Difference between Physical Therapist and Registered Nurse - Term Paper Example

Comparison between Occupational Therapists and Registered Nurses Occupational Therapy is “The use of productive or creative activity in the treatment or rehabilitation of physically or emotionally disabled people (American Heritage Dictionary, 2000).” They work with a range of people who have problems in understanding and carrying out meaningful functions of life. They work with people having disabilities and try to enable them to either overcome their disabilities, or maximise their potential and talents keeping their disability in mind. Their responsibilities include the assessment, development and implementation of rehabilitative procedures to treat for functional impairments. A Registered Nurse (RN), on the other hand is a professional qualified to perform health care and practice nursing through assessment, planning and implementation of the required level of nursing for the sick and injured. While therapists concentrate more on physical rehabilitation, disabilities in learning and improving mental health, registered nurses are widely associated with the care, medication and health maintenance of a patient. “Nurses do a lot of chores that occupational therapists don’t have time for. This includes feeding, bathing, administering oral, subcutaneous, injectable and IV medications (Gavin R, 2008). Gavin R (2008), a retired nurse, also pointed out that nurses tend to the cleaning of wounds, console and comfort the patients and are a vital cog in medical emergencies. They can also assist the surgeons if there is a need. They keep all lengthy records and progress reports and also influence charting down of treatment and progress plans. Gavin (2008) further emphasised that a therapist’s job is not that easy but it does not contain the variations that a nursing job has; a therapist normally devises rehabilitation plans on the basis of well-known methods. Nursing is mainly controlled and regulated by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) in the UK. It lays down all of the things that a person needs to do to qualify as a registered nurse and stay registered. To work as a registered nurse, the person must complete an education program that is recognized by NMC and meet the required standard proficiency level. This includes completing a degree or a diploma from a university offering a course in the chosen speciality. This leads to an academic award and professional registration as a 1st level registered nurse. These courses are normally three to four years long and are a 50/50 split between learning in university, and practicing patient care in a hospital or community centre under supervision. The first year is the Common Foundation Programme (CFP), which concentrates on the learning of basic skills for nursing. The remaining time of the course concentrates on training pertaining to the branch specialisation a student has chosen. A student can choose from: Adult nursing Child nursing Mental health nursing Learning disability nursing The learning part doesn’t end here. NMC stresses on the need of a continuing professional development and wants the registered nurses to keep upgrading their knowledge and skills. For that, they expect a minimum 35 hours of study relevant to their practice (The standards for the maintenance and renewal of registration 2005, par.3). The path to becoming an occupational therapist requires ingenuity and determination. Most of all, it needs enthusiasm in working intimately with people to give them the best chance of living an independent life. In Britain, this field asks for an undergraduate degree in therapeutic study and clinical placement, (combining theory and fieldwork in the disciplines of biological and behavioral sciences). It is also mandatory to be registered with the Health Professions Council (HPC). The National Health Service (NHS), a leading publicly-funded healthcare system asks for at least 5 GCSE passes and 2 A levels. Sometimes, an A grade in a science related subject is required, while a lot of universities require Biology as a subject in A levels. Alternative qualifications for example, a BTEC National Diploma/Certificate may also be accepted (Entry requirements for occupational therapists, par.1-2). Training normally constitutes of a three year course which leads to a BSc in Occupation Therapy, or an accelerated two-year course according to the graduate entry schemes (Occupational Therapist, par.6). Continued Professional Developement in Occupation Therapy is also an important factor for re-registration. The British Association of Occupation Therapists (Formal learning opportunities, par.1-3), has developed a database of formal learning opportunities to help therapists identify what opportunities are most relevant to their work. Learning opportunities endorsed by the College of Occupational Therapists have undergone a quality assurance process and meet specific training needs and contain a form of assessment. Because of the growing awareness in the patients of medical jargons, conditions and their right to proper care and treatment, the only way ahead for both professions is to meet their expectations and cater to a patient’s growing needs and maintain a high level of responsibility. The British Medical Association regulates the Code of Ethics in general, but for a code of conduct more specifically designed for Registered Nurses is the Code devised by NMC. The Code (Standards of conduct, performance and ethics, 2008) emphasise that the people under care should be able to trust a nurse with their health. For that to develop, the code gives a lot of guidelines to follow which must be strictly adhered to. Nurses are to treat the patients as individuals, respect their dignity and in no way, discriminate the patients while administering care. They must strictly respect a patient’s right to confidentiality and must explain why certain information is shared and used by people providing the care. However, if laws of the country permit, information can be disclosed if someone is deemed to come to harm. Nurses must regularly communicate clearly with the patients; they must be a motivating factor and help them to learn self-care, make arrangements if there is a gap in communication because of language differences, recognise and appreciate efforts made by patients, put their preferences on top priority and keep them informed about their current health conditions. Before beginning any