Do nurses face dangerous injury risks?

Registered nurses find themselves dealing with a demanding job. Hospitals and other healthcare facilities in Missouri could become hectic environments, and there might be several patients requiring care at once. Stress isn’t the only thing a nurse may deal with, as the chance for physical injuries looms. Even experienced nurses may need to be mindful of common hazards in the profession.

Nursing and injuries

A registered nurse might perform a dangerous job that is more physical than the average person realizes. Patients often require lifting, either because they fell or need to go into a gurney or wheelchair, and more. Nurses may lift equipment and other objects, too. No matter what someone lifts, the chance for an injury or exists. Whether acute or cumulative, back and other injuries may require significant downtime to heal. Sprains and strains rank among the most common injuries nurses face.

Slips and falls could happen for any reason. Tripping over something left on the floor or slipping on a wet surface are two of many examples. Falls may lead to terrible injuries, which makes their unexpected nature so jarring.

Illnesses may be unavoidable for registered nurses. After all, the nurses find themselves working around people who are sick. Patients with contagious conditions may pass on viruses, colds, and the like. A nurse might become ill and suffer pneumonia or another frightening malady.

Unexpected and dangerous problems

Patients could become uncontrollable and physical incidents may take place. A nurse might suffer an injury after an altercation, one that may be far worse than a slip-and-fall accident.

Nurses might suffer punctures from hypodermic needles, opening potential exposures to severe illnesses. Such things may not necessarily be common injuries, but they can occur.

Even traveling to work comes with concerns. A nurse that works the late shift may enter into a dark parking lot outside an emergency room. Low light situations in an environment where worried, stressed drivers operate vehicles while distracted can result in accidents.

Nurses injured on the job could seek workers’ compensation benefits. An attorney may assist a nurse with filing for such claims.