Is Nursing for Me?

EricJRN, MSN, RN · May 14, 2011

Welcome to the site. Can you be a little more specific with us about what you would find attractive in a career? What initially pulled you toward nursing or toward speech-language pathology?

For many people, a lot of the search for a career involves trial and error. I applaud the intent behind career inventories, and I took them myself when I was in your position. I also know how much my personality and my interests changed between my late teens and my mid-20's, when I ultimately found happiness in a career.

want2banurse35 · May 14, 2011

I feel your pain OP cause I was in the same situation as you. I was back and forth between SLP and RN myself. Have you shadowed a speech therapy? I think that may be a start. Good luck in whatever you choose.

akulahawkRN, ADN, RN, EMT-P · May 14, 2011

A friend of mine is a speech pathologist. She likes to work with hospital patients and not in public school, where most of her classmates went. She quit a job a while ago and was able to find a new position within a couple weeks, but the hours aren't what she likes much. The market is not as strong as it used to be for them either, but jobs are out there for them.

She's not making the money she used to as she did work 5 days/week, now she's 3 days and now has a per diem job that sometimes calls her in... but she's making enough to get by on and then some.

So, if nursing isn't what's calling you and Speech Pathology is... go for it! Just check the prerequisites... you may find that you're taking many of the same courses as RN/RT/PT/OT students do.

purpleorchid3 · May 14, 2011

ericjrn,

i was initially attracted to the close patient contact and financial security that nursing offers with just a bachelor's degree. i envision myself with a family someday, so flexible hours are really important to me. speech pathology is a more interesting option and i often find myself reading articles on language/voice disorders in my spare time. the low stress environment, stable office hours, and closely monitored patient care are big pluses for me. i've grown up dealing with hearing and speech issues myself, so i have some knowledge of the implications of living with a mild speech disorder. i'm torn between a career that interests me, but is an academic and financial risk and a more solid career such as nursing. ultimately, i'm looking for service oriented careers that can really improve lives in tangible, meaningful ways. i'm just unsure which one is the best choice.

want2banurse35,

i have considered shadowing one at a local university clinic for some advice. i just thought that by posting on these boards, it might be helpful to see speech pathology from a nurse's perspective. may i ask why you eventually decided on nursing?

akulahawk,

yes, i've also heard that slps are sometimes frustrated and overwhelmed working in public schools because of a lack of resources and support. those working in private practice or in clinics seem more independent. as far as the coursework goes, there are some similarities between nursing and speech pathology. this semester i took courses that would transfer for both, but i need to make a commitment to nursing early on if i want to be accepted into a program.

akulahawkRN, ADN, RN, EMT-P · May 14, 2011

If you're wondering which way to go, early on, take courses that will serve as prerequisites for both. Work on getting your General Ed done. You'll need to do that anyway. SLP is not going to exactly be a "low stress environment" and while there may be some flexibility in hours, remember that some employers are starting to really look at SLP's as hourly employees and must basically punch a timecard. That friend of mine always worked through the caseload, but eventually the company started treating them like hourly employees instead of professional employees where results are what matter...

Now she's working at a place where she's valued, but they don't have the caseload for her to be a "full-time" employee yet.

want2banurse35 · May 14, 2011

I just thought nursing would be a better fit for me. I like the educational aspect to nursing and nurses can do so many different things. If you do not like bedside, there are so many other positions you can pursue. I see so many jobs I would love to do but many of them say "RN required" To be honest, I thought I might get bored with SLP. I even thought about OT, which is becoming more popular. By those two having only one point of entry, graduate school, it's highly competitive as graduate schools only accept 25 to 30 students a year. I hope this helps.

blueshift · May 14, 2011

Have you considered either PT or OT? Prereqs for those degrees are very similar to nursing, so you could end up graduating with a bachelor's degree and the ability to go into any field you wanted to. It would give you more time to make a decision.

If you're more humanities oriented, what about social work? You could become a medical social worker and work in a hospital. They make decent money and have decent job prospects. That would require an MSW (and they'll usually consider any bachelor degree), so again, you'd have your whole undergraduate career to come to a decision.

Also, no nursing schools in my state require college algebra. I only took up to intermediate algebra, because it was required for chemistry in my college. I also took statistics. I would never have taken any other math besides that, because I hate it!