Occupational Therapy or Psych Nurse Practitoner

[jbritt]

i just transferred to another state to attain my goal of being an occupational therapist. i dont have a bachelors degree yet and came here to do a combined program. i will be graduating with a degree in psychology and combining ot. i just found out i still have about 2 years to go in order to finish my bs in psychology and then start ot. i currently work in a psych hospital as a tech and make ok money but i always see the psych nurses making more and they try to convince me to go to nursing school and work as a nurse. i love psych also. i was thinking should i put these couple years into a bsn program and stay at my job while getting a psych np or should i wait it out forever to be an occupational therapist. need some input from people in both careers.

[KarmaWiseRaven]

Well what do you like better? What do you think you can excel at best? I myself would go for the OT. Why you can make just as much as a OT compared to a NP. Less headaches less stress. Also do research mental health is under attack right now more and more states are cutting funding for mental health. Sad but true. But if i was going to go Psych NP i would go for Forensic Psych Corrections would be the way to go. There you have some what of an avenue to progress. I do wish you luck in whatever you decide. These are my thoughts use them as you wish

[notsosupernurse]

Well I am in the nursing field and I love Psych as well as Substance Abuse. Its interesting challenging, and keeps my atention. I say follow your heart. you mentioned you love psych. So going into the field should be fufilling for you. Now the question is ... do you love Occupational Therapy???

[noahsmama]

I don't think the time the training takes should be the deciding factor -- once you're done with your training, you're likely to work in whichever field you choose for a loooong time (not that you can't change fields later, but it's lots of work to do so). So, follow your heart and pursue whichever career appeals to you the most -- the extra time for the OT will be worth it if that's your passion, but if psych is what floats your boat, then by all means do that.

Good luck, whatever you decide!