Registered Nurse (RN)

Physical therapists help patients reduce pain, improve mobility, and recover from injuries, surgeries, or chronic conditions through hands-on treatment, therapeutic exercises, and patient education. The role involves examining patients to assess movement, strength, flexibility, and pain levels; developing customized treatment plans based on diagnoses and patient goals; using techniques like manual therapy, therapeutic exercises, electrical stimulation, and ultrasound; and educating patients on home exercise programs and injury prevention. Physical therapists work across diverse settings including hospitals, outpatient clinics, nursing homes, schools, sports facilities, and patients' homes. Specializations include orthopedics (musculoskeletal injuries), neurology (stroke recovery, Parkinson's), pediatrics, geriatrics, sports medicine, and women's health. The profession requires clinical reasoning to connect symptoms with underlying causes, empathy to motivate patients through challenging recovery processes, and communication skills to coordinate with physicians, families, and other healthcare providers.

Occupational therapists help patients develop, recover, improve, and maintain the skills needed for daily living and working. The role involves evaluating patients' conditions and needs, developing individualized treatment plans, teaching patients to use adaptive equipment, modifying environments to support function, and documenting progress. OTs work with diverse populations—children with developmental delays, adults recovering from injuries or strokes, seniors aging in place, and individuals with mental health conditions. Treatment might involve practicing dressing techniques with a stroke patient, recommending workplace modifications for someone with repetitive strain injury, or developing sensory activities for a child with autism. Work settings include hospitals, rehabilitation centers, schools, nursing homes, mental health facilities, and patients' homes. The profession requires understanding anatomy, psychology, adaptive technology, and activity analysis—breaking down tasks to identify where patients struggle and how to help.

Nurse practitioners are advanced practice registered nurses who provide primary and specialty healthcare, including diagnosing conditions, prescribing medications, ordering tests, and managing patient care. NPs often serve as patients' primary healthcare providers, conducting examinations, developing treatment plans, counseling patients, and coordinating care with specialists. They work in primary care, pediatrics, geriatrics, women's health, psychiatry, and acute care settings. The role combines clinical expertise with patient education and advocacy, often spending more time with patients than physicians do. NPs work in physician practices, hospitals, clinics, retail health settings, and independent practices where state law permits. The profession emphasizes holistic, patient-centered care that addresses both medical conditions and lifestyle factors affecting health. Growing demand and expanded scope of practice in many states make this a rapidly expanding healthcare role.