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Nursing
Contact the Respiratory Therapy Program
- Center for Health Professions, 2046
 - (479) 619-4252
 - respiratorytherapy@nwacc.edu
 - M-Th, 8:00 am - 5:00 pm
Friday, 8:00 am - 4:00 pm 
Physical Demands
Careers within the field of nursing and health care can be physically demanding and require a variety of functional abilities.
The following are some physical requirements asked of registered nurses.
- Move within confined spaces
 - Maintain balance in multiple positions
 - Reach above shoulders/overhead (IV poles, monitors, etc.)
 - Reach below the waist (electrical plugs, etc.)
 - Reach in front (assist patient with arms out)
 
- Pick up objects with hands
 - Grasp small objects with hands (IV tubing, pencils, electrode patches, etc.)
 - Write with pen
 - Use computer (type)
 - Pinch/pick or otherwise work with fingers (use syringe, etc.)
 - Twist at waist
 - Twist wrists/hands (turn objects/knobs using hands)
 - Squeeze with fingers (eye droppers, bulb syringes, ear bulb, etc.)
 
Endurance:
- Walk long distances (transfer patient, etc.)
 - Stand (at patient's side during surgery or therapeutic procedure, etc.)
 - Sustain repetitive movement (CPR compressions, bagging, etc.)
 - Maintain physical tolerance (stand/walk/work on your feet for 8-12 hours at a time with minimal breaks)
 
Strength:
- Push and pull 50 pounds (position patient, move equipment, etc.)
 - Support 50 pounds of weight (ambulate patient, assist to bedside toilet, etc.)
 - Lift 50 pounds (pick up a child, transfer a patient, etc.)
 - Carry equipment/supplies
 - Use upper body strength (CPR, physically restrain patient, etc.)
 - Squeeze with hands (operate fire extinguisher)
 
Mobility:
- Twist
 - Bend
 - Stoop/squat
 - Move quickly (respond to emergency)
 - Climb stairs
 - Walk
 - Stand
 
Hearing:
- Hear normal speaking level sounds (person-to-person)
 - Hear faint voices
 - Hear faint body sounds (blood pressures, lung sounds, heart sounds, placement of tubes)
 - Hear in situations when not able to see mouth (when masks are being used)
 - Hear alarms (monitors, fire alarms, code alarms, call light)
 
Visual:
- See information up to 24 inches away (monitors, computer screens, skin conditions)
 - See objects up to 20 feet away (patient in room)
 - Use depth perception
 - Use of peripheral vision
 - Distinguish color and color intensity (flushed, as colored, or pale skin, color of labels)
 
Textile:
- Feel vibrations (pulses)
 - Detect temperature (temperature of skin, IV solutions, etc.)
 - Feel differences in characteristics of skin (rash, turgor, etc.)
 - Feel difference in sizes, shapes (palpate veins, body landmarks)
 - Detect environmental temperatures
 
Smell:
- Detect odors (drainage, alcohol, smoke, gasses, etc.)
 
Environment:
- Tolerate strong soaps
 - Tolerate strong odors
 - Tolerate disturbing sounds (vomiting, diarrhea, coughing from trach)
 
Reading:
- Read and understand written documents (charts, orders, flow sheets, graphics)
 - Read digital displays
 
Math:
- Comprehend and interpret graphic trends
 - Calibrate equipment
 - Convert to and from metric system, apothecaries' and American system (dosage calculations)
 - Tell time
 - Measure time (CPR, contractions)
 - Count rates (drip rates, pulse)
 - Read and interpret measurement tools (measure tapes and scales)
 - Add, subtract, multiply, and divide
 - Compute fractions and decimals (dosage calculations)
 - Document numbers in records using computerized database
 
- Establish professional relationships
 - Provide emotional support (patient and families)
 - Adapt to changing environments/stress
 - Deal with the unexpected (patient crash, death, etc.)
 - Focus attention on task
 - Cope with your own emotions
 - Multitask
 - Cope with strong emotions in others (family grieving, patient upset, etc.)
 
- Transfer knowledge from one situation to another
 - Process and interpret information from multiple sources
 - Analyze and interpret abstract and concrete data
 - Evaluate outcomes
 - Problem-solve
 - Prioritize tasks
 - Use long-term memory
 - Use short-term memory
 - Synthesize knowledge and skills
 - Sequence information
 - Independent decision making
 - Adapt decisions based on new information
 
- Ask questions
 - Gather relevant information
 - Think through solutions and conclusions
 - Consider alternative systems of thought
 - Communicate effectively
 - Admit when wrong or when they don’t know the answer
 
Interpersonal Skills:
- Establish rapport with families, patient, and health care team
 - Respect/value cultural differences
 - Negotiate interpersonal conflict
 
Communication Skills:
- Teach (patient and family)
 - Influence people
 - Direct/manage/delegate activities to others
 - Speak in English
 - Write in English
 - Listen/comprehend spoken/written work
 - Collaborate with others
 - Manage information