When you work as a nurse, you have immediate access to help if you suffer a minor injury. Yet, many injuries cannot be solved with a band-aid or bandage. Some have long-term consequences that prevent you from working, perhaps for a short time — perhaps for life.
Working in a hospital also puts you at a higher risk of contracting a serious illness. Again these can have long-lasting consequences and cost a lot to treat.
Hospitals can be hazardous for nurses
The hospital administration is supposed to provide you with a safe working environment. Yet, due to the nature of your work, it can never be entirely risk-free. Here are a few of the common reasons nurses need to claim workers’ compensation benefits:
- Patients and public: You are in a customer-facing role, often with people who are upset, drunk or mentally ill. Some may try to harm you. Other times you might get hurt when caught up in the middle of an incident.
- Physical and mental exertion: Your job involves maneuvering people who are unable to move on their own. Doing this year upon year can lead to long-term back pain. Many nurses also suffer from mental health issues due to the continuous stress of the position.
- Contagion: Hospitals are full of sick people, and many of the diseases they have are contagious.
- Sharps injuries: Syringes and scalpels carry serious risks, yet they are a necessary tool of the trade.
Whether injured or ill, being unable to work may require you to claim workers’ compensation benefits. You do not need to prove someone did something wrong to make a claim. However, you need to demonstrate how the disease or injury affects your life and stops you from doing your job. A successful and promptly paid claim is more likely if you have experienced legal help as you proceed.
