Whether you are a registered nurse, certified nurse’s aide, or a licensed practical nurse, you probably got into your profession because you wanted to provide patient care and help people who are sick or injured recover. Unfortunately, the job that you perform helping others may put you in a position to need help yourself.
Many medical care providers, especially those who work in hospitals, could eventually suffer a serious injury on the job that will impact their ability to continue performing the necessary tasks involved in nursing. In fact, hospital workers have a greater risk of suffering an injury on the job than almost anyone else working in other careers.
Hospital workers get hurt at surprising rates
According to data collected by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, hospital work is one of the most dangerous professions when it comes to injuries on the job. Roughly 157.5 out of every 100,000 full-time employees at a hospital will suffer an injury on the job that results in missed work in any given year.
Compare that with construction, an industry notorious for its accidents where only 147.4 out of every 100,000 workers will suffer an injury. The average across all private industries is 105.2 injured workers per 100,000 full-time workers. Risk factors for those in medical professions include overexertion from lifting or moving patients, contact with objects, chemical exposure, violence, and even falls.
You need to give yourself time to heal if you want to continue helping others
Many people who go into medical professions are willing to sacrifice their own comfort and health in order to help others. You might think that working through the pain is the best option after you get hurt on the job.
However, you can’t do your job in the long term if you don’t allow yourself time to heal. Especially if you have suffered an injury because of overexertion, taking time off to heal and getting necessary medical care can be the difference between being able to go back to work and dealing with pain indefinitely.
Workers’ compensation benefits can cover the cost of the care that you need and also replace at least a portion of your wages while you take time off of your stressful job duties to allow your body to heal.