OT vs. Nurse

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What could you do as a nurse that is different to an Occupational Therapist? Are there cross-overs in tasks? 

Specializes in Private Duty Pediatrics.
Mary3010 said:

Did you have any suggestions based off my previous post? Thank you!! ?

 

Mary3010 said:

It's more just wanting to know what I am getting into because as Hoosier mentioned it's not like on TV and because I'm not really well at the moment. 

Would you recommend areas such as radiology nursing, nurse educator, neonatal, paediatrics, mental health, urgent care, practice nurse etc. for more low-risk work?

I just mentioned teaching risks as an example (whether high/low risk). If you teach sport or just being on playground duty that's what I meant. Also the raising of your voice not necessarily in a class and particularly to older kids - it's just an example ☺️ 

Thank you so much everyone! 

Even neonatology can get dicey if the parents lose control. They are under a LOT of stress and may have unreasonable expectations. And as Hoosier said, mental health can mean dealing with violent patients. 

My advice would be to get the training and get a job as a nurse's aide (or nursing tech, or whatever they're called now.) Get some first-hand experience and get a feel for healthcare. 

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Hoosier_RN said:

A nurse educator is preferred to have nursing experience; mental health is anything but low risk, as patients can become violent in the blink of an eye. I know more than 1 nurse who has become permanently injured in the mental health setting. The other settings may be more suitable if you can find an opening, as some don't take new grads, and other openings are just location dependent 

Would that even include an outpatient mental health unit? Also, would you say that I'm better off going with one of those other settings if I'm wanting to not get inevitable injuries. 

 

Ktigier: It is common for parents to get violent in neonatal? I work in a paediatric ward at the moment but not as a nurse - would that be OK?

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Specializes in Dialysis.
Mary3010 said:

Would that even include an outpatient mental health unit? Also, would you say that I'm better off going with one of those other settings if I'm wanting to not get inevitable injuries. 

A mental health situation can escalate in any setting. It's more common inpatient,  but when some patients go off meds or "dose" themselves, it can be a recipe for disaster.

It sounds like you're wanting a perfectly defined job of no stress or physical risks. I'm sorry, that job isn't out there, especially guaranteed at entry level. I had many classmates (class of 80 students) that wanted OB and related on graduation. How many got those jobs? 3 out of the 80ish, and that was when there were jobs aplenty for new grads. Most still had to start at med surg, some of us ER or ICU, a handful to surgery or other. Read through the threads of new nurses on here, it'll give you a glimpse of what new nurses go through with the job search

 

Ktigier: It is common for parents to get violent in neonatal? I work in a paediatric ward at the moment but not as a nurse - would that be OK?

 

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Specializes in CRNA, Finally retired.
Mary3010 said:

It's more just wanting to know what I am getting into because as Hoosier mentioned it's not like on TV and because I'm not really well at the moment. 

Would you recommend areas such as radiology nursing, nurse educator, neonatal, paediatrics, mental health, urgent care, practice nurse etc. for more low-risk work?

I just mentioned teaching risks as an example (whether high/low risk). If you teach sport or just being on playground duty that's what I meant. Also the raising of your voice not necessarily in a class and particularly to older kids - it's just an example ☺️ 

Thank you so much everyone! 

You can cross radiology off right now:)  One has to wear heavy lead aprons most of the day.  When I worked in the cardiac ablation room for a whole shift I would crawl to my car believing that I'd lost two inches that day!  Look, the bottom line is that if you want to land a cushy job in nursing you will still have to get through nursing school.  And then you have to get some years of experience to get that physically cushy job because the competition is keen.  Have you thought about being a therapist or counselor?  A laboratory technologist (very much needed but you need some science skills)? Optometry technician?  There are loads of other opportunities out there that don't involve long hours and moving patients.  I don't know how many years you want to spend in college for you career.

