To expect a Nurse lead by example?

[shouldacoulda]

And practice what they preach.
Have just clocked the overweight nurse that did my recent health check, smoking like a chimney and munching on a chocolate bar!

This is somebody who sat there and lectured me on cutting down on carbs, eating oily fish once a week, not smoking and to drink in moderation.
It's a bit rich!

We expect fitness trainers to be fit and lead healthy lifestyles.
So, surely somebody who's job it is to advice people on healthy lifestyle choices should also be fairly fit, of a decent weight and not be puffing away like a chimney.
How can we take their advice seriously otherwise?

Or am I being unreasonable? (I know they work long hours and there's a lot of stress), but surely the ones that are doing the health checks and doling out 'healthy living advice' should be an advertisement for what they're saying?

These pesky nurses. They need their teeth wired together and a broom shoved up their backsides

Disclaimer: I'm an overweight nurse, but I do a mean enema

Don't forget a lot of us are ticking boxes so the GPs can obtain QOF points to reach their targets
Exercise, diet, lifestyle, smoking status. The records need updating regularly.
If patients are interested I welcome the opportunity to discuss, if not I tend to gloss over. People mostly make changes when they want to, not because we tell them.

Still awaiting an answer to my question about whether mental health nurses should have perfect mental health always.. or would they appear inauthentic and diminished in credibility in the OPs eyes?

First sign of madness - talking to yourself Phantom

I don't think phantom is the mad as a bag of cats sounding one here

I am a nurse. I am fat. Frankly YABU. What I do in my own time (provided its legal) is my own sodding business.

It is advice, given to you a grown up. You can decide what to do with it. Follow it, or ignore it. Fwiw I also have a qualification in nutrition. I know full well what has to be done I just don't do it (no idea why). Parents are supposed to be examples for their children, maybe overweight parents should have their children taken away?

Should employees of Tesco be forced to do all their shopping there? No. Same thing.

I'm not talking to myself- you just responded .

Judging by some of the responses, there must be a LOT of overweight, unhealthy nurses around.
That is quite worrying

Nurses are very often criticized and judged by both the public and the media (as are teachers). I can think of no other profession where it would be acceptable to mention a person's weight. Criticism of nurses and the bus appears to be almost a national sport these days.

Realamandaclark

But the fact remains that ppl are less likely to consider changing their behaviour in a healthy direction if the person telling them to do so is clearly not following their own advice

this is ALL I'm trying to say also.
Truth must hurt.

nhs not bus

Shoulda, you should want to look after your own health. You are an ADULT and its your own responsibility. I won't because you don't ? Really.............

the healthy lifestyle message is heard more clearly when it's from the lips of someone who follows (or at least appears to follow) the same path

I'm guessing you've never had a problem with weight problems.

That's why support groups of those babbling the same issues are most effective. Why addicts make the best people to go round schools educating chideen on the dangers of drugs.

I'm sorry, but you don't sound like you got much of a clue tbh!

As a HCP, I do feel hypocritical if I give some advise to people that I am completely unable to do myself.

I'm not talking about being overweight or unhealthy etc. But if I say to my patient that really he/she should do a strict diet and cut all crabs until he/she has lost 3 stones when I should do exactly that but don't actually manage to do it myself, then yes I would feel very hypocritical. So That's not what I say. I explain them why it would be better fro them to loose weight. What would be considered to be good and how they might want to do it.
But NOT as an 'order' that they have to do iyswim

Nurses are very often criticized and judged by both the public and the media (as are teachers). I can think of no other profession where it would be acceptable to mention a person's weight. Criticism of nurses and the bus appears to be almost a national sport these days.

PunkrockerGirl, do you not think that the reason we want nurses, teachers and other professionals to 'set an example' in the first place, is because we 'value' them?

I wouldn't want somebody to set an example or set a standard if I didn't look up to them and admire what they do.

(I think people are missing the point completely if they think I'm critisizing what nurses do in general).

OP. How about taking some responsibility for your own actions/lifestyle choices. If you took professional financial advice, would you demand to know the advisor's personal financial details? Of course not. But because it's a nurse its fine to launch personal, judgemental attacks.

Yawn.... judgemental.

Ho is it a personal? People that can't read a topic without taking it 'personally' show immaturity.

This is actually you getting your kicks out of sneering at someone else you believe to be beneath you. Well done you for passing your health check, do you think you could possibly just feel pleased/relieved about that rather than needing to put someone else down?

FWIW my sister's a nurse, most shifts she barely has time to pee, let alone grab something to eat. So after a 12 hr shift, plus overtime to finish the endless paperwork (up to 52 different forms just to admit someone) she's ravenous and often does turn to quick and easy junk food. Hence she's a bit overweight. If you worked as hard as her, and had no breaks and were unable to eat for 12 hours, and worked nightshifts (which fuck up your metabolism) you might find it a tad harder to be Little Miss Perfect. Luckily for you if you ever do get ill, you might be looked after by someone like my sister, who is damn good at her job.

Wow, edam - you have a nursein the family?

Guess what - I have 3! And they all work really hard as well!

But unlike you - I am able to have a debate on MN without resorting to the childish behaviour of taking things personally.

LittleMissPerfect hmmm that would make a very good username. thanks.

Shoulda, who said I was taking it personally? I was using my sister as an example since you seemed clueless about what nurses actually do. Which is to use their professional skill, judgement and training to care for patients and offer them health advice as appropriate. Not to make Slimmer of the Year.

You seem very chippy, is something wrong?

Nothing wrong.
I'm entitled to an opinion.
And I still think that if somebody is doling out healthy living advice, then a patient is more like to take that advicce on board, if they can see that the person dishing it out is taking reasonable care of themselves.

And if you can't listen to another person's opinion without reacting like a rat's crawled up your arse, then you're the one with the problem. :)

How old are you op?

Now, I'm taking my little miss perfect ass off to bed. Feel free to carry on being offended and put down.

Nighty night.

So disagreeing with you is deserving of crude insults, is it? You might want to take a look at the Talk guidelines sometime.