Reading Skills for Healthcare Workers

One of the many things Emma does in her job as a nursing assistant is to move patients. Sometimes she just pushes their wheelchairs, but many times she lifts the patients. Patients might need to move from their bed to a chair or a chair to a wheelchair. Emma needs to be sure the patients she moves are safe. And Emma needs to make sure she doesn’t hurt herself either.

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Before she even starts, Emma makes sure she has a plan. If the patient is too heavy for Emma to move by herself, she asks for help. She makes sure she knows where she is going to move the patient and how she is going to move the patient. Having a plan reduces the possibility of hurting the patient or herself.

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Emma is very aware of how she holds her body when she is lifting. She keeps her spine as straight as she can. She tries to keep her head and neck in line with her spine as well. Instead of bending at her back, Emma bends her knees before she lifts. This puts less strain on her spine. When Emma is lifting patients, she holds them close to her body. When Emma’s arms are close in, she is steadier. Another thing Emma does to keep her balance is to stand with her feet shoulder-width apart. This way she can keep her feet solid on the ground.

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Emma has good lifting skills. She needs them. They keep her patients safe and keep Emma from having injuries herself.