Getting a High Risk Profession To...

[Poncho]

Hi Gang,

As many of you know, I have taken on a new position as a nurse manager on a medical / surgical floor. And again as many of you know, nursing is a high risk profession for spine injury - both cervical and lumbar.

Anyways, I am trying to get my nurses to "buy into" saving their backs....if they only knew my history - let alone the history of others on this board - they would take pause and perhaps think things through a bit. However, I am in a position where I have to watch what I say and not show signs of weakness just because of the nature of being in a leadership position - thus telling them my story would in a way be a counterproductive effort.

I'm starting with baby steps sort of speak just encouraging them to use gait belts when attempting to transfer patients from a bed to a chair or walk them (patients) or whatever. However, I am getting looks like - what a wuss! This manager doesn't know anything.....

If I had it my way - I would push for a "no lift" facility. I would have over bed cranes installed in every room & etc - once I could "sell" the idea to the CFO, CNO, CEO, & COO. - Especially, if I can prove number of lost work days related to musculoskeletal injury in health care at this particular facility. However, I have the feeling this is going to take a major culture change considering that I am just beating my head against the wall trying to make them (nurses) use the gait belts when they are perfoming a nursing procedure placing their backs more at risk for injury by just moving / lifting patients.

I know that there are nurses on this forum and I am looking for input especially from the to buy into the gait belt idea until I can prove my number game with "mohagany row"...

I am also wanting to think outside the box and willing to consider ideas from others from other professions and industries to remedy this problem.

I just wish these nurses knew that I am just trying to protect them because I don't want them to go through what I/we have gone through or are currently going through.

BTW - Management is NOT what I expected!!! Alot of hours involved, sometimes having to be the "bad guy" making others mind rules and other safety issues - let alone schedules - I can only describe schedueling in one word with 40 FTE's ---- ewwwwww!!!!!

Okay, enough of my rant - time to listen to suggestion / advice / counsel.

Poncho

[mmglobal]

Great post Sue.... Diane is struggling now with the question of returning to floor nursing... She's had a front row seat to my years of disability and now has had her taste of chronic pain and understanding that even with a 100% successful surgery, her disc is still severely compromised and is weaker than normal.

Talk to you soon...

Mark

[ans]

Unfortunately, too many are members of this club:

http://www.wingusa.org/WINGUSA_Zero_Lift_welc.htm

Good luck, ans

[dshobbies]

I'm not a nurse but my husband is a mechanic and we used to have our own business employing 25 mechanics. Our worker's comp ins carrier demanded that we have monthly safety meetings and do whatever necessary and feasible to reduce worker injury. Since back injuries are commonplace in the nursing profession and these would fall into the worker's comp dept., you might want to enlist/engage the assistance of worker's comp carriers. Again, I'm not familiar with the industry but even is self-insured, is there an underwriter? How about other hospitals?

What about OSHA? Setting an industry standard could start with their mandate.

Just thinking out loud. I think you've hit on a great idea and often, that's where it all starts.

Good luck, Dale

[fireyangel76]

Wow what a hard thing to try to change the habits and mind set of nurses!
I know myself personally, if some one would have taken me aside and confided a personal story of a nurse who could no longer work due to multiple back injuries, I would have listened and been sympathetic. I at the same time would have said to myself it won't happen to me!

After my first few injuries I did take a job with the State of Calif as a health facilities Evaluator Nurse. I had no lifting or direct patient care. Sounds perfect. I hated it! I could not just be serious all the time and write facilities up for stupid stuff. There were things that I felt very strongly about and had no problem sticking it to the hospital...it was just so far removed from being an actual nurse that I ran back to my med/surg telemetry floor.

Unfortunately I went back thinking I was all better and continued the same things that got me injured in the first place. So here I am now fighting Social Sec for a measly disability check as I am unable to go back to work. I would probably last a shift or two but then I would be in bed for 7.
I never thought it would happen to me! It did happen to me! It happens to many nurses!
Maybe you can print this and post it on a board where your nurses can read it.
My advice to all nurses is ...work smarter...work together...work safely...take care of each other. If every injured non working nurse was still in the work force maybe the shortage would not be so profound!
Good luck with the no lift policy! That and lift teams are the only way to go !

[Maria]

Sue,
Having worked in management long ago in nursing I can attest to the much longer work hours than expected let alone the need to show leadership and lack of weakness.

The best facility I worked at in terms of utilizing lifting devices for patients was the VA in SF. The night shift had it down moving from one patient to the next as a team. It was actually the best team effort I have ever seen when it came to lifting/moving patients. I do believe all VA's are equipped more or less the same and it seemed that was one environment that was definately into protecting the spinal health of their employees. Again, it's been some time since I've been in these settings so the devices may have improved greatly or they may be dinosaurs that are still being utilized (that wouldn't surprise me in health care).

Having worked in a number of neurosurgical settings the belts and lift and move devices were also utilized for full body lifts. Of course when I injured my spine there was this thing called "Primary Nursing" and we had to do it all and there was no equipment such as this (mind you at UCSF in Neurosurgery at the time).

I am completely with you in terms of educating the nursing and allied health staff re spinal health and in facilities I worked at there were classes that included how to lift and move patients safely.

If you'd ever like a guest speaker and can afford the 3 seats to fly me out there~ I'd be happy to tell your nurses my story and help in an educational process!

BTW, congrats on your position and wishing you continued good spinal health!

[sahuaro]

While waiting for my eye appointment, I found a brief article about a program for saving nurses' spines at Yavapai Medical Center in Arizona, and thought you might be interested. It was in a magazine put out by an employee insurance firm. Their website is www.scfaz.com.