Chicago Medical Professional Injury Lawyers

Representing Injured Doctors, Nurses & Others

Each day on the job, a medical professional can expect high-pressure situations. Even routine care for a patient can be stressful because they know that the patient’s future wellbeing depends so much on how they are treated that day. After factoring in other hazards and elements – like exposure to contagious illnesses and long work hours – it is no surprise that a majority of workers’ compensation claims filed each year originate from the healthcare industry.

Are you a medical professional in Chicago who has been hurt on the job in one way or another? McHargue & Jones, LLC would be honored to help you make sense of your situation and find the best path to a comfortable recovery, just as you deserve. Our attorneys can help you create and file a workers’ compensation claim filed with the appropriate insurer, and we can also challenge a workers’ comp claim denial that might have already been sent to you. In any situation, we are here to make your life easier by managing your case thoroughly.

Arrange your free consultation! Just dial (312) 739-0000.

What Healthcare Professionals are Most Injured on the Job?

As mentioned, all work within the healthcare industry carries some inherent amount of risk. Which healthcare professionals face the most on-the-job dangers, though? Statistics from the United States Department of Labor – Bureau of Labor Statistics show that nurses tend to file more workers’ compensation claims than any other worker in healthcare. In fact, in 2020, registered nurses, nursing assistants, and in-home nurses reported nearly 20% of all on-the-job injuries when accounting for all industries.

Other than nurses, healthcare professionals who are at a higher risk of injury include:

• Caretakers
• Doctors
• Surgeons
• Pediatricians

What is the Most Common Healthcare Worker Injury?

How were you injured on the job? The answer might be important if the insurance company tries to deny your workers’ compensation claim. Let our team know what happened to you, and we can look into getting your claim moving as soon as possible.

Four of the most common injuries suffered by healthcare workers are:

• Occupational illness: In the average workday, a healthcare worker can encounter numerous patients with a variety of contagious illnesses. This risk was heightened in recent years due to the coronavirus pandemic. For medical professionals, occupational illnesses should be covered by workers’ compensation insurance, which basically means that they can get workers’ comp if they catch a serious illness directly due to their job duties.
• Back injury: Most medical professionals have to be on their feet throughout the day with little time for rest. Some healthcare workers even have to lift patients or move heavy equipment routinely. By the end of the day, they can start to feel back pain. As time goes on, the pain can worsen into a back injury that needs medical attention.
• Repetitive motion injury: Day-to-day activities in the medical field can add up to serious injuries. For example, typing on a keyboard to input patient data for long hours or even just using various hand instruments like pencils and forceps can lead to wrist pain or arthritis. Injuries that occur not all at once but instead gradually over weeks, months, or years are called repetitive motion injuries or repetitive strain injuries (RSI).
• Psychological trauma: It is not an easy feat to work with the ill and injured. When a patient is in a critical medical condition, it can be traumatic for medical professionals to witness their injuries or illnesses. If a medical professional develops a mental health difficulty like depression or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) due to their work, then psychological treatments and therapies might be covered by workers’ compensation.

Do You Tell Your Employer If You Get Hurt?

Many medical professionals feel confident in their own abilities to take care of themselves after a workplace injury. While this is admirable in a sense, it is not the right decision if you want to get workers’ compensation benefits. You should tell your employer as soon as you can after you are injured at work, or after suffering an injury or illness that you believe to be directly related to your work. Next, talk to our team.

Contact Our Firm Today – We Can Help

Our Chicago medical professional injury attorneys are standing by to help you with your workers’ compensation claim. We can work diligently to ensure you get the benefits you need without delay. If the insurer has already pushed back, then we will be ready to challenge them in and out of court. A settlement negotiation might be feasible for your case, too.

For more information, please call us at (312) 739-0000 today.