight after 8 hours. Also, steer clear from any “jogger scrubs” models that include elastic cuffs around your ankles.
Your general routine can also protect you. If you’re prone to high blood pressure (or are at risk of developing it later), cut back on salty snacks mid-shift. And as counterintuitive as it may feel, some cardio after a tiresome shift will also get your blood pumping and prevent circulation issues. If you’re too tired, try resting with your feet up instead.
The Best Prevention May Be an Attitude Shift
Often, hospital managers and nursing school instructors sell this idea of nursing as a “selfless” profession and glorify taking on extra patients, doing as much overtime as possible, or working past the point of exhaustion.
In reality, nursing is a job like any other, and there’s no need to sacrifice your health to please others. Like with any other job, there are some occupational hazards, but they can and should be prevented. So don’t let anyone guilt trip you into sacrificing your sleep. Invest in high-quality gear, normalize water breaks, and get comfortable with that hoist.
You’ll provide better care if you feel well-rested and healthy!
