Evansville · Guide

Twelve hour shifts on hard floors, and the patient handling in between

Health care is among the largest employers in this region, and floor work is genuinely physical: twelve hour shifts, hard floors, and patient handling that happens at whatever moment it happens, in whatever position the room allows.

The floors are half of it

Twelve hours mostly standing and walking on hard flooring, with no real sit down, is a load in itself. It is also the part people never count, because it does not feel like the hard part of the shift.

• Shoes matter more here than almost anywhere. Replace them on a schedule rather than when they fall apart.
• Sit properly when you get the chance, rather than perching.
• Use the breaks. The shift will absorb every minute you offer it.

Handling is where the injuries are

Moving a person is an unpredictable load that can change mid movement, usually in a confined space, often in a hurry. That is the highest risk activity in the building.

• Use the equipment even when it is slower. Especially when it is slower.
• Get a second person. The time cost is real and it is smaller than the alternative.
• Set your feet before you take the weight, and move your feet to turn rather than twisting under load.

Nights

Night shifts ask a body to work when it expects to repair, and daytime sleep does not fully replace it. The same workload genuinely hurts more. That is not weakness.

When it is worth talking to somebody

Aching after a run of shifts that clears on days off is the job. Worth a conversation with a qualified provider: pain present when you wake before a shift, anything travelling down an arm or leg, numbness or tingling, or weakness in a hand or foot.

Report handling injuries through your employer's process as well. This is a free public resource, not occupational health.

Top Local Chiropractors is a free local resource. We are not a healthcare provider and nothing here is medical advice. See our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service.