Recently I placed a nurse on lifting restrictions due to a work-related back injury. The supervisor would not allow her to return to work, stating that lifting restrictions were not allowed at all for nursing staff. After she started to improve, I moved the restrictions up so that they matched the maximum required lifting in the job description. Still, the supervision refused to let the nurse RTW.

 

When I discussed this with supervision, the response was that all nursing staff must be able to assist/catch a patient who is falling. I certainly understand this line of reasoning, but it is not consistent with the published job description by which we assess fitness for duty upon hire, which is occasional lifting of up to 100 pounds and frequent lifting up to 50 pounds.

 

Has anyone else experienced this? Is there a nursing standard that I am not aware of that would help support supervision’s position? Without some other official reference, my opinion is that supervision is heading down a road in which no one could actually be physically qualified!

 

I would welcome your input/opinions!

 

David