NP vs. PT/OT

Nurses Career Support

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I've been itching to go back to school for my masters for quite some time now. I'm sick to death with bedside nursing.... the politics, weekends, nights, holidays, horizontal hostility between nurses, poor management, patients are sicker than ever, doctors are downright rude most of the time, constantly broken equipment or not enough supplies... I could really go on and on. I do love working in healthcare though and don't want to leave the field completely. I was wondering if anyone has ever heard of or has experience with an RN who has gone back to school for PT or OT rather than NP. Going back for NP seems like a given because I'm already a nurse with a BSN, but I don't know how much better being an NP would be since nursing hasn't worked out the way I had hoped.

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I'm sorry I can't help you, but I'm also considering OT. Hopefully bumping this post up will get some responses???

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Specializes in CCU.

Bumping this thread for responses. I am also thinking about graduate school options in the future. A lot of RNs I know are in NP or PA school, however, I don't know any that are going back for OT or PT.

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Well if i have my way, i would go back to school to be a PT or OT. I already researched how long and how much it's going to cost me. To go from being an RN to OT in New York, it will take approximately 2 1/2 years and though i wouldn't mind going back to school again for that long, i do mind the very expensive tuition fee. For another 2 1/2 years of school, the tuition in a private school near me is almost $80,000! I looked at the public universities but they are very competitive with just around 5% chance of being admitted and some of them even require you to take your prerequisites again if it's been over 10 years since you last took the prerequisite courses.

To be a PT, it will take at least 3 years more hence more tuition that OT schools. I am just not sure if i want to spend all that money. If you have the money to spend then i would say go for it. The job prospects for PT and OT are very good. I've been looking for a job as a RN since Sept. and i have seen so many job listings for PT and OT that accepts new grads and will even sponsor them for a greencard if they need it. I've also seen employers offer relocation costs for PT and OT. This is how nursing used to be in demand. A friend of mine said that the demand for PT and OT will go down just like it did with Nursing but i beg to differ. It only takes 2 years for anyone to be an RN but you have to go to school fulltime for at least 6-7 years to be an OT or PT which will explain why there's not a lot of them.

Whatever you decide, goodluck! :)

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Specializes in CCU.

Thanks lily. I have noticed many schools are requiring science prereqs to actually be no more than 5 years old, which is somewhat unrealistic if one spends a couple years getting pre-reqs for nursing done, then a couple years in the nursing program, and by the time you spend a year or two working in the field and prepare to apply for graduate programs, the pre-reqs have "expired". I dont think I could justify the cost for private tuition @ 80k! Although I've seen plenty of job announcements for both, so at the current time both fields are definitely in demand.

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