Ask a nurse which parts of her body are most abused and she’ll likely give you three: the stomach, bladder and legs. This is most especially true for nurses who work inpatient bedside settings, where they have multiple tasks that demand their attention simultaneously or immediately. Throw all these together and it can even result to a headache.
Growling stomach
Working long shifts in a unit which is often understaffed and where patients can be quite a handful, it is no wonder nurses are known to skip meals. And when you’re on the floor for 12 hours at a stretch or sometimes even longer, how can nurses’ stomachs not be growling in protest?
Even those who eat heartily before a shift will begin to feel hunger pangs five or six hours down the line. So going without sustenance for extended periods of time on a daily basis will definitely take its toll on the stomach.
Bladder ready to burst
Foregoing bathroom breaks means
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Aching legs
And then there are the legs. More often than not, nurses are on their feet while on shift. The few times they get to sit down for some paperwork are often too short before they are up and running again. Walking back and forth down a long hospital corridor day in, day out is extremely taxing but part of the job. And the legs and feet, which bear a person’s weight, is most abused.
Varicose veins are nurses’ enemies. Cramping, too, can result from too much stress on the legs. If a nurse stops and leans on a wall briefly, it’s not just to catch their breath but also to take some pressure off their weary legs and feet.
The constant walking around is part and parcel of healthcare services. Hopefully, nurses get to put their feet up once they get home for some relief. But the missed meals and skipped bathroom breaks can be