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What are the most common types of work injuries for nurses?

On Behalf of | Dec 6, 2022 | Workers' Compensation |

Nursing is a very dangerous and challenging profession. You have to attend years of school and then commit to continuing your education for as long as you maintain a state license. Depending on whether you work at a hospital, a doctor’s office or a nursing home, you may have to work very long shifts, as well as weekends and holidays despite wanting to spend those special times with your family.

There is also the stress that comes from working in a fast-paced, high-demand work environment where a simple mistake could potentially lead to someone dying. The reality is that registered nurses (RNs) and certified nursing assistants (CNAs) have a higher likelihood of getting hurt on the job than people in many other professions.

IMPORTANT: Nursing homes are notoriously difficult to deal with when nurses and nursing assistants get injured on the job. To get all the available workers’ compensation benefits, it’s important for nursing home staff to report their injuries right away. And be as detailed as possible with what exactly happened.

What are the most common injuries that nurses suffer on the job?

Strains, sprains and similar injuries

The need to provide physical support to a patient can frequently lead to a nurse overusing their body and getting injured as a result. According to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, almost half of all injuries reported by registered nurses involve overexertion or bodily reaction.

Most of those overexertion injuries will include sprains and strains, as well as back injuries caused by lifting someone who weighs too much for one person to lift without support.

Head injuries

The second leading cause of injuries for nurses is slips, trips or falls. The third leading cause of time-off requests due to injuries is accidental contact with objects. In both cases, a nurse could end up hitting their head when they fall or having an object strike their head, potentially leading to a brain injury.

Broken bones

When nurses fall or end up hurt by an object or piece of machinery in the workplace, broken bones are sometimes the outcome. Workplace violence is also a known cause of injuries for nurses, and the possible injuries include lacerations, bruises, broken bones and head injuries, among others.

Any of these injuries might qualify a nurse for workers’ compensation benefits both to cover their medical treatment and to replace wages until they return to work. Learning more about workers’ compensation benefits could help those injured while performing their job get benefits that will help them return to work.

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