Occupational Therapy Or Bachelors In Nursing?

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I'm a freshman in college and i was going into pre-nursing, i started to look into occupational therapy and im highly considering changing my major. which one is better? salary? Just overall....

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Specializes in ED, Cardiac Medicine, Retail Health.

pay,

i am not sure, quality of life, occupational therapist.

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In addition to a different skill set, nurses have a diffrent work schedule and patient assignment than occupational therapists. OTs generally work Monday to Friday 9:00 to 5:00, whereas nurses work shift work, some people prefer shift work but others prefer to be with their family and friends during evenings, weekends and holidays. OTs schedule therapy times with their patients and provide one on one therapy for an hour or more, with each patient. Nurses look after a group of patients and provide one on one care for brief periods of time. Nurses juggle their work day based on the priority of patients' need. A patient's nursing need, can fluctuate throughout the day and as a result a nurse's work day can be chaotic and reactive, whereas a patient's OT need tends to be stable, and as a result an OTs work day can be smooth and proactive.

The payscale for OTs and nurses varies depending on location, suggest you look them up for your location on payscale.com

dishes

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Specializes in acute care med/surg, LTC, orthopedics.

If I knew then what I know now, I would have chosen OT.

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Nice comparison, dishes. I think, I too, may have chosen OT, as well, especially if I'd thought more about the caregiver/patient ratio described above, as well as the hours. :cool: Plus you may be a little or a lot more autonomous depending on where you work.

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For what it's worth, I've known quite a few OTs over the years and they've been happier being OTs than most of the RNs I've known have been happy being RNs.

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I've experienced the same struggle between choosing OT vs. BSN, but I ultimately chose BSN because of the opportunities. I figured that I could always go back to school and become an OT, and at least I'll be able to work a few years beforehand to pay back student loans, etc. If you are interested in going to grad school, the BSN opens so many doors in the healthcare world (NP, CNS, PA, OT, and the list goes on).

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I am an BSN RN and would NEVER do it again. You have to go with what you will be happy with and not what opportunities a degree opens for you. Trust me, I know so many nurses who wish they could start over again. I have friends who are OT and PTA and they absolutely love their job. I give up so much for my job that I hate it now. My husband who is an RN is back in school because he was tired of the crap RN's have to put up with. RN's are very underpaid for their responsibility and job requirements.

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OT all the way. dont think about it, dont consider, dont research, dont blink..... GO OT PLEASE LOLOLOLOLOLOL

ANY "therapy" job > nursing.

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I think as far as salary, it depends on what area you live in. I have shadowed OT and some of them have various complaints just like nurses do. I agree that it is less stressful than being a nurse. You should shadow some OT's so you can get an insight in the field. Plus to get into an OT grad program you have to have shadowing hours anyway. Good luck, I have considered OT as a back-up if I do not get into a nursing program but I am still on the fence about that:)

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

Occupational therapists command greater pay and a degree of respect because they have managed to create barriers to the entry of their profession. Occupational therapy is a master's-level program, whereas people can gain entry into nursing with an associate degree or diploma.

Local job markets are flooded with unemployed and underemployed nurses because everybody (and their mamas) have jumped on the nursing bandwagon. People cannot jump on the OT bandwagon so quickly because of the higher barrier to entry known as the master's degree. Therefore, OTs have stayed in demand, kept their wages high, and controlled the number of people entering their career pathway.

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Occupational therapists command greater pay and a degree of respect because they have managed to create barriers to the entry of their profession. Occupational therapy is a master's-level program, whereas people can gain entry into nursing with an associate degree or diploma.

Local job markets are flooded with unemployed and underemployed nurses because everybody (and their mamas) have jumped on the nursing bandwagon. People cannot jump on the OT bandwagon so quickly because of the higher barrier to entry known as the master's degree. Therefore, OTs have stayed in demand, kept their wages high, and controlled the number of people entering their career pathway.

Also I would add that many people do not even know what Occupational Therapists do. When I tell people I am going into either Nursing or Occupational Therapy, they always reply, "What's Occupational Therapy?" hence the reason you have to get shadowing hours to gain entrance into a grad program. It's kinda like a hidden profession but it's gaining momentum because applications have doubled to Grad programs recently. It's not near as many applicants as nursing but they only accept 25 to 35 students out of maybe 180 applicants. So it is very competitive as well. I found this out by going to information sessions at different universities.

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