It’s difficult to imagine our health care facilities running like they do without nurses. The care you provide your patients as a nurse is an invaluable service to society. The hours may be long, but your work allows patients to remain comfortable on the road to recovery.
While someone outside of the field may not realize it but nursing is hard, physical work. Long hours on your feet and lifting patients takes a physical toll that many may not recognize.
Technological advancements could protect workers like you from the aches and pains of a hard day’s work. One such advancement is exoskeleton technology. Exoskeletons are wearable equipment that aid a certain part of a person’s body in performing certain tasks. These devices can support someone’s backs, shoulders, hips and other areas that can nurses can injure on the job.
One expert believes that these exoskeletons could reduce wear-and-tear injuries for nurses. Fewer injuries benefits both the worker and the company because employees miss less work and they file fewer workers’ compensation claims.
In the mean time
Yet, this technology is not commonplace. That means that your employer needs to ensure your safety on the job. This means allowing you take proper rest breaks and that you’ve received the proper safety training and equipment when performing tasks like lifting and moving patients.
If you’re injured on the job and miss work, you may qualify for benefits that will help you pay your bills. While technology to make nurses and other workers safer is on the way, we must ensure that you’re healthy for your life in and outside of the workplace.