So torn between Nursing and Social Work... advice?

NicuGal, MSN, RN · Aug 8, 2015

Honestly, do what you think you will love. And keep in mind that most OT schooling requires at least a Master's.

As for the med test, it is what it is. Most nursing math is straight forward and not that difficult.

BertG77 · Aug 8, 2015

My wife graduated with her MSW about a year ago, right around the time I was finishing my nursing school pre-req's. Since then it's been interesting to see the differences between what each field demands. She was hired by the state (California) to work in CPS and we're lucky that the county she works in has one of the highest pay scales in our region. However, the type of, and amount of work she has to do is insane. As a 3rd semester BSN student with some clinical, and CNA experience in LTCF's and hospitals, I would say her job seems WAAAYYYY harder and stressful than that of the nurses I've been exposed. The hardest part of her job is that she spends her entire day at the office (I've seen what her day entails when she works occasionally from home and is often on call) on the phone with clients. She has to basically do everything for them, in terms of bolstering their confidence, counseling them, as well as suggesting, implementing and following up on logistical things like organizing housing for them, then figuring out transportation to and from the new housing, transportation to medical and other counseling services, day care for the kids, fielding non-stop calls from nosey relatives, etc. It never ends. So as her day is spent stuck on the phone, there is little to no time to do any of the extensive documentation that is required. I'm taking about huge legal documents that can't be skimped on or fudged in anyway. And these exist for each case and she has many all at once, always. SHe often stays up all night, several nights a week completing these legal court documents and forgoing sleep, while I'm snoring away for at least a few hours.

I'm not saying this to say that the field of social work is a nightmare, my wife does tell me that it is often very rewarding, but it is taking a toll and she says everyone in her office works just as hard if not more than she does.

I get to leave my "work" at the hospital, she doesn't. Granted, right now I am in school and do have to study a lot, but my clinical days are the closest I get right now to being an actual nurse and once you're off the floor, you're free. Same thing with being a CNA. The pay is definitely better than a social worker, and yeah the nursing program is hard, but so what? We do have the mandatory math exams every semester and we do have to score 100% but we're given more than one chance and the schools DO work with you. They want you to succeed. I would say you should do some real soul searching and ultimately (like my wife said to me years ago) just pick something. It doesn't have to define you or change you dramatically, you can perceive it as a "job" but own it and do your best and move forward.

AuDDoc · Aug 8, 2015

Never do anything for just the money.

I will tell you this; Social Work is just as demanding if not more draining than nursing. You often times end up being a patient advocate who gets all the crap that we in the healthcare do not want to deal with. You always have to deal with some overbearing family members. You will have to have a master's degree and the pay is awful.

Occupational therapy is a great field. Great salaries, but you will need a masters degree. I worked with tons of OT's over the years in rehab clinics. Good amount of jobs available.

Nursing is still the best choice IMO because it is the most wide open in terms of flexibility of career. You can switch to multiple areas with just your RN or BSN. You can go get more certifications or more education if you get bored with one area.

I still regret not finishing my nursing degree.

Samm06, BSN, RN · Aug 8, 2015

my BSN program allows for at least a 90% on math calc tests (each semester) to pass. so not all programs will require a 100%.

nybsn · Aug 8, 2015

My wife graduated with her MSW about a year ago, right around the time I was finishing my nursing school pre-req's. Since then it's been interesting to see the differences between what each field demands. She was hired by the state (California) to work in CPS and we're lucky that the county she works in has one of the highest pay scales in our region. However, the type of, and amount of work she has to do is insane. As a 3rd semester BSN student with some clinical, and CNA experience in LTCF's and hospitals, I would say her job seems WAAAYYYY harder and stressful than that of the nurses I've been exposed. The hardest part of her job is that she spends her entire day at the office (I've seen what her day entails when she works occasionally from home and is often on call) on the phone with clients. She has to basically do everything for them, in terms of bolstering their confidence, counseling them, as well as suggesting, implementing and following up on logistical things like organizing housing for them, then figuring out transportation to and from the new housing, transportation to medical and other counseling services, day care for the kids, fielding non-stop calls from nosey relatives, etc. It never ends. So as her day is spent stuck on the phone, there is little to no time to do any of the extensive documentation that is required. I'm taking about huge legal documents that can't be skimped on or fudged in anyway. And these exist for each case and she has many all at once, always. SHe often stays up all night, several nights a week completing these legal court documents and forgoing sleep, while I'm snoring away for at least a few hours.
I'm not saying this to say that the field of social work is a nightmare, my wife does tell me that it is often very rewarding, but it is taking a toll and she says everyone in her office works just as hard if not more than she does.
I get to leave my "work" at the hospital, she doesn't. Granted, right now I am in school and do have to study a lot, but my clinical days are the closest I get right now to being an actual nurse and once you're off the floor, you're free. Same thing with being a CNA. The pay is definitely better than a social worker, and yeah the nursing program is hard, but so what? We do have the mandatory math exams every semester and we do have to score 100% but we're given more than one chance and the schools DO work with you. They want you to succeed. I would say you should do some real soul searching and ultimately (like my wife said to me years ago) just pick something. It doesn't have to define you or change you dramatically, you can perceive it as a "job" but own it and do your best and move forward.