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Hoosier: It's not that I want a job without risks because every job has them - it's more just wanting it to be more of a risk than it causing inevitable damage ? Even if some areas might not be given to new-grads, could they be less likely to cause these issues if I perused them? 

subee said:

Have you thought about being a therapist or counselor?  A laboratory technologist (very much needed but you need some science skills)? Optometry technician?  

I want to be able to educate and provide healthcare to support/improve people's physical and mental health in emergency or non-emergency situations (e.g. saving lives,  supporting general health needs, providing first aid etc). What areas could that fall under? 

Naturally I would assume having even basic knowledge/understanding of nutrition, exercise maybe to help rehabilitate, medication, scans, tests e.g. blood results etc. would need to be involved in that because it would be included in their care (not necessarily your specialty). 

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Specializes in Dialysis.
Mary3010 said:

Hoosier: It's not that I want a job without risks because every job has them - it's more just wanting it to be more of a risk than it causing inevitable damage ? Even if some areas might not be given to new-grads, could they be less likely to cause these issues if I perused them? 

I want to be able to educate and provide healthcare to support/improve people's physical and mental health in emergency or non-emergency situations (e.g. saving lives,  supporting general health needs, providing first aid etc). What areas could that fall under? 

Naturally I would assume having even basic knowledge/understanding of nutrition, exercise maybe to help rehabilitate, medication, scans, tests e.g. blood results etc. would need to be involved in that because it would be included in their care (not necessarily your specialty). 

I've supplied more than a few answers regarding physical risks. Getting a low risk job out of the gate without experience is going to be slim to none, but that is a risk you have to be willing to take, or pass on. Whether you choose to continue to pursue nursing, or any other field for that matter, is totally on you

To be a nurse educator you will need experience 

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Specializes in Emergency Department.

Nursing and PT/OT usually do very different jobs. Most RNs don't have the biomechanics background that is necessary to be good at doing PT/OT. I'm not saying that stuff can't be learned, clearly it can! What I am saying is that PT/OT involves a LOT more biomechanics, knowledge of neuromuscular physiology, and therapeutic modalities (there's quite a few, from various forms of e-stim to laser light therapies...) than is typically acquired by most RNs. I'm an RN that works in the ED. I have a background as a Paramedic and also as an Athletic Trainer (not the same as Personal Trainer). I can (and have) plan and execute an entire rehab plan from the moment of injury through return to play and that plan can be in place more than a year. I, therefore, do have a very similar educational background to PT/OT, though their education is a bit deeper in certain subject areas. None of that education was provided to me during nursing school. 

As an example, non-Rehab nurses might be quite amazed what an e-stim machine can be made to do... As far as physical work is concerned, PT and OT can very easily have physically demanding jobs that rival that of nursing. So if you're looking for a less physically demanding job than nursing, don't look too hard at PT or OT as those can be quite backbreaking. 

As far as the prerequisite coursework for PT/OT/Nursing, well it's usually very much similar if not identical as they're all healthcare related fields and all require knowledge of anatomy/physiology, Chemistry, and so-on. If you complete the prerequisites for one program, you've also done most (if not all) the prerequisites for the others. 

One difference for PT/OT vs Nursing is that PT/OT usually works only M-F, day shift, for 8 hours/day. Rehab usually isn't done in the evenings or at night because the patients are usually tired/exhausted by then so the rehab isn't going to be anywhere near as effective as it could be. In my personal experience, unless you're working with athletes, you're not going to have patients working HARD and doing "homework" that you give them to help with healing outside of your rehab sessions. As an Athletic Trainer, I was nicely spoiled in that I worked with people that were in the top 5-8% of human performance capability and had a drive to continue in their sport(s). You won't usually get that in the hospital/rehab clinic setting. 

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Specializes in Emergency Department.
Mary3010 said:

Hoosier: It's not that I want a job without risks because every job has them - it's more just wanting it to be more of a risk than it causing inevitable damage ? Even if some areas might not be given to new-grads, could they be less likely to cause these issues if I perused them? 

I want to be able to educate and provide healthcare to support/improve people's physical and mental health in emergency or non-emergency situations (e.g. saving lives,  supporting general health needs, providing first aid etc). What areas could that fall under? 

