Common Nursing Injuries

Nursing is an admirable career. Nurses work hard and serve people every day, but due to this, they are particularly susceptible to injuries.

Ironically, many nurses are at risk of becoming patients themselves. There are many injuries a nurse could suffer from while performing their daily duties and tasks, leading to expensive hospital bills and unwanted time off of work.

Statistics

According to the Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics, more than 35,000 nurses suffer back and other injuries at work every year.

In fact, according to a study from NPR, health care workers like nursing assistants and orderlies are 3 times more likely to suffer a back or other skeletal injury than construction workers.

Hospitals consistently see the highest numbers of work-related injuries, according to OSHA. Also, according to OSHA, approximately 80% of nurses say they have consistent musculoskeletal pain.

Common injuries among nurses

Many of these work injuries occur during the process of moving patients despite thorough training in established steps, procedures, and protocols, which include proper techniques for lifting and transferring patients.

Regrettably, even with this training, the risk of injury persists, particularly when handling larger patients or engaging in repetitive motions.

The likelihood of sustaining an injury increases in these situations, underscoring the challenges nurses face in ensuring both patient and personal safety.

Nursing injuries can also extend to various occupational hazards that are part of the health care environment.

Back and other skeletal injuries can happen while lifting heavy objects. Other common injuries nurses can suffer from include:

• Repetitive motions that lead to overuse injuries, such as tendonitis or bursitis
• Joint injuries
• Knee injuries from trips and falls on wet surfaces or moving patients without proper support
• Slip and falls at work
• Herniated discs
• Rotator cuff injuries
• Sharps injuries from needles, including infections
• Exposure to harmful substances and infectious diseases, especially in emergency and intensive care units
• Psychological stress leading to burnout, affecting physical health and increasing the likelihood of workplace accidents or even self-harm
• Prolonged periods of standing and walking in nursing can:
  • Exacerbate issues like varicose veins
  • Lead to chronic pain or foot and leg problems
• Emotional challenges in nursing include:
  • Navigating the emotional toll of caring for patients in critical conditions
  • Potential for developing compassion fatigue
  • Risk of experiencing secondary traumatic stress

Many of these work injuries can be severe, especially if left untreated. As a nurse, you would encourage your patients to seek medical attention for injuries, so you should not behave any differently.

Nurses must recognize the signs of these occupational injuries and seek appropriate care. Prevention strategies, such as proper lifting techniques, regular breaks to reduce physical strain, and the use of personal protective equipment, can mitigate some risks.

However, understanding your rights and options, including workers’ compensation, is essential in cases where injuries occur. Seeking timely medical intervention and legal advice can ensure that nurses receive the care and support they need to recover and continue their vital role in health care.

Many nurses suffer injuries so severe they miss work. This leads to lost wages and piling medical bills. If you found yourself in a role-reversal where you became a patient at your own hospital due to a work-related injury, you might be eligible for workers’ compensation. Do not hesitate to explore your options.

Can I sue my employer for a workplace accident?

Most injured workers cannot sue and must go through the Arizona workers’ comp system (which is an “exclusive remedy”), but there are a few rare exceptions to this rule.

Learn more

Alarming findings: Nurses and mental health

The distressing findings: Deaths by Suicide among Registered Nurses: A Rapid Response Call,  presented by Kathryn A. Lee, BSN, RN, and Christopher R. Friese, PhD, RN, AOCN®, FAAN, underline a crisis that is no longer ignorable.

Their study, published in 2022, highlights the stark reality faced by registered nurses across the nation: a significantly higher susceptibility to severe mental health issues and a disturbingly elevated risk of death by suicide.

The data, drawing from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention National Violent Death Reporting System, starkly points out that nurses, between 2007 and 2018, had an 18% higher likelihood of dying by suicide compared to the general population.

Particularly alarming is the finding that female nurses faced a risk of suicide nearly double that of the general population, and 70% higher than that of their female physician counterparts.

The tragic case of Tristin Kate Smith, a 28-year-old ER nurse from Dayton, Ohio, further illustrates this grim reality.

Smith’s death by suicide in August 2023 sent shockwaves through the nursing community, especially given the haunting letter she left behind.

Addressing the health care system as her “abuser,” Smith’s letter sheds light on the brutal conditions and physical abuse nurses often endure from the very patients they are dedicated to helping.

Smith wrote about hearing of nurses who were physically hit and abused by the very patients that they were tasked with caring for and how they were advised to “not fight back” and instead to “lay with their hands up” and wait for security. Source

This story and many others are distressing testaments to the health care industry’s systemic issues.

In addressing this crisis, it is crucial to acknowledge the pressures and challenges nurses face that extend beyond the confines of health care facilities.

They reflect systemic failings and a societal attitude that often undervalues and underestimates the physical and emotional toll of nursing.

The time for change is overdue. Robust support systems, policy reforms, and a cultural shift in how we view and treat our health care providers are imperative.

Only through concerted, collective efforts can we hope to mend the fissures in our healthcare system and safeguard the well-being of those entrusted with the most sacred task of all—caring for human life.