Ethical Issue - Discussion of Obese Nurses, Physicians and Patients

The school that is pressuring this girl to lose weight had better shut up. There was a landmark case, I believe from Massachusetts, where the instructors at a nursing school tried to force a fat lady to lose wieght to remain in nursing school. She was intimidated and tried to comply- the wanted her in weight watchers. She didnt lose much and at the end of her RN program they tried to say she had "failed clinical nursing" becuase her weight has still high. Well, she sued, and becuase of the hostile environment that was created, won big $$$$$. The school was forced to issue her a diploma and she took/passed the NCLEX. Anyway, it turns out several other students had been forced out of the same school for the same reason and they were witneses for the student that was suing. In CA you can sue for discrimination over this sort of thing. The student should bring this crap up to the school...if the school is the one harassing or is aware of the harassment she is gettin from the students and does nothing,,,they are legally liable and she can sue over it.
I am getting ready to enter our local ADN program and I personally DARE somebody to bring up my weight!!!!!!!! I am one uppity fat lady and I dont take that crap off anyone.


Laura PS I think the name of the school that lost the lawsuit was called Salve Regina or something like that

I'm a bit fluffy myself.

If she is performing on par with other nurses she is being discriminated against.

On the other hand our 450# nurse who could only make it from chair to chair outside each room and took over 60 minutes to do a ten room med pass.....was not performing at par. She did retire on disability. Lovely lady.

This is a subject close to my heart I'm considered by some overweight I'm 5 8 & weigh btwn 180-205.(pleasingly plump) I've been teased & laughed at. My 11yr old son weighs 200lbs(thyroid) he was constantly teased at school that he did not want to go, so I went to the school spoke with the principal & teachers the school actually sent home a letter to parents urging them to teach their children about tolerance & not making fun of those who are different. Since then the teasing has stop but occasionally a stray teaser let loose but I've taught my son how to deal with it.
I guess people will always discriminate against those of us who don't fit into the so called normal mole. (pencil thin)
Let your friend know she is not alone & god bless you for being her friend.

Nursebucky,
I'm a lard butt and the nurses I work with don't have any problem with it. When you're actually working on the floor, it doesn't matter what you look like, just as long as you do the job. I heard the same crap in nursing school, it seems that the instructors are more concerned about the way their student nurses look than how well they're doing. Tell your friend that when she hits the floor, nobody, but nobody will care how she looks, only how well she does her job.

Do a search here on this site and you will find several threads regarding this subject.It is apparently politically correct to slam overweight people.I often here patients say "My nurse is the fat one" But I don't think I have ever heard a patient say "My nurse is the -insert racial slur here-"

You must choose your battles in life -- she is harassing you and also creating a hostile work environment. It's up to you whether you wish to ignore her or report her comments. The next time she makes a weight-related comment to you, I would document it (keep a copy of what she said, the date, time, place, any witnesses, etc.) and report the incident to your manager. The only thing I would say to her would be something like "I do not want you to make personal comments about my weight. It is insulting and harassment." I really would not say anything else to her other than what was work related.

Sue

Unfortunately if I had said anyhing she would have accused me of either being too sensitive or not having a sense of humour. (ME! no humour! Grrrrrr)

Bottom line - I left that unit. The ones making the accusations against the overwieght people were the ICU nuses who ALWAYS ran teh sedation at max regardless of whether the patient needed it or not - just so they could have an "easy" shift. When "On the floor" of the unit they were what I privately styled the "A..... Glue Set". They would get to work and glue thier A's to the chairs at the desk and never leave.

Do I detect a little hypocrisy in thier atitude or just deflection from thier own behaviours? The incidents I mentioned were just a few of the bullying tactics present in that unit.

Fat nurse checking in here!! I've never been discriminated against because of my weight. If I have, I didn't know it. I can work circles around some of my skinnier coworkers. Last code we had, someone from the floor next to us called afterward. "Dang, girl..I didn't realize you could run that fast and STILL run a code!." I beat the other nurses there..it's mind over matter in most cases. I've worked with obese nurses who were smaller than me and just plain lazy. Have worked with lazy people of all sizes, actually. It's not about size.

IMO, and I don't intend to start a debate her, but obesity is NOT a handicap...unless you cling onto it like some plague and allow it to handicap you. I have been overweight my entire life. I played sports..actually excelled, I was popular in HS, I never had a problem getting a date and I've never had a problem getting a job. If YOU view yourself as handicapped, then so will the world. I don't have a "fat-chip" on my shoulder..I'm not sensitive about my weight. I make jokes with my coworkers..like "yeah, just blame it on the fat kid," etc. I can laugh about my weight because it is ME and I LOVE me. I'd love to loose it, of course, but it just won't fall off.

So, my advice to your friend. Be strong, hang in there and don't let them win. I'm sure this isn't the first hurdle her weight has given her and it won't be the last. IF they think they're getting to her, they will just continue..

good luck to your friend..and she is blessed to have you!

:chuckle most third shift nursing home nurses do carry around alittle bit of excess weight. maybe it's because we either have bring our own or eat out of the machines since the kitchen closes at 7 pm and they roll up the streets at midnight.:roll

i can work circles around the younguns at work. in fact they tell me they don't know how i do it with me being my age--46 ouch!!! so i got them both-fat and old!!!! Ha-Ha if they only knew!!!