Naturally I would assume having even basic knowledge/understanding of nutrition, exercise maybe to help rehabilitate, medication, scans, tests e.g. blood results etc. would need to be involved in that because it would be included in their care (not necessarily your specialty). 

You're not going to find a single position that fills all those wants/desires simultaneously, in the depth with which you'd want to, at least not right out of nursing school (or any other school save PA/Physician school). Do I have the knowledge to do all of those things? Yes, in varying depth, but I didn't learn it from RN school and it wouldn't all be included in PT/OT school either. If one were to sum up all my education and experience, I have quite a bit of knowledge in A&P, Exercise Physiology, Biomechanics, Therapeutic Modalities, General and Sports Nutrition, Exercise/Rehab, Splinting/Bracing, Adaptive Phys ED, Sports Injury Management, emergency medical care (Paramedic/ED RN)... I don't use my Gen Psych or Adolescent Psych stuff as much as I used to. 

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Just to clarify to make sure that I have understood correctly...

*Low risk nursing jobs (e.g. paediatrics, practice nursing, nurse educator, other examples?) = won't result in inevitable injuries but may take longer to get into as a new nurse because of experience needed or just finding a position straight out.

*High risk nursing jobs (e.g. correctional health nurse, other examples?) = will most likely lead to inevitable injuries if you work in that area for too long but is easier to get into.  

akulahawkRN said:

You're not going to find a single position that fills all those wants/desires simultaneously, in the depth with which you'd want to, at least not right out of nursing school

What areas of work would my interests be aligned with? With the emergency focus that could be working in the ED. For general health it could be working as a practice nurse as an example (switching specialty if needed). 

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Specializes in Dialysis.
Mary3010 said:

Just to clarify to make sure that I have understood correctly...

*Low risk nursing jobs (e.g. paediatrics, practice nursing, nurse educator, other examples?) = won't result in inevitable injuries but may take longer to get into as a new nurse because of experience needed or just finding a position straight out.

*High risk nursing jobs (e.g. correctional health nurse, other examples?) = will most likely lead to inevitable injuries if you work in that area for too long but is easier to get into.  

What areas of work would my interests be aligned with? With the emergency focus that could be working in the ED. For general health it could be working as a practice nurse as an example (switching specialty if needed). 

The first part= correct

Second part= ER has some risks with moving and maneuvering patients, or psych patients/substance abuse

Practice nurses are generally LPN, if a nurse exists at all due to costs. Most Dr offices have MAs, and NPs who oversee notes. If a MD hires a RN, they are generally paid much less than other, more risky, areas of nursing. That's per my Dr as I asked a while back, as my health issues are starting to compound. She doesn't utilize RNs or LPNs at all due to added costs, all MAs (19) with 3 NPs and 8 MDs on staff

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akulahawkRN said:

You're not going to find a single position that fills all those wants/desires simultaneously, in the depth with which you'd want to, at least not right out of nursing school (or any other school save PA/Physician school). 

What areas of work would my interests be aligned with (based off my previous comments)? 
 

Hoosier -
*High risk = Most likely inevitable injuries 
*Low risk = won't result in inevitable injuries -        OK thanks! 

I know of a practice nurse that is an RN in a doctors office but maybe it's less pay like you say (I wouldn't mind though as long as I liked it). You poor thing, there's nothing worse! I'm not well myself so I know what it must feel like. Maybe try another practice and see what they say. Even if it's less pay your health is important. 

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Specializes in Dialysis.
Mary3010 said:

Maybe try another practice and see what they say. Even if it's less pay your health is important. 

I don't work in a Dr office, I went to dialysis 5+ years ago when my health started going downhill- age related. I get paid more than the hospital and LTCs. It works very well for my needs

Because of cost savings, most RNs in practices have been there some time. No new are being hired, those leaving aren't being replaced. At least how it's working in my area, and where my friends are. But everywhere is different. 

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