Lower back injuries are the #1 cause of disability among nurses. Once your back goes, for most nurses your career is over.
Watch your back, NurseWeek:"One out of 10 serious work-related back injuries involves nursing personnel, and about 12 percent of nurses leave the profession because of back injuries. But some injuries are preventable, and nurses can avoid them if they take precautions."
http://www.nurseweek.com/news/features/01-01/back.asp
To go into a field that you know is going to be hard on your back is asking for trouble in my opinion.
It doesn't matter where you work, as long as you are doing direct patient care, there is usually heavy lifting involved.
I'd go into something that won't potentially "break your back." All it takes is one wrong turn, slip, fall and you're history.
That's my two cents.
Andrew Lopez, RN
http://www.nursinga2z.com