All nurses: Social work or RN?

FellowRN · Mar 27, 2008

I had the same dilemma before going to nusing school. I got a B.A. in psych first. Becoming a nurse was a great choice for me. The opportunities are endless and the salary is descent. If you get a nursing degree and for some reason decide psych is not for you, there are so many other avenues with nursing. Good luck in whatever you decide.

Trauma1RN · Mar 27, 2008

I am probably going to get crucified for saying this but if you like drama you should go into social work. Most social workers I have met have been the "go to" person on the unit for the scoop on a patients story. Definitely a needed profession and a valuable one though.

lexcourben · Mar 27, 2008

I have a Bachelor's in Social Work and have gone back to school to get my ADN. I have found there are more opportunities as an RN than as a social worker. While there are some good social work jobs some of them require a Master's in Social Work. I also think it would be easier to change specialties as an RN than as a social worker. That's just my $.02 though.

yuyu75 · Mar 27, 2008

hahahah, how funny. One reply says RN one says Social work..ahghghghgh....no seriously. thanks for the reply everyone. I will wait for some more thoughts and see how it all plays out. I am into the "drama" which is funny that one of the replies said that, but of course i am into treating the "whole" person, inside and out. I am a very compassionate person, and so i am leaning towards rn, but who knows! Keep the replies coming.............!!!!!!

Trauma1RN · Mar 27, 2008

hahahah, how funny. One reply says RN one says Social work..ahghghghgh....no seriously. thanks for the reply everyone. I will wait for some more thoughts and see how it all plays out. I am into the "drama" which is funny that one of the replies said that, but of course i am into treating the "whole" person, inside and out. I am a very compassionate person, and so i am leaning towards rn, but who knows! Keep the replies coming.............!!!!!!

I put my vote towards RN. I love my career. :up:

yuyu75 · Mar 27, 2008

Thanks Truama1, but without tiring you out, can you tell me why you love your job? Also, do you know anything about psych nursing? and one more thing, do you have an associates/bachelors or masters of nursing? I would only be going for my Associates in nursing (to begin with), would that limit me?

Trauma1RN · Mar 27, 2008

Thanks Truama1, but without tiring you out, can you tell me why you love your job? Also, do you know anything about psych nursing? and one more thing, do you have an associates/bachelors or masters of nursing? I would only be going for my Associates in nursing (to begin with), would that limit me?

I am a excitement freak and I work in the surgical ICU. I have a ADN and I am starting my BSN this fall. As a nurse you are the front line defense protecting a patients health. Everyday I am challenged, and my shifts fly by. With the shortage there is tons of over time available and a variety of directions you can take your career.

Psych nursing is definitely a specialty, and one that is not for me. I know very little about it and don't care to know much more. I am sure there are many people around here that could help. Try the specialty forums.

SummerGarden, BSN, MSN, RN · Mar 27, 2008

from reading your post i suggest social work. i worked in social work and have a related degree. i also worked with children and adolescents as you have described. although both social work and nursing incorporate holistic care, i can safely state that social work is not nursing and vice versa.

social workers do not need math or science to earn a degree or license. social workers assist families with just about everything an average functioning american family takes for granted!!! such as helping a patient or his/her family member find a job, find housing, get groceries, graduate from high school, get treatment, etc. (btw, all of what i have written includes adolescents and children with substance abuse issues because most of these patients have families who need help too. people tend to forget that when they think about working with kids. kids are a package deal in health care and social services. they do not get better if their families are not functioning well).

plus, although nurses who are case managers have similar duties of a social worker, they are only involved with families until he/she is able to discharge to higher or lower level of medical care. in addition, nurses do not get involved with the daily activities that help the families function except to refer them to social services.

don't get me wrong, nurses are trained to be able to perform the above activities as well; however, in the real world there are not enough nurses to perform nursing duties. therefore, nurses spend more time involved with the patient's health management while collaborating with social workers who work on other aspects.

i hope i have helped to put things in perspective or have given you more to think about... gl. :wink2:

bluesnurse · Mar 28, 2008

hahahah, how funny. One reply says RN one says Social work..ahghghghgh....no seriously. thanks for the reply everyone. I will wait for some more thoughts and see how it all plays out. I am into the "drama" which is funny that one of the replies said that, but of course i am into treating the "whole" person, inside and out. I am a very compassionate person, and so i am leaning towards rn, but who knows! Keep the replies coming.............!!!!!!

LOL -- that is definitely one of the things that attracted me to nursing. I love "drama," if that's the word for it. Sometimes, when things get overwhelming, I just have to step back and look at the range of human experience I see in a given day. It's more fascinating than any fiction.

I think every nurse is a psych nurse, because we *are* treating the whole person, and that includes any "issues" they carry with them.

Anyway, I'll weigh in on the side of nursing for you. It's so much more flexible than social work. You have your choice of varied shifts, hours and specialties. If one doesn't float your boat, you can always change. Once you have some experience, the options for advancement are many -- NP, teaching, management, legal consulting, account rep, and IT to name a few.

I love knowing that I could go just about anywhere in the USA and land a well-paying job in a week or two at most. Not necessarily true with social work.

That's my :twocents: on the subject! Good luck, and take your time deciding on what's right for you.

Love_2_Learn · Mar 28, 2008

I don't know how much this matters in your decision but it could have some bearing on job prospects as a social worker.

I work as an RN in a smaller hospital (about 250-300 beds, not sure of exact number) and during a recent staff meeting we were told that our hospital now has only one social worker (we had 3 when I started working there 6 years ago) and that 4 RNs who are working as case managers are assisting the social worker. So, here you have 4 RNs who evidently have the extra training and ability to help assess social situations and help patients working with the one social worker as their resource person. I just thought I'd add this little tidbit as something rather interesting to think about.

By the way, we are pretty certain that we now only have the one social worker because our hospital is trying to save money; they have cut back on overtime for nurses, cut back on hiring, requiring nurses to stay home with the census is too low, etc. A few months ago our hospital was about 1.5 million in the red. With the changes they have made we are now about 1/2 million in the red. The $ means everything in most businesses, doesn't it?

Wishing you the best in your decision. I say with all the confidence in the world to Follow Your Heart!

Katie82, RN · Mar 28, 2008

I would opt for nursing, you will get past the math and science. You won't have to be in nursing too long before you discover that you are also doubling as a Social Worker, mediator, priest confessor, financial counselor, etc, etc, etc.....