nursing with a hurt back

[dmaier11]

Hey whats up all, Im new.

Okay so I hurt my back when I was a junior in highschool. Herniated discs - 1mm bulge in L1 disc, and a 5mm bulge in L5/S1 disc.

I still played football and soccer when I was a senior, I love to work out and do adventurous stuff. In the immediate future, i plan to do SCUBA, be in army ROTC, do karate, and stay athletic. my back bothers me occasionally, but i pretty much just suck it up.

my question is, do you think i would have a really hard time as a nurse, like say in the OR or ER? (mind you im the "tough it out" type)

my other career interest is the army, so maybe army nursing?

thanks,
D

[nursinghumor]

Lower back injuries are the #1 cause of disability among nurses. Once your back goes, for most nurses your career is over.

Watch your back, NurseWeek:"One out of 10 serious work-related back injuries involves nursing personnel, and about 12 percent of nurses leave the profession because of back injuries. But some injuries are preventable, and nurses can avoid them if they take precautions."
http://www.nurseweek.com/news/features/01-01/back.asp

To go into a field that you know is going to be hard on your back is asking for trouble in my opinion.

It doesn't matter where you work, as long as you are doing direct patient care, there is usually heavy lifting involved.

I'd go into something that won't potentially "break your back." All it takes is one wrong turn, slip, fall and you're history.

That's my two cents.

Andrew Lopez, RN
http://www.nursinga2z.com