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A nursing career places unique and challenging demands on the body - 10k+ daily steps on hard flooring, hours spent staring at screens, and maybe a couple of unanticipated, emergency transitions or lifts (or a regular occurrence in ER or ICU).
But being physically active at work doesnât automatically translate to a pain free, capable and reliable body that can carry you through your nursing career.
Did you know that the musculoskeletal demands of nursing are so unique that even activities like Pilates, gym routines, and sports training donât guarantee youâre building a body that buffers against the demands of your career?
(Especially if you grew up sitting at a desk and not on a farm or ranch.)
Your body deserves the same deliberate care you provide to others. If you donât take care of you, then how can you take care of others?
The problem is: Where do you even start? How can you be sure youâre headed in the right direction? And can it take as little time out of your busy day as possible?
Denise Rouleau and Mark Stefanishyn are co-founders of Rouleau and pioneers in the field of Orthopedic Longevity: the art and science of ensuring modern human bodies in a sedentary world stay capable, pain free and independent into their 80s and beyond. They turn âworkplace wellnessâ into career preservation.
In an increasingly sedentary and screen based world, dysfunction and pain have become the norm and everything is blamed on âagingâ. But Rouleau observes that the body gets better when you do the right things - no matter how long its been or how deep the hole.
Come join us for what is sure to be an inspiring, uplifting and paradigm breaking conversation (and maybe bring a question or two for our guests).
Nursing asks a lot from bodies that modern life does very little to prepare.
A single shift can combine 10,000 steps on hard floors, hours of charting, repeated patient repositioning, awkward transfers, and sudden moments when you need strength immediately.
Your body can go from zero to sixty, sometimes ten times in a shift.
That workload can exhaust the body, but exhaustion is not the same as preparation.
Across a nursing career, the cost can show up as persistent pain, recurring injuries, slower recovery, modified duties, or having less energy for the people and experiences waiting at home.
âEveryone has somethingâ should not be the expected outcome of caring for others.
Rouleau is identifying Alberta nurses who may be a fit for a nurse-centric Orthopedic Longevity research project.
We want to formally explore whether specialized movement education can help nurses eliminate workplace-induced aches and pains, reduce injury, recover more effectively, and remain capable throughout their careers.
Most nurses are left to guess: more stretching, a harder workout, better shoes, or another treatment.
Rouleau starts somewhere more useful: with what nursing actually asks your body to do.
We examine the professionâs complete physical demand signature, including prolonged charting, thousands of daily steps, repetitive bedside work, patient handling, emergency force, fatigue, and the transition back into life outside work.
Then we teach nurses how to feel, organize, and improve their bodies so their daily movements begin building capacity instead of continually consuming it.
This is how workplace wellness becomes career preservation.
You may be a strong fit if:
Rouleau is an Edmonton-developed movement education company pioneering Orthopedic Longevity: the art and science of helping modern bodies stay capable, pain free, and independent into their eighties and beyond.
Watch the video above to learn more about how we can help you and the research collaboration we are building.
You provide deliberate care to other people every day. Your body deserves that same level of attention.
Early candidates will be invited into Rouleau classes, workshops, pilot series, and future measured research opportunities.
Enter your email to join the Built to Care candidate list and be among the first to hear what develops.
