Which nursing specialty or position is the most physically demanding?

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About to start nursing school and just exploring different specialties and wondering which of them is the hardest and most challenging physically.

Thanks

Josh

Specializes in Med Surg.
I guess I need to clarify my post. I work ortho/neuro/medsurg. We get a little bit of everything including traumas, TKA/THAs, CVAs, diabetic foot ulcers, GI stuff. I mean everything!! Lol It's hard. I always wake up sore the next day.

Do we work together, lol? That sounds like my floor. Take away the CVAs ( ours go to the unit or step down) and add in the urology patients, with their CBIs, and that's my floor. Craziness, but I love it. I used to work a very physically demanding job (non nursing) and there are many nights where I go home feeling like I did at that job.

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Specializes in Orthopedics, Urology, Med-Surg.

i agree, ortho!! i work ortho/urology/med-surg. its a rough floor.

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Specializes in Psych, Maternity, ER, Ortho.
Why ortho beeker?

I worked on an ortho floor that was doing 10-15 joint replacements weekly. Mostly hips and knees. Many of the patients are overweight/obese. These people need help changing, getting those (evil!) ted hose on, going to the bathroom, walking to therapy. Imagine group therapy sessions in the morning with 10-15 people all needing help getting up to a walker and walking to group therapy.

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Just being a nurse is physically demanding and exhausting. People are so obese today and neither they nor their families will assist with hardly any of their care. The mindset is the nurse is there to wait on them hand and foot when they could and should do things for themselves. A real shame!

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Specializes in Critical Care.

Almost all bedside nursing is physically straining! LoL, Try clinic nursing, maybe psyche but then you are at an increased risk of violence/physical injury! Management, case management, insurance nursing and maybe home health are pretty plush for your back! Good luck!

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Specializes in Critical Care.
Why ortho beeker?

I like your hedgehog! Very cute!

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Specializes in Everything.

Harden up............you lot :)

Try heavy stroke rehab nursing - physical absolutely, no gym membership needed ............ ever.

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Being a wound/treatment nurse in LTC! Holding peoples legs up and bending at weird angles to apply dressings *kills* your back. Ever have to apply a dressing to the bottom of a heel on a 400lb pt? Imagine doing stuff like that for eight hours....
ugh we get pts like that in med surg all the time. obviously some with multiple wounds that take 20-60mind to dress properly. we end up needing a few prople just to help hold the pt in position or hold the leg up or pannus..........
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Specializes in critical care, Med-Surg.

Well, how about this one?

The BURN UNIT. I have worked med surg, every kind of adult ICU, step down, but OMG, do NOT send me to the burn unit!!

HOT HOT gowns and masks, several hrs long drsg changes, highly traumatized pts and families with v long therapy...

My hat is off to burn nurses!

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Specializes in ICU.

I'd have to go with rehab, especially neuro and ortho. Hats off to those of you who can do it!!!

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Specializes in Rehab, critical care.

ICU. Especially when many of the patients are not only total care, but they're obese or morbidly obese on top of it. Lots of lifting all day or night long. And, we also get many of the patients with psych issues that have medical issues, so we have them working against us.

Ortho would also be one, too; worked in rehab, and you help lift them up to the chair, to the bathroom, etc. Lots of transferring. Who needs hip and knee replacements? Typically overweight people (but not always; sometimes it's construction workers, nurses lol of normal weight range), so heavy lifting.

Those would be my picks for the top areas. :)

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Well, how about this one?

The BURN UNIT. I have worked med surg, every kind of adult ICU, step down, but OMG, do NOT send me to the burn unit!!

HOT HOT gowns and masks, several hrs long drsg changes, highly traumatized pts and families with v long therapy...

My hat is off to burn nurses!

I'm a nursing student, but my hate goes off to them too. I could NEVER handle the burn unit. I actually faint at the sight of third degree burns. ._. Full body charring? Worst thing that could ever happen to someone in my honest opinion.

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