Nursing vs OT- any thoughts?

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Hello all,

I am a sophomore at a school known for it's programs in health care professions.

I wanted to be a nurse since I was a young child, but people (in many cases, nurses) have tried to talk me out of it, saying it's too stressful, or that it's not a good career to have for a long time, etc.

So, I got really interested in occupational therapy, and am currently a psychology/pre-OT major. I thought I'd be really interested in OT because I love working with people who have disabilities, and I am. But I'm still stuck on nursing.

I need to decide this semester if I'm going to switch to nursing so I can get all my ducks in a row for nursing school admission.

I want to be a nurse because I want to really have the opportunity to care for people. I can handle blood and bodily fluids, etc. I really admire many of the women I know who are nurses. I also don't want to be in school forever. And, I'm in the Honors program at my university, and all pre nursing students in honors are given automatic acceptence into the college of nursing upon completion of their pre requisites.

Any thoughts on nursing vs OT? Any nurses wish you had done something else? I can't decide between the two, though I worry that nursing is really as bad as everyone keeps telling me, or that maybe I'd get bored as an OT.

Any input at all would be awesome! Thank you :)

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Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.

Do you want to work during daylight hours and have most weekends off? Do you want to quickly find employment after graduation? Do you want the utmost respect from others in the interdisciplinary team? Then become an occupational therapost (OT).

As a nurse you might end up working the most socially unattractive hours, including overnights, weekends, holidays, and mandated double shifts. I have never heard of any OT that was mandated to work a double. In addition, the other disciplines tend to treat them with the utmost respect.

In many employment markets, some new nurses have been unemployed for a year or longer as they search for their first jobs because many cities are glutted with too many nurses. For instance, California has an new grad RN unemployment rate of 43 percent for those who are in their first 18 months of nursing licensure.

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Thank you or your honest response. I appreciate it! I honestly OT would be better for me just because of my personality, I guess I'm just having a hard time dropping the nursing idea.

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I'm in a really similar situation. I did ALL of my nursing pre-reqs and got my associates from a community college this past spring. All I had to do was take the TEAS test and start the application process but I decided to transfer to a local university and get my bachelors for SLP instead. I'm going to finish my bachelors for SLP and decide if I want to go to grad school for SLP or go to nursing school. I wasted a lot of time researching the same questions you are asking and I honestly lost sleep over it. It's really stressful having to make a decision like this where you are unsure because you don't want to waste anymore time/money. I personally think you should finish your bachelors for OT since you are already in honors. Find a way to include nursing pre-reqs in your bachelors degree and when you're done decide if you want to complete the masters to become an OT or go to nursing school. There are programs that let those who have a bachelors complete the nursing degree at a faster pace.

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I'm still stuck on nursing too and wonder if SLP is too boring for me. I've had people warn me against nursing but my mom constantly tells me she would love it if I would go for nursing. But what helped me decide on SLP (for now at least lol..:rolleyes:) was thinking about the pros/cons. With OT and SLP you have less chance of working holidays/weekends/overnight/double-shifts. In the future if you decide to get married/kids etc. you may prefer a job working daylight hours. Being a occupational therapist would be easier on the body/not as physically demanding, pays just as well, better work hours etc. and you may have less chance of burn out. This is all simply just what I've read/heard and picked up on. Hope I helped in some way to give you some peace of mind bc I know the feeling of stressing about making a choice. I'm in my junior year of finishing my bachelors but my best advice is to just relax and focus on the classes you are dealing with and do your best. It's never to late to change your mind.

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Hi! I'm not sure if this is helpful, as I've learned that looking at your own skills/passions is the most important factor for selecting a career but I just thought I'd share my story. I graduated last year with my BSN, honors and a departmental award for outstanding potential. A few months later I landed my dream job as a pediatric RN, but ended up resigning several months in, surprising everyone, mostly myself. I loved working at a children's hospital, but I was miserable in the role of the nurse. I felt that I was never able to give good care or get to know my kids, as I was constantly torn between urgent tasks. I wasn't able to sleep at night between long shifts, relax on my days off, or spend time with friends during normal hours. After some personal reflection on the experience I am considering returning to school for OT or SLP, because I saw how they are able to make a real impact on hospitalized children and focus their teaching/assessment on one patient at a time. Best of luck in your career search, I know RN has been absolutely wonderful for many of my friends and I'm sure you will find the right path! Sometimes it can just be a matter of trial and error

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