RN vs. Psychologist

DutchgirlRN, ASN, RN · Oct 13, 2004

I am currently in college to become a registered nurse but tonight the teacher who teaches my psychology class has mentioned that there is a shortage of school psychologists(he is also a school psychologist and teaches a night class once a week for his own enjoyment). I did some comparing and school psychologists make more money, they get out on school breaks, they sit on their butts for a large part of the day...
Decisions, decisions...

Sitting on your butt makes the day go very slowly. I'm for 3 x 12 hours. 4 days off each week + flexibility with family. Here in Tennessee they have recently laid off many school psychologists. Your chances of being laid off as an RN would be next to zero. School systems can stretch a psychologist between several schools, that's what's going on here. Funding changes all the time in the school system and usually for the worse. Think about the future when making your decision. Good Luck !

Quickbeam, BSN, RN · Oct 13, 2004

Shotzie: In my area of the US, you can't be a school psychologist without a PhD, so requirements vary.

I forgot to add earlier that my next door neighbor is also a PhD psychologist. He told me that it is very hard to find a full time permanent job and for 10 years he has had 2 part time jobs...one counseling at a local college and one running group sessions at night. Reimbursement can a problem. But he does love it so like anything else, your perspective can vary.

Sweetpea00 · Oct 13, 2004

I graduated with a BS in Psych in May of this year...I have done a lot of research on the field of School Psychology and Nursing. From the research I've done so far School Psychology is susposed to be a growing field...and you can be a School Psych in most states with a Masters & Education Specialist Degree in School Psychology (2 years in addition to Bachelor's program). However, there is usually only 1 School Psychologist per school system...so available jobs cannot be that plentiful and most School Psychologist are paid on the same schedule as a teacher that has a Master's & Education Specialist Degree. A few months ago I was trying to make the same decision as you...School Psychology or Nursing. I choose Nursing, so after spending 4 1/2 years on a worthless Psych Degree and going 40,000 in student loan debt... I'm now enrolling in a local community college to hopefully receive my ADN in Nursing within a 1 1/2 year. I decided on Nursing for many reasons...GREAT JOB MARKET( BEING ABLE TO PRETTY MUCH PICK AND CHOOSE WHERE YOU WANT TO WORK...HAVING NUMEROUS JOB OFFERS UPON GRADUATION), GREAT PAY, (compared to the 24000/year I'm making with a BS in Psychology..with a job that's not even in my field of study)...GREAT SCHEDULES (3/12 hour shifts or 7 on 7 off), STUDENT LOAN REPAYMENT and BEING ABLE TO HELP MAKE A CHANGE IN PEOPLE LIVES. If I was you I would choose Nursing!!!!

HOPE2BNP · Oct 13, 2004

Ever considered a Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner Degree. This would give you more flexibility and allow you to persue both interests. Also, rumor has it that the pay and opportunities are better too.

I am currently in college to become a registered nurse but tonight the teacher who teaches my psychology class has mentioned that there is a shortage of school psychologists(he is also a school psychologist and teaches a night class once a week for his own enjoyment). I did some comparing and school psychologists make more money, they get out on school breaks, they sit on their butts for a large part of the day...and from what I have seen psychology is a pretty easy subject.
Which do you think would be better? Should I switch fields and get my master's degree in psychology with hopes of getting a lush job or do you think it would be better and more predictable to stick to the old ball and chain of nursing?
Or could a person do both?
Decisions, decisions...

angel337, MSN, RN · Oct 13, 2004

one of the reasons there is a high burnout in nursing is because people get into the field with unrealistic views of what the profession is about. unlike alot of other professions, nursing should not be a career taken casually. you have to realize that when you are responsible for lives, you are going to work hard. before i became a nurse i tossed the possibilities of other professions around like IT, business, marketing etc.., but nursing was the only one that i knew i had to really think long and hard about. i love what i do and i like working hard. i could not sit all day, because i would go crazy. i think you need to really look at what kind of life you want to have. if no weekends and holidays off are a top priority and you are not the type to like to run around alot, nursing probably wouldn't work. i shadowed a MSW during my psych rotation in school and they work HARD. they deal with just as much as nurses do (docs, families, insurance companies) but on a different level. if you talk to anyone with a psych degree they will also tell you the pay is lousy and the ONLY way to make more is to go beyond a BS. good luck in whatever you decide.

Jo Dirt · Oct 14, 2004

one of the reasons there is a high burnout in nursing is because people get into the field with unrealistic views of what the profession is about. unlike alot of other professions, nursing should not be a career taken casually. you have to realize that when you are responsible for lives, you are going to work hard...snip

I think people who don't take nursing seriously will either not make it through nursing school or get fired before they have the chance to work enough to suffer burn out. On the contrary, the nurses I know who suffer from burn out have been the ones who took their job too seriously. The ones who believe in detail and doing everything exactly right. When you are given an unreasonable work load there is absolutely no way you will always be able to give every eye drop or change every dressing. You can't panic if someone misses their noontime dose of Reglan or if their enteral feeding doesn't start right on schedule. Because when you worry and obsess over things like that you inevitably will leave the nursing profession majorly burned out and disillusioned. I hear so many nurses say, especially in LTC, I don't feel like I'm doing everything I should for the residents and it just bothers me too much so I can't work in healthcare anymore. Well, that conscience is good but it isn't going to change the problem and there are still people who will have to learn to deal with the pangs of guilt knowing they weren't able to do everything their patients needed but just see the positive side that they did their best and their patients are thriving overall because of it.

