I'm at a crossroad. Should I go into nursing?

[shinybluedolphinn]

Hello everyone,

I'm facing a dilemma right now.

I just got into a nursing program at my local university. I went into it somewhat half-heartedly. I have interest in Nursing, but I also have interest in Occupational Therapy. I would have 3 more years to graduate till my B.S.N. I need to finish a few more pre-reqs next school year, then I'll start the major classes. Just recently, the chair of my department said the program has been put on conditional accreditation due to low NCLEX-RN pass rates. This concerns me...

I have been interested in Occupational Therapy for a long time. If I switched my major to Psychology, I could graduate in 1.5 years. From there, I could apply to OT school, which would be another 2.5-3 years. I shadowed a few OT's and I liked it. I liked the creativity, the one-on-one care, it seemed less demanding than nursing.

I still have interest in Nursing. I like the idea of being there for a person at a very vulnerable time in their life. I liked the flexibility of the field, and how much variety the field seemed to offer. But, I'm really concerned about how stressful it could be to be a nurse(from the research I've done). I tend to be a person that can really internalize stress and absorb the emotions of the environment around me as I'm very sensitive and empathetic.

I also like the idea of being done and able to start a career right after I graduate and not worry about the stress of getting into another college and so forth-- I really would prefer not to go to graduate school if I didn't have to (more school, more money, more time...).

I'm not sure what I should do. Also, the school's accreditation concerns me... although the chair said that they have made plans in order to remove the status.

Anyone been in a similar situation? I feel like a small part of me is lying to myself about wanting to pursue Nursing.. and I am just doing it to be safe, and secure. But another part of me also feels like maybe I should give it more of a chance, and I may find it to be great. An insecurity I have is that I may go into Psych and not go into OT, and be stuck with a crappy job. Help...

[Miss Infermiera2b, BSN, RN]

I am so glad that you looked into the accreditation for your (possible) future nursing program. My advice? DO NOT go into a program that is in danger of losing its accreditation. Not just because of future job security, but because clearly there are some issues with the way they are attempting to educate nursing students. I don't know if you heard, but there are several students suing ITT Tech because they didn't do their research on their school's accreditation and now their nursing degrees that they worked so hard for are worthless.

I don't have any experience with OT, because I'm a nursing student, not an OT student. However, from the little bit I know, it seems that OT is indeed less demanding in regards to time, responsibility, and other pressures. From what I hear, it's a great career choice. Go with your heart.

[beekee]

You can do both. OT programs require an undergraduate degree in anything as long as you have the prerequisites. Some might say it's silly to become a nurse if you want to do OT. I say it'll provide a good paying job while you are in graduate school. But, I know some areas have an oversupply of nursing and getting a job may be tough. It depends on the area.

However, I would be very hesitant to go to a school with accreditation issues.