An aching back and feet are all too familiar for a travel nurse. Between walking the hospital halls all day to lifting patients twice your size, it's no wonder nursing is one of the most injury-prone occupations. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, registered nurses experience 55.7 lost work days due to musculoskeletal injuries per every 10,000 employees, which is comparable to the rate for construction laborers – an industry that sees 86.2 lost days per 10,000 workers.
Just one wrong move can result in a debilitating back injury, which may put nurses out of work. At best they'll miss the remainder of their shifts, and at worse the entirety of their careers. It's important, then, for healthcare professionals to practice lower back pain prevention so they can avoid becoming the patient.
Use tools for lifting patients
Those in travel nursing are often taught the proper technique for lifting heavy objects and patients, such as bending at the knees and hips and lifting with the legs as opposed to the back. However, Ohio State University's Dr. William Marras, who has led several research projects that study lifting in nursing, told National Public Radio that none of these strategies are foolproof.
"The bottom line is there's no safe way to lift a patient manually," he said. "The magnitude of these forces that are on your spine are so large that the best body mechanics in the world are not going to keep you from getting a back problem."
Nurses should protect their backs from pain by using assistive patient-handling equipment. If these tools are not available, lift with the person or object as close to your body as possible. However, advocate for yourself and fellow nurses by encouraging your medical facility to provide this equipment.
Work out
Speaking with the job search site Monster, Richard H. Haglen, a physical therapist from Boca Raton, Florida, advised nurses to focus on physical fitness, as this can help prevent injury. Of course, sticking to a regular workout routine is easier said than done. Who wants to hit the gym after a 12-hour shift? Never push yourself to exercise when you're exhausted, as this can be counterproductive to your injury-prevention strategy.
Instead, wait until you have a day off, and do something that's fun. For instance, sports fanatics can shoot hoops instead of running on a treadmill. Do you enjoy the outdoors? Grab some friends and go on a hike. Travel nurses can even take assignments in places like Washington state that offer plenty of hiking and boating opportunities for nature lovers.
Never 'tough it out'
For people who show such compassion to patients, nurses are pretty hard on themselves. Driven to deliver quality care in the face of staffing shortages, travel nurses push themselves to make every second of those 12-hour shifts count. Unfortunately, this can have detrimental consequences for their well-being.
First, if you ever hear or feel a "pop" in your back, take a breather and evaluate your pain. Continuing to work with a herniated disk, for example, will only exacerbate the injury. Additionally, don't hesitate to see a doctor about your lower back pain. You may be tempted to brush off it off as part of the job, but constant discomfort is not normal. Your doctor may even refer you to specialists in occupational travel therapy jobs!