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Which is better a profession in Psychiatry or Nursing? |
With all the schooling in order to master these two professions - which do you think is a better investment? Both I think reap benefits and are of interest to me...so then which do you think will go farther in the long run - in your professional opinion? Thx. I've worked in mental health nursing for 15+ years. I was also torn between a love for nursing, and mental health care. I combined them in to mental health nursing!! There is a huge nursing shortage,and we need dedicated new nurses. Psych nursing isn't every ones "cup of tea", so there are often jobs to be had in this specialty. Some nurses end up in Psych because of an opening in that unit in the hospital, and that's OK. What is best however, is when the nurse feels a draw to this specialty. The rewards are not instant, you will be dealing with chronically ill, and many patients will become familiar due to repeat admission. But once you get through to someone, and know you have truly made a difference in their life, giving them tools to deal with the challenges they face, well... it's a wonderful feeling. That has been my experience at least. Hope this helps, and good luck in what ever path you choose. Source(s): Mental Health RN Actually, it entirely depends on you. From an intelectual standpont, both are worthy proffesions that greatly benefit mankind. Both will reap great rewards over time, both in the money you earn and in the benefit to society. Let me tell you what I know. Psychiatry is almost pure science. You see certain symptoms and behaviors, plug them into an equation, and come up with an answer. It mainly deals with mental, emotional, and social health issues. Nursing is both an art and a science, and those who pursue it must be proficient in both. It requires a lot of scientific know-how to understand diagnoses, doctors' orders, medications, and technology in order to give the right services to the right patient. Nursing deals with the patient's entire health: physical, mental, emotional, social, and spiritual. Thus, the nursing also requires the art of caring in order to meet a patient's needs on all these different levels. Another thing to consider is how much patient contact you want to have. Psychiatrists only see their patients every once in a while for an hour or two at the most. Nurses working in a hospital or long-term care facility usually care for 3-5 patients for 8-12 hours daily for several days in a row. I'm sure you'll get many arguments going both ways. Here is what I suggest: try your hand at both before you decide. Find a psychiatrist that will let you shadow him/her for a day or two. Volunteer as a "candy striper" at your local hospital. You can also talk to the professors at any college you're interested in attending. You'll find psychology profesors who were practicing psychiatrists before they began teaching, and most nursing professors are still licensed nurses. Most professors will be more than happy to talk to you. I wish you good luck as you decide where you want to go from here. Just a thought, though, have you considered psychiatric nursing? I'm a senior nursing student. I'm not positive, but from what I hear psych doesn't pay well - it depends on what aspect you use for your career; are you talking psychiatrist, psych professor, or behavioral health specialist on a mental health hospital unit, etc.? I can tell you that behavioral health specialists at my hospital have to have a 4 year psych degree, and their starting salary is only around $16/hr. A nurse, however, as a new grad with a 4 year degree makes $26. I understand that it isn't all about money, its about finding your passion and doing what you love. Nursing is a "people" profession, and you have to be very patient, empathetic, and non-judgemental. You can burn out quickly if you don't have the right attitude about your job and don't love what you do. Depending on what aspect of psych you are looking into, you could be very academic, or very clinical and hands on much like with nursing. Why not get the best of both, be a nurse that specializes in psych, become a Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner at some point, and you could make like $70k per year or even way more, since the world needs a lot of these. :) Nursing has fantastic career expansion opportunies, if you find you don't like one area, there is always something else to be tried. With the increase in demand for nurses in the US, you will never be without a job. Good luck in making the decision that is right for you! RN |
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