treatment, nurses must gain full consent of the patient and uphold their right to accept or decline treatment. Professional boundaries are always to be kept. Undue gifts, favours and suggestive hospitality from the patients that might influence preferential treatment, should be turned down. The idea is to remain impartial regardless of reputation and stature of the patient. Sexual boundaries must always be kept between the nurses and the people under their care. It is a job where everyone keeps constantly learning and it is important to share skills for the benefit of colleagues and seek consultations where it is approppriate. The skills and knowledge of fellow colleagues should always be respected and information must regularly be shared for the nursing profession to keep moving forward. The code emphasises the need for effective delegation, as inapproppriate delegation will result in the nurse being responsible for any harm caused. The best available evidence must be used to administer care and give advice for any health products, as actions taken on the basis of weak evidence could seriously damage a patient’s condition. Nurses are also responsible for keeping clear and accurate records for assessments made, treatment, medication and their effectiveness. These records are a vital part in following a certain treatment plan. Nurses have to be honest, act with integrity, uphold the reputation of their profession and professional commitment and diligence to the job must be shown. Queries and complaints of patients must be considered with respect and in no way should it affect they level of care that is their right. There should be no shady treatments or shady handling of issues regarding the harm inflicted on a patient and a nurse should always co-operate with all kinds of investigations. Nurses are accountable for their actions or a lack of action during their practice and must always be able to justify their decisions. Nurses failing to comply with the Code could have questions raised on their competence and can also face ejection from the NMC register. This code is comprehensive enough to cater to all professional, ethical and social behaviour that a nurse needs to display while at practice. Though the general code of ethics, to its very fundamentals remains the same for all health care professions, ethics specifically relating to the profession are a bit different. The World Federation of Occupational Therapists lays down the basic code of ethics (A code of ethics for occupational therapists, 2007) which signifies the responsibility of an Occupational Therapist towards the patient, the physician, his colleagues, his employer, the profession itself and to the whole community. The College of Occupation Therapists laid down a Code of Ethics that applies to all OT’s working in the UK. It’s a public statement of values (Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct, 2005) that promotes good practice. Therapists must always respect the autonomy of the client. This is similar to the Code of Ethics for nurses in a way as it gives the client, full right to make decisions about its treatment, even if it is against professional opinion. The confidentiality of a patient is high priority as in the Code for Nurses, and any information distributed should have the consent of the patient. It is a therapist’s duty to care for patients and not put them in distress because of their own negligence or indifference to their misery. The OT’s must provide service in a just and fair manner. They must take into account an individual’s cultural diversity and offer services accordingly, but without any kind of discrimination. The personal and professional integrity of a therapist must always be kept in high regard. In no way must a therapist exploit a patient sexually, financially, mentally or socially in way that can effect his or her judgement and impartial behaviour. Although loyalty to the profession is appreciated, it must not over-ride any injustice that is being done by a fellow therapist and staying silent about any malpractice is also a breach of the Code. They must remain within clear professional boundaries, and recognise when a certain case or level of service is not a part of their qualification. They must constantly strive for continued professional developement and must be able to support it with evidence. The Code believes in life-long learning so equip a therapist with all the necessary tools to combat unforeseen challenges in the future. Occupational Therapy and Registered Nursing; both have carved a niche of their own in health care services. Both are extremely important professions and very rewarding. Both of them have differences in education needs, continued professional developement, and the bodies under which they are governed. OT’s give referrals while nurses are qualified enough to administer medication. While a therapist’s job is about observing a client and devising ways to make him use the available resources to the most, a nurse’s job is mostly associated with care and empathy. In spite of all these differences, both professions’ bring with them enough responsibility to be governed under more or less, similar Codes of Conduct. The ethical expectations are immeasurably high and so are the accountability levels. And this is why in the end; both of these fields turn out to be such rewarding fields in terms of salary, and self-satisfaction. Bibliography: A code of ethics for Occupational Therapists, 2007 [Internet]. Available from World Wide Web: [Accessed 3 October 2008] Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct, 2005 [Internet]. Available from World Wide Web: http://www.cot.co.uk/members/publications/list/ethics/code/pdf/code0605.pdf [Accessed 3 October 2008] Entry requirements for Occupational Therapists, n.d [Internet]. Available from World Wide Web; [Accessed 2 October 2008] Formal Learning Opportunities, 2008 [Internet]. Available from World Wide Web: [Accessed 2 October 2008] Occupational Therapist, n.d [Internet]. Available from World Wide Web: [Accessed 2 October 2008] R, Gavin. (2008) Difference between Physical Therapist and Registered Nurse [Internet]. Available from World Wide Web: [Accessed 30 September 2008] The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language. 4th Ed. 2000. Boston, Houghton Mifflin Company The Code: Standards of Conduct, performance and Ethics for nurses and midwives, 2008 [Internet]. Available from World Wide Web: [Accessed 1 October 2008] Read More