If you work as a nurse or in a similar role as a caretaker to others, then you might find the tables turned. Workplace injuries and illnesses often necessitate time off work for those working in settings such as hospitals and care homes. Some never manage to go back.
Here are some of the issues you could face.
1. Being attacked
You have likely seen patients who are drunk or high on drugs. They may not be keen on being there either. This can often lead to the nurses and doctors who are trying to help them getting attacked by the very patients they are trying to help.
Injuries can happen without any intent of malice, too, such as if a drunk or unsteady patient falls over and knocks you down with them, or if someone scared of needles jumps up and accidentally knocks the needle into your skin. At other times, staff get injured while trying to prevent fights that break out between patients or those who visit them.
2. Lifting and bending injuries
If you make a lot of beds or move a lot of patients, your back can feel wrecked at the end of the shift. Do this day after day for long enough, and you could find yourself with long-term pain. Patients can be difficult to lift, and sometimes you need to move fast due to an emergency, meaning staff often move patients without adequate help or without being able to assume an ideal lifting position. Even one bad lift could cause you long-term injury
3. Infectious diseases
One reason many people go into the hospital is because of a disease they picked up. As someone working in proximity to them, there is a chance they pass it onto you, either through the air, surfaces or bodily fluids, depending on the particular disease.
It can sometimes feel hard to take time off work when you know some patients need you. However, taking the rest and recovery you need increases the chance you can return to helping people sooner if you wish to. Receiving adequate workers’ compensation could be crucial to making this happen, and you may want legal guidance to pursue it.