People in the medical profession may work in a number of different environments, including office settings. Hospitals provide some of the most stimulating and challenging work opportunities, as well as competitive compensation. For those who can accept the long shifts and intense demands of hospital work, pursuing a medical career at a hospital can lead to financial success and rapid career development.
However, those opportunities come with a cost. Hospitals are incredibly dangerous places to work, with hospital workers reporting higher rates of injury on the job than people in any other individual profession. What makes hospital work so dangerous?
1. The constant demands of patient care
According to injury data, almost half of all hospital worker injuries really to bodily reactions and overexertion. Workers throw out their backs or might sprain or strain a body part trying to lift or otherwise assist a patient. Especially in a medical emergency scenario, workers may not feel like they have the option of waiting for help or special equipment and could end up injuring themselves as a result.
2. The need for speed
Workers at hospitals may have to respond to call lights or other emergency notifications with little forewarning. They may find themselves running down the hall, which might result in a slip-and-fall. Slips, trips and falls are responsible for a significant percentage of worker injuries at hospitals. Moving rapidly through a hospital setting may also lead to accidental contact with objects, which is another way that workers get hurt in hospitals.
3. Combative patients
Maybe you work at a mental health facility and have someone withdrawing from an opioid addiction. They may become aggressive towards staff in their attempts to leave the facility or plead for the medication that they believe will alleviate their symptoms. On the other hand, perhaps you work in an emergency room and end up providing care for someone facing a rest by the police because of recent criminal activity.
From adverse reactions to medications administered in the facility to psychiatric issues, there are countless reasons why patients may unexpectedly become violent. Nearly one in 10 hospital workers injured on the job got hurt because of patient violence.
When someone working at a hospital understands how their job puts them at risk, they will be in a better position to protect themselves. Those who do get hurt on the job can at least depend on workers’ compensation benefits to cover their treatment costs and also lost wages during their recovery. Learning more about workers’ compensation benefits can help those recovering from a recent injury on the job.
