What happens when nurses and physicians suffer work-related injuries while caring for their patients?
According to the CDC, healthcare is the second fastest growing sector of the U.S. economy. It is projected that there are over 12 million healthcare workers in America. Of these employees, nearly 80% are women.
Did you know that healthcare workers suffer musculoskeltal disorders or orthopaedic injuries more frequently then construction, mining, or manufacturing workers?
Common nursing and healthcare related job duties involve manual physical handling of patients and materials, as well as repetitive motions. Generally, nurses, orderlies, and aides’ jobs require heavy manual lifting associated with transferring, cleaning, or repositioning patients. As a result, nurses and other healthcare workers are prone to back, neck, and shoulder injuries.
Additionally, healthcare workers are commonly exposed to “needlestick” or syringe injuries, latex allergies, patient violence, occupational diseases, and depression. The rate of occupational or work-related injuries to healthcare workers rises every year given our increasing elder population and growing need for healthcare.
Annually, the direct and indirect costs associated with worker-related injuries in the healthcare industry are projected to exceed $20 billion. The nurses, aides, and orderlies suffer the highest rate of work-related injuries. As a result, many of these workers miss time from work as they are simply unable to physically perform the job duties.
Unfortunately, these dedicated healthcare professionals are commonly denied workers’ compensation benefits. At the Ramos Law Firm, we have represented healthcare workers ranging from physicians to nurses to hospital laundry workers who have been injured at work. Our lawyers are experienced with handling the unique balance between healthcare professions, healthcare facilities, and insurance companies.
If you are a physician, nurse, or any other healthcare worker who has been hurt at work, please contact me for your free and confidential consultation about your workers’ compensation benefits.