I don't think I would truly enjoy a job where I sit on my butt all day, and I know too many people who have stigmatized the psychology profession by calling it a "make believe" discipline, so right or wrong I actually don't hold the psychology profession in very high esteem.

Besides, a lot of my reservations had to do with my fear that I am not capable of doing the coursework, especially in chemistry. But tonight I was overjoyed to get back my 1st chemistry test and see I made a B. This was especially good considering I saw one guy's test as he passed by me had a 21% on it...so I must not be as dumb as I give myself credit for after all... :rolleyes:

Tweety, BSN, RN · Oct 14, 2004

LPNtoRN there are many people smart enough to make it through nursing school. Nowadays if you're smart enough to get in, your might be smart enought to make it through. So you can be an uncaring, uncompassionate person and make it through nursing school.

One symptom of burnout is apathy and lack of caring. So those people who don't care about nursing burn out too.

Those of us in the middle, who don't obsess over every little detail burn out as well.

The nursing profression is set up to burn out the best and the worst of us, all kinds.

I think you have a tendancy to generalize about things you don't know anything about. You're looking at the surface and making judgements.

Jo Dirt · Oct 14, 2004

Well thirdshift guy that is why I brought the topic up. Of course I can only generalize, I figured we would have some experts out there somewhere who could give me some information.

You shouldn't get your fruit-of-the-looms in a wad. If I sound like Archie Bunker I don't mean to. I can only call things as I see them and if I am wrong someone will correct me. I can take being told I'm wrong, but I've noticed most people can't. Maybe that says something for me. Do you have to know everything about a topic before you can make a comment about how you perceive it?

Tweety, BSN, RN · Oct 14, 2004

No LPNtoRN you don't have to know everything about a subject before you can comment on it. No need to be mean-spirited either. Trust me, I'm too mature, level headed and calm a person to allow you to power to get my panties in a wad. LOL

You say "I can only call things as I see them and if I am wrong someone will correct me." Yet you get insulting and bent out of shape when we do correct you. Whose panties are really in a wad?

Sorry, tongue is firmly planted in cheek right now. I see what you're saying and I didn't mean to come across as an ogre know it all.

The point being #1 - don't choose pysch because it appears to be easy work.

#2 - burnout is a bit more complicated that what you stated. Fussy anal rententive nurses burn out for sure, but us calm cool collected types burn out also. I should know, I've gotten fried a few times in my nursing career.

On the positive side, you're looking at the issues and trying to get a realistic picture so you can make decisions. Kudos to you for that. Nursing isn't a career to go into lightly.

(I can dish it out and I can take it too.)

proudmommielpn · Oct 14, 2004

:rotfl: You go 3rdshiftguy!!!!!!!

missmercy · Oct 14, 2004

I did some comparing and school psychologists make more money, they get out on school breaks, they sit on their butts for a large part of the day...and from what I have seen psychology is a pretty easy subject.

Which do you think would be better? Should I switch fields and get my master's degree in psychology with hopes of getting a lush job or do you think it would be better and more predictable to stick to the old ball and chain of nursing?

Or could a person do both?

Decisions, decisions... :uhoh3:

Not trying to be offensive or mean, but if you are looking for a job that allows you to make nore money while "sitting on your butt for the larger part of the day, is easy" and allows you to "get out on school breaks", I would have to say that the "ball and chain" of nursing isn't where you belong. ( Cause it doesn't work like that - :uhoh3: - at least not anywhere I have worked!) It sounds like your professional goals are not closely alligned with the basic tenants of providing nursing care -- If you like pshyc and it comes easy to you -- go for it, but don't start into a job that you already feel is burdensome and unrewarding -- you won't be happy and could sour whatever environment you might find yourself unhappy in. If your looking for the BIG BUCKS -- I 'm thinking they aren't typically growing on the nursing tree! Yeah, people can and do do both -- but people who do both are often doing so because the really love both professions --and just can't give one up. It doesn't sound like you are terribly excited about either option -- for the option itself as opposed to it's bennies. What do you LOVE? What do you feel rewarded doing? Look at your hobbies, your beliefs system, prioritize what is more important to you and then choose. Choosing a profession on the merits of paycheck alone can turn your choice into a JOB -- not a profession.

Jo Dirt · Oct 14, 2004

...What do you LOVE? What do you feel rewarded doing? Look at your hobbies, your beliefs system, prioritize what is more important to you and then choose. Choosing a profession on the merits of paycheck alone can turn your choice into a JOB -- not a profession.

I don't have any hobbies, it's hard for me to fake an interest in anything, when I think of what I really want to do it is go live out in the woods like a hermit and be left alone. But with an invalid husband and three children that option won't be coming up to me anytime soon.

I don't think I am the only one to choose a profession simply because I need money. How many of us here would be nurses on a minimum wage/volunteer basis? If you would say you would I would have to believe you are either independently wealthy with time to spend (like David Lee Roth, he is almost finished with paramedic school) or you're lying.

I know a doctor who is working himself to death with heavy patient loads not because he is living some self-actualization fantasy where he is feeding some kind of calling from the lord and is interested in people but because he wants to make his money and retire early. I know I don't have what it takes to become a doctor, since I have those bad grades following me around from my first bombed attempt at college, but if I could I would do the same thing he is doing. To get right down to it there are times I am ready to fold my hands over my chest and get out of here.

Anyway, Third shift guy, we can dish it out and we can take it, isn't that special? We're all just groovy around here.... :rolleyes: