No matter why you are there, to have a baby or recover from a heart attack, nobody really likes being in the hospital. Unfortunately, patients sometimes take out their frustrations about a hospital stay on the nursing staff. Sometimes, no matter how hard they work to provide good care, nurses are treated with indifference or even disdain by their patients. The truth is, though, people in hospitals don’t always understand the work and sacrifice of nurses nor do they understand how dangerous a job it can be.
The dangers of nursing
It’s not the first profession that comes to mind when people think of dangerous jobs, but it is inherently risky—and not just from frustrated patients. In fact, an NPR report called nursing one of the most dangerous jobs in America, and Forbes listed nursing assistants as the third-most dangerous field. Like other jobs that may seem more obviously dangerous, nurses must deal with the unexpected.
Whether working as an E.D. nurse or a nurse at an OBGYN practice, the work is hard on the body and mind, and mistakes mean endangering someone’s life. So, the mental pressure is a huge weight. Here are a few of the elements that make nursing so dangerous.
1. It’s physically demanding
Nurses are on their feet all day, and that’s tough, but it’s only the beginning of the strain they put on their bodies. They transport patients, sometimes having to physically move them from bed to bed. Even when using proper lifting techniques, the weight and occurrence of lifting put nurses at serious risk for back strain—and back pain is certainly painful enough to miss work when shifts are demanding.
2. Understaffing creates workplace issues
When there aren’t enough people to help run the ship, patients suffer. Nurses—dealing with less help—are forced to do more of the work. Though most states regulate just how long a nursing shift can last, when there’s more work than people, those who are working often have a day that’s too full. Nurses are natural caregivers, and most sacrifice their own well-being to care for their patients. When that happens, they become overworked and overtired, and yet they are still trying to help cover missing shifts. One nurse’s mistake after such a day can lead to hazards for others.
3. Too much overtime
A chronic shortage of nurses means chronic overtime. Nurses who are already overworked due to staff shortages are often asked to work overtime—and in some places, overtime is mandatory. Working too much for too long a day can have dire consequences on someone’s health.
4. Workplace hazards
Hospitals are filled with workplace hazards. From exposure to highly contagious illnesses to their work with dangerous medical devices and the little-known hazard of surgical smoke, nurses are constantly in close proximity to danger. Radiation, surgical smoke, and flawed equipment are just a few of the hazards nurses face in their daily jobs.
5. Hostile and combative patients
There are myriad reasons why patients act in a hostile manner toward nurses and hospital staff. Some are mentally unstable, some may be having reactions to medications, and some are simply confused. Whatever causes a patient to become violent or abusive, it’s most often his or her nurse at the receiving end of it. Unfortunately, the rate at which nurses are being injured by patients is on the rise, according to U.S. News and World Report.