Nursing or OT?

momokombat · Apr 23, 2015

I am a 28 year old with a BA from Ohio State. I, like many other college grads, was not able to get a job with my major.

I know that I want to work in healthcare. I only wish I'd realized this sooner! I am having a very hard time deciding between occupational therapy and nursing though.

Things about OT that I like:

-A more comfortable work environment.

-One-on-one with patients.

-No holidays or weekends, most likely.

-I could be creative with treatment.

-I love the idea of treating holistically.

Things about OT that I'm not quite sure about:

-School cost... oh my gosh! It would end up costing me 80-100k or more in loans for the tuition alone! That's not counting books and cost of living...

-Harder to get into a school. Because of my lackluster undergrad gpa, I have a smaller number of schools that I could apply to. Even though I know my grades will be much more competitive with my pre-reqs, it still wouldn't be enough and I might not get accepted anywhere.

-Continuing on that note, I have a year of pre-reqs to do for OT school. If I was to go for OT, I would have a year of classes to take before I could TRY to get into OT school.

Things about nursing I like:

-The options are so endless with nursing!!! I could remain an RN or go back to school for my BSN, MSN, NP, midwife....

-There are so may avenues I could take, even just with my RN. I could go into psych, acute care, hospice, etc.

-There is ALWAYS plenty of overtime to be had!

-So much learning! I could be a scrub nurse and learn about surgeries. How stinking cool is that?

-In 2 years I would have my RN and could work while furthering my education.

Things I don't like about nursing...

-I've only worked in a LTC facility but the nurses always seem so stressed out.

-Standing for 8-16 hours a day.

-Unpleasant patients.

-"Nurses eat their young"... as a CNA, I see the tension between the nurses and it's less than civil at times.

Any insight you could provide would be much appreciated because I feel so clueless right now!!! I've definitely done my research, plus I work with both RNs and OTs so I see enough of what they do to have an idea of both positions. Whenever I feel set on one I begin second guessing myself and flip-flopping....