So, Not sure if anyone remembers me, but i have posted a few times on this forum. For those of you who don't know me, i am 33 years old and a stay at home mom of 2 children ages 4 and 8. I have been toying with the idea of returning to school for the past 3 YEARS!!! I am driving myself as well as everyone around me crazy. I can't seem to decide between social work or nursing. I want to work with adolescents in crises (eating disorders, substance abuse, depression, etc.) I am absolutely fascinated with the mental health field. anything I can get a hold on (tv shows, books) i read. I am actually pretty educated on eating disorders. (no, i have never suffered from one). So i don't know if i should be a social worker who works in a adolescent psych unit, or residential treatment center, or a psych nurse. I will say, i am not good in math or science but i love working with people. Can anyone help me decide what would be a better field to get into. I know "follow your heart", but my heart seems to be telling me both!?! For all you veteren nurses, knowing what you know now about the nursing field, if you had a chance to start over, would you have gotten into something else? and if so why? this is my only chance. Time and money is an important factor or obstacle i should say. we are saving for our kids' college fund, and here i am going to college, and my husband is our only income. So whatever i decide to do, i have to stick with and do it.!! please, i would love some advice on this. i appreciate your time and can't wait to hear some replies!!!
It sounds like you could be a great fit for either one! Check with the local hospitals to see if they offer shadowing or volunteer opportunities... that's a good way to see what nursing is like. Unfortunately in social work, you'll probably have to wait until your senior year to do an internship of some sort.
Background on me: I have a BA in Psych and worked for Social Services for a couple years. I did not like social work. I wanted to help people, but when you're dealing with perpetual cycles of abuse and/or neglect... a lot of times, it feels like your efforts get nowhere. Also, everyone hates you. It really bugged me that clients either didn't want anything to do with you, or were only trying to manipulate you. It sounds like you may be able to better deal with that, though.
There are a lot of "band aids" in social work and rarely do you see your efforts pay off. It hurts when you finally DO reach someone, only to have them fall apart.
Social workers also can't advance very far without being an LCSW (licensed clinical social worker) and there's a lot of competition for jobs in certain areas. Lots of social workers get their MSW.
I'm going back to school to become a nurse because I have job shadowed and now work in a hospital as a Rehab Aide. So far I have enjoyed this MUCH more than social work.
Every job has its ups and downs. Call around and see if you can get some first-hand experience! Better yet, see if you can land a flexi-pool healthcare job (ie- nursing assistant or patient care tech). Good luck!
WOW. This is great. I have gotten so much info from all you. Thanks so much. You each have said something that rings true to me...Love2Learn: you made me reallize i can be an rn and also get a taste of social work. Ksilty: you made me realize its not all about math and science (thats what is scarying me off) and that RNs where a variety of hats and Starrynite you gave me a little taste of social work and actually confimed what i thought social workers are treated like..... THANKS EVERYONE!!!! RN SCHOOL HERE I COME!!!!!
From your original post, it sounds like you are more interested in mental health than physical health. So you might look into either social work or psychology degrees. The job market and salaries are more limited than for nursing. Either way, I suggest you try to find a way to finance your education without having huge student loans to pay off, esp. as you may change your mind later and want to return to school.
If you are more interested in mental health then you need to look outside of nursing. Although there are psych nurses who do get involved in the therapy part of treatment, they are really at the psych hospital more for passing pills and making physical assessments. Most in-depth psych treatments are performed by psych professionals who have gone to school and studied mental illness much more in-depth than what the basic RN gets in school.
As a nurse you will be a "psych nurse" because people in general are nuts, particularly when utilizing your services and they will try to make you crazy in the process. But as a nurse you will also be responsible for physical health, meds, and even a little butt wiping. I have also seen a trend toward psych facilities wanting either BSN and above nurses or LVNs/LPNs as pill pushers. You would also be doing yourself and patients a disservice if you did not get acute care experience prior to going into psych.
A social worker deals with problems and tries to help people find ways to cope with their problems. They deal with nutty people too - they just don't have to wipe butts.
I think you need to narrow down exactly what you want to do before you make a decision you regret.
Specializes in Jack of all trades, and still learning.
Although there are psych nurses who do get involved in the therapy part of treatment, they are really at the psych hospital more for passing pills and making physical assessments.
Thanks for the reply RN1989...but thats just it. I am absolutely interested in mental health, always have been. Read every book on teen addictions, eating disorders, OCD, schizophrenia,...I don't know why i am so addicted to this stuff but i am. I find it so interesting. The thing is, i don't know if social work will let me "get my hands dirty" so to speak. I want to be able to treat the person Inside and out, and I think with nursing I can do that. You are an RN so you know more than me, and i respect your comment greatly, it has made me think. I am so stuck between RN and Social work you wouldn't believe it. Because i have 2 kids, i have no room for error when i decide to return to school. time and money is a huge factor for me. RN school for me is closer, cheaper, a bit faster (because it is a 2 year program, which i could probaly finish in about 4), also a big plus is i can work right away as a CNA or PCT while i am taking classes (even if it is 1 day a week). social work school is a university about 35 minutes from my house, it is WAY more expensive, to make any money i would have to go for my Masters' (which would serioiusly take me about 8 years part-time), but the classes would be WAY easier. AGHHHHH!!!!
I love being an RN, and I had a seriously difficult time deciding between teaching and being an RN. I am happy I chose to be an RN. I know that each persons choice is personel and you are asking for advice. I think it is also important to remember, that your feet are never nailed to the floor no matter what you choose. You can always make another choice during school or even after you are done. Enjoy the journey. I think I might have drove my family a little bonkers too, but hey, at least you have good choices!!!
Is there any way you can take introductory classes in both? Start on your nursing pre-reqs, and throw a sociology/ humanservices class in just to see if it sticks.
If the treatment of mental health disorders is what fascinates you, I think you would be happier working as a therapist/counselor with a psych/social work degree. Most psych nurses I know really don't do much hands on mental health treatment. They really are in the facility more to satisfy regulatory requirements than to treat the psych conditions. They pass meds, check vitals, do some physical exams but they don't do much for treating the mental illness since that is beyond their scope of practice. You need a counseling certification to be able to do that.
If you get a bachelor's degree in psych or social work, you could work as a mental health counselor in a hospital psych unit. You can also do psychotherapy with a bachelor's degree, altho some positions want a master's. I suggest you do some career testing. You could probably do that at a school near you.
StarryNyte713
43 Posts
It sounds like you could be a great fit for either one! Check with the local hospitals to see if they offer shadowing or volunteer opportunities... that's a good way to see what nursing is like. Unfortunately in social work, you'll probably have to wait until your senior year to do an internship of some sort.
Background on me: I have a BA in Psych and worked for Social Services for a couple years. I did not like social work. I wanted to help people, but when you're dealing with perpetual cycles of abuse and/or neglect... a lot of times, it feels like your efforts get nowhere. Also, everyone hates you. It really bugged me that clients either didn't want anything to do with you, or were only trying to manipulate you. It sounds like you may be able to better deal with that, though.
There are a lot of "band aids" in social work and rarely do you see your efforts pay off. It hurts when you finally DO reach someone, only to have them fall apart.
Social workers also can't advance very far without being an LCSW (licensed clinical social worker) and there's a lot of competition for jobs in certain areas. Lots of social workers get their MSW.
I'm going back to school to become a nurse because I have job shadowed and now work in a hospital as a Rehab Aide. So far I have enjoyed this MUCH more than social work.
Every job has its ups and downs. Call around and see if you can get some first-hand experience! Better yet, see if you can land a flexi-pool healthcare job (ie- nursing assistant or patient care tech). Good luck!