By Physical, Occupational and Speech Therapies
I’m lumping physical, speech and occupational therapy all into one big group here. For those of you who don’t know the difference, physical works with legs and backs, occupational with hands and arms, and speech with speech, swallowing and higher cognitive functions. These are the people to see if you have questions about whether something is safe, be it walking a patient or letting them eat on their own. These are also the people to watch when it comes to moving patients or assisting folks with everything from walking to speaking. Move like a physical therapist and you will never hurt your back.
Respiratory Therapy
What’s the biggest difference between a respiratory therapist and a nurse? Nurses hate mucus and RTs can’t stand vomit.
Respiratory therapists are identifiable by the O2 saturation monitors dangling from strings around their necks and their really, really nice stethoscopes. They also tend to have the best coffee in the hospital, so if somebody looks relatively awake at the beginning of the shift, it’s most likely an RT or someone with access to their caffeine. They, like nurses and the therapies, wear scrubs. Unlike nursing and the therapies, their eyes do not bug out when confronted with a malfunctioning ventilator.
