Healthcare worker injuries on the job

Moving patients is one of the hardest parts of healthcare work. Helping someone from a bed to a chair, turning a patient or catching someone who starts to fall can strain the back, shoulders and neck. Some injuries happen in a single moment, like a herniated disc, while others build over many shifts.

Hospitals and clinics have slick floors from spills and cleaning, stairs, and icy parking lots in winter. Staff push heavy carts, beds and equipment. Long shifts on hard floors wear on the feet. Needlesticks, exposure to body fluids and infections are part of the risk, and so is violence from patients or visitors.

Shifts often run long and overnight, and short staffing can make people skip breaks or lift without help. Many hospitals have an employee health office that handles injuries and exposures. Some workers come through a staffing agency or float between units, which can affect who handles the claim.

Most facilities have both an internal incident report and a workers' comp report. Ask employee health or human resources which forms you need and get copies. If you are an agency or travel worker, report to the facility and to your agency.

Deadlines to report and file vary by state. Check with your state's workers' compensation agency as soon as possible. For back pain that built up over time, write down when it started and which tasks make it worse.

Keep your schedule, unit assignment, staffing notes if you have them, injury report and medical records in one place. Write down every call with the employer and the adjuster.

It can feel strange to be the patient, but get checked by a licensed clinician rather than treating yourself or asking a coworker for a quick look. Tell them it happened at work.

Many facilities ask staff to start with employee health or a specific clinic, and some states have rules about which provider you see first. Ask your employer or the adjuster. A clinician decides what care is appropriate after an evaluation.

Ask how work-injury prescriptions are handled. Many can be filled at a local pharmacy, and some can be delivered to your home, which helps after a night shift.

Follow the care plan and keep appointments, even when your schedule is tight. Tell your clinician exactly what patient care tasks your job involves.

Healthcare employers sometimes offer modified duty, such as charting, phone triage, education or a unit with fewer lifts. Get any offer in writing and share it with your doctor.

Coming back after an assault or a serious exposure can be stressful. Talking with a clinician about how you feel is part of recovery. If you ever have thoughts of harming yourself, call or text 988.