Do any type of nurse practitioners have to deal with a lot of blood or do any of the dirty work?

Are the types of NP's always on their feet, do they have to deal with lots of blood, body fluids, etc., and do they have to have a lot of energy-emotionally and physically- I have heard so many things. Do NP's have to change dressings, see vomit, and do the so-called "dirty work", etc. I am sure the job is stressful, but to what extent? Any feedback would be appreciated on the field. Do you all think any other health care professions would be better such as physical and occupational therapists, physician's assistant,etc? If so, why? If not, why? Thanks.

When you consider what a nurse practitioner does, and what they see; just think about what you have seen physicians in the same specialty doing, they after all, do mostly the same job duties. A Family Nurse Practitioner sees patients just like the Family Practice physician does. Sometimes someone comes in needing stitches (but usually they go to the ER). Some nauseated patients vomit...how many physicians do you see cleaning up the vomit, or dealing with it at all? They normally ask the MA to help the patient with an emesis basin, and to clean up the room and move the patient to a clean room. The Physician or NP would move on, their time is better spent diagnosing and prescribing, than doing the scut work. If the NP is in a surgical clinic, then they will probably look at post operative wounds, some might apply a new dressing, others might ask the MA to put on a new dressing, just as a physician in the same situation would. Some NPs and physicians give their own injections or draw blood, others leave it to others.

In most cases it depends on how good your support staff is and how busy the clinic is.

I had one day I saw 10 patients, I did everything for each one, and spent a lot of time talking to each. I had another day, during a severe influenza outbreak (when 10 of the other providers were out sick) when I ended up seeing over 90 patients in the 24 hours. That day if a person had sneezed I would have had the MA say "God Bless You".

Physician assistants perform much the same tasks as NPs in the same environment. But PAs are more often seen in ERs and ORs due to a difference in the focus of their education. Where, while some NPs work in ERs and ORs, most are in outpatient health settings where they can work with education and wellness, which are key points in NP practice.

Physical and occupational therapist, can have work without much mess, but at the same time, they are often used in rehabilitation and wound care settings where dressing changes are performed by the therapist, and there are physical medicine techniques which require much more patient contact. Additionally, the same nauseated patients, freqently need PT or OT and vomit in the therapy clinic.

The amount NPs are on their feet will vary with the job. I had one position where I had exam rooms which branched off my office, and I was able to sit to write up each clinic visit and any prescriptions, I had another where I had a huge beautiful mahogany and marble paneled office where I spent half the day counseling patients, and I had one position where I would enter the clinic at 8:30 in the morning, I had a flat surface to set my coffee on, and I never sat until I finished for the day (usually after 7pm). At the last position, on a few days someone would set up a table where the NPs and physicians could grab some food while standing, between patients. I now never stand much, most of my day is spent at a desk or sitting beside a patient. It is all position dependent.

Some days are emotionally draining, like when you have to tell the patient that the studies show a condition which you can't really control and will probably end their life or at least leave them disabled. I have had days where I have seen 4 people die in the ER the same day. I worked with organ harvesting and transplantation, and had to talk to the families of the donors. There are many stressful occupations in health care. But for every bad situation, I have had 1000s where people have been helped and appreciated what I have done.

Stress is a part of any health care profession. Some days are more or less stressful, and some occupations have more stressful days than others. We all get our satisfaction and rewards in different ways.

I think it depends on the field. I saw a nurse practitioner for antidepresants at Chain Pysch Clinic. It was very much an "office" job for her.

No dressings, no shots, no blood... but I'm sure there was some of that in *SCHOOL*...

If you are just looking to get paid without the guts, try pharm sales.