Those that work in an acute care or medical rehabilitation hospitals such as doctors, nurses, caretakers and other staff provide a great service to the patients they look after and heal. This can be an extremely rewarding career path because of all the people these workers are able to help.
However, these dedicated medical staff are exposed to a potentially dangerous work environment everyday. Acute injuries from slip and falls or patient attacks as well as repetitive stress injuries from moving, lifting, and restraining patients are possible. Stress and exhaustion from being overworked are also common because many medical facilities are understaffed and over occupied. Nurses and caretakers are often expected to be responsible for more patients than they can adequately manage.
Common Injuries Suffered by Nurses and Other Medical Workers
According to the National Public Radio, nursing employees suffer more serious back and other body injuries than nearly any other occupation. The majority of these injuries are caused by lifting and moving patients, a task that medical employees often complete thousands of times each day. Injury and back strain can result even when using proper lifting techniques taught to hospital staff as a preventative measure. Other common work-related injuries in the healthcare industry include:
- Back strain from lifting and moving patients
- Injury from slip and falls
- Attacks by irrational or medicated patients
- Bodily injury from restraining patients
- Stress and exhaustion from being overworked
Nurses and Medical Staff Deserve Compensation for Work-Related Injuries
As a medical health worker, you are probably in the field because you want to help others. You may even be so dedicated to your patients that you seek to heal others before taking care of yourself. This is an admirable and selfless devotion. However, you must remember the importance of your own body. A healthy body free of injury is essential to effectively perform the job duties that help others. If you are seriously injured while working at a hospital, it is recommended to always report the injury and remember that you deserve compensation. You can receive benefits for lost wages and medical expenses while you take the time to rest and properly heal your injury.
A New Jersey Lawyer Can Help You Win Your Workers’ Compensation Case
It is important to note that the workers’ compensation process is not always the easiest and professional assistance will greatly reduce the burden.
As per New Jersey’s state workers’ compensation laws, employers are required to provide benefits for medical costs and lost wages due to any work-related injuries.
However, as hard as it may be to believe, some employers will work hard to build a case that disproves the injury is work-related. They may try to argue that you received the injury outside of the workplace and are simply trying to wrongfully earn benefits from workers’ compensation.
While you may think your employer will always have your back, their insurance company and lawyer often do not. These people are tricky and may resort to sneaky tactics in order to save the company money. Even if the medical report supports the claim that you were injured at work, lawyers may find a way to discredit such report.
Once you are injured for an extended period of time, an employer can legally declare you unfit to work and terminate your position, without awarding you any workers’ compensation benefits. Don’t let this happen to you. If you are injured working in a hospital or the healthcare industry, you deserve compensation.
A skilled lawyer will gather evidence and develop a case to prove that your injury is work-related. Experienced lawyers will have the most knowledge of insurance company tactics and how to best negotiate with them.
Contact the Hayes Firm today to find a reliable, local workers’ compensation lawyer in New Jersey. We will review your case and advise the best course of action. If we believe you would benefit from an attorney, we will connect you with one completely free. All of the lawyers in our network are experienced, skilled, and knowledgeable of workers’ compensation laws in New Jersey.
Hospitals in New Jersey
If you suffered a work-related injury at any of the following (or any other) hospital in New Jersey, you may deserve appropriate compensation. Review a list of NJ hospitals here.