Wow, interesting comparison between the two. My wife is actually a CNA at one of the city's top hospitals. All of her friends there are nurses, I always see them at every party we go to, they always seem so happy. Not to say that their jobs are not hard. I understand what you're saying about the med math tests, its just scares me because I hate math.

nybsn · Aug 8, 2015

AuDDoc,

Not to sound materialistic, but I think money does play a significant role in choosing what we want to do. It's not the ONLY role, but it's an important one I believe. You need financial security, but you also want to make sure whatever you're doing is something you don't mind doing. So it's like you have to look at money and you have to ask yourself if you don't mind the work involved, can you see yourself doing that, do you like anything about it, etc.

I have a feeling I can pass through the BSW and MSW program with flying colors because I have no more science or math classes to do. But I look at the salaries and that's like a huge deal breaker. I mean for a *masters*? Come on.

After reading these replies, I think I'm leaning more towards OT or RN. I agree what you said about OT, it is a great field with excellent pay. No med math tests involved. Only downside is masters degree, but I can look past that. My only concern is how to work around class schedule with my work schedule. I hope a part time work schedule can at LEAST be doable.

RN of course is also fantastic, well respected with great pay, many options, like you said. LIU has a part-time track which can work great for me.

If I go the OT route, I have to take: Abnormal Psych, College Algebra, English Lit, General Biology I and II, plus 16 additional liberal arts credits.

The BSN route: Microbiology, Chemistry 1 and 2, College Algebra, English Lit 1 and 2, History, Philosophy 1 and 2.

Hmm. It seems like I have less pre reqs to take if I go the OT route, BSN might take longer. So maybe I should go for OT. This BSN track is part time but all those damn pre-reqs are overkill IMO.

NicuGal, MSN, RN · Aug 8, 2015

Also keep in mind that a Master's is the MINIMUM degree for OT/PT and some places are looking for Doctorates. All my OT friends just shake their head at that. We also get OT students where I work for their clinical studies and they work 5 days a week with our team.

Just at have to weigh your options and figure out what will make you happy and what works with your life plan :)

icuRNmaggie, BSN, RN · Aug 8, 2015

If I could turn back the clock, and my science credits were not so outdated, I would enroll in an accredited cardiac perfusionist program.

The technology appeals to my inner science geek. Like OT, PA, PT and Speech therapy, the admission standards are very high, there is no glut and the salaries reflect the high demand for these professions.

ladyvp05 · Aug 9, 2015

I'm in arkansas and my program requires 100% on med calculation exams but you get a few tries to take it. Let me just say med math is easy as hell to me. I'm not a math wiz either. I always pass my med math test with a 100 on the first try. It's way easier than algebra. So please don't let med calculation exams scare you from wanting to become a nurse.

emmy27 · Aug 9, 2015

Med calculations are not difficult- it's a few basic concepts that yes, you *should* be able to do correctly 100% of the time, because if you do them wrong in practice, you could hurt or kill someone. But! They aren't that hard! Really. I am not a math person, but I got 100% on every med calc exam in nursing school. It's basic stuff like converting units, calculating doses based on various concentrations, calculating doses based on weight. Not calculus. If you can do things like calculate the unit price of items at the grocery store or figure out how far you can go on the gas in your tank or the mpg you've been getting- you can do med calc math.

Again, they are NOT difficult- this is grade-school level math, just applied to real-world concepts. Most of it could be done on paper by anyone who has passed eighth grade, but most schools still let you use a calculator anyway, and generally you're allowed to retake the exam if you fail. In my class, no more than a handful of people had to retake the exam each semester, no one who had to retake it had to do so in more than one semester, and nobody ever failed out because of it. It's really, really doable.

Not to say that nursing is the right choice for you, but *don't* let a dinky little math test be the deciding factor in your career choice. It's not a big deal, it's really not.

ladyvp05 · Aug 9, 2015

We used to beg to have a few med math question on each exam bc they were easy points. We always hd 3 on each exam, and I believe med math is the main reason I was able to pass each class with a B or better.