Bad back but want to be a nurse.

[bkep25]

I have had a microdiscectomy about 5 years ago and it has gone pretty well. I am currently working in retail and have just about had it with full commission sales. I would like to go to work and feel like what I do matters to someone. I'm curious if there are any nursing jobs that require less of the physical part of the job. A little would be ok. Thanks in advance for any advice or assistance, Brian.

[NurseCard, ADN]

There are quite a few jobs that you can get with an RN degree, that require less physical work.

Public Health

School Nurse

Pharmaceutical Sales

Case Management

Occupational Nurse

Also, I worked on a rather ROUGH psych unit for a year, and still really did very little physical work; mostly lots of paperwork and supervising and talking with doctors, and basically coordinating care. The only times I had to do anything physical was during crises, when patients would get out of hand and require physical handling. Even at those times though, there were usually plenty of other staffers to do the physical handling while I talked to the doctor on the phone and got meds and restraints ordered. Then I would be responsible for talking to the patient and deciding when he or she would be able to come out of the restraints, or out of seclusion or whatever. I was also pregnant during a good majority of the time that I worked there.

So, while some people would not recommend psych due to the physical handling of patients who are kicking and screaming during a crisis, or also due to the patients who can get physically violent at any time... in my opinion, it is do-able for an RN or even an LPN that has physical limitations. That's just my opinion though.

[casi, ASN, RN]

Even though there are some areas of nursing that require less back work, you still have to use your back throughout school.

If you want to be a nurse because you want to get into the helpping profession, there are 112 careers that let you help people without the back strain.

[ChristineN, BSN, RN]

I also am considering physical limitation's long term affects on my nursing career. I have an arthritic shoulder, that at times from moving pts, I've irritated it so bad I'm unable to rotate. While I'll do med-surg for a while, my ultimate goal to go to pediatrics, smaller pts, weigh less, not as much lifting (and plus I love the kids!).

[Faeriewand, ASN, RN]

I know someone that worked for the county working with the homeless mentally ill. The nurse stayed in the office while clients came in to get their meds. No lifting - no codes. A physically easy job with lots of other people around to help if anyone got out of hand (plus the employees were behind a barrier) a 9-5 job that paid well with great benefits and a retirement plus bennies for life. :)

A great job to get pre-nursing or while in nursing school that would be easy on the back is unit secretary. The ones I know sit at a desk and do computer work and make phone calls. But maybe the job is different in other places.

[ChristineN, BSN, RN]

A great job to get pre-nursing or while in nursing school that would be easy on the back is unit secretary. The ones I know sit at a desk and do computer work and make phone calls. But maybe the job is different in other places.

Another job that the OP could do while in school would be working as a 'sitter." No lifting, plus great opportunites to get homework done.