Advice: Physical therapy or nursing?

<p>D3 is having a hard time choosing between nursing and physical therapy. She has a direct admit into PT at 2 schools, and several nursing choices. She has job-shadowed several times in each profession and likes both. We have discussed pros/cons, etc but she just can't seem to decide. I'm leaning toward PT, just knowing that it will be much harder to apply after her undergrad years and that 1 of the schools actually will extend her scholarship into the grad school years. Any advice either way?</p>

<p>Both are great careers without the threat of economic cutbacks in the field…I will probably upset the PTs out there (several of whom have saved my body after injuries/surgery) but I think nursing is the better choice…With PT you are a PT (in a hospital/rehab center / outpatient center) but still a PT…with nursing you have many options that are almost completely different careers…hospital nursing (any shifts/hours that would work into your schedule are available… MD office nursing/ incredible options overseas for 1-2 years/ education(an area in desperate need…most professors are nearing retirement) school nursing/parish nursing/ and then the divergent areas of hospital consulting/ legal nurse consultant/ options within insurance companies/ and even pharmaceutical sales (many RNs go into this career)…tons of choices with one degree! and great job security! Good luck to your D!</p>

<p>It will take her several years LONGER in school to become a PT than to become a registered nurse. PT course of study is the equivalent of a doctorate. Does SHE want to do that?</p>

<p>Undergrad RN BSN program=4years …these days many RNs go for their MSN if not an ND or PhD in nursing …also options at the grad school level for APN (Advance Practice Nurses) or CRNA (Nurse anesthestist)…all provide additional opportunities in different areas of Nursing…</p>

<p>illinoismom, I will tell you this honestly from the heart. If she can handle nursing as a career, it is, from my observation, one of the best careers for women. First of all, you can get a job anywhere. Everyplace on earth has nurses - not true of every profession. She can follow a husband in his career without worrying about getting work herself. A nurse can always get work, in hospitals, nursing homes, home health care aides, etc. Nurses can work hours that fit their personal agendas. </p>

<p>SIL has 4 children 15 to 3 and works part time in a neo-natal ICU nights and weekends. Sometimes she has to pull 24 hours, but she can also be almost a stay at home mom at the same time. Nurses can also pursue higher degrees if they wish, and further their positions that way. They can also be part of things like Doctors Without Borders and do volunteer work. They can be school nurses and get tuition discounts for their kids. </p>

<p>It really is a great choice for women who want to have many options open to them. Another SIL just went back to work as a nurse part time after 17 YEARS off. Try that with most other professions and you are laughed out of the room.</p>

<p>IMHO there isn’t any question. Go with nursing.</p>

<p>a no-brainer: nursing!!!</p>

<p>Nursing. You should know, though, that at least in my state, many of the women who go to the four-year BSN program do so because they are rejected from the two-year (actually three-year) community college program. In my state, the only job for which a BSN is required is school or public health nurse. Many hospitals will want a BSN for nurse managers (though many don’t have one). But other than that, there are generally no differences in income, or in job responsibilities. (My wife is a hospice nurse, who works independently of doctors - it is rare either for her or her patients to ever see one - she has great independence in establishing her schedule, her pay is amazing - more than mine after 4 years, and I have five years post-grad - and she never lacks for work!</p>

<p>Regardless of degree, there is just so much more flexibility for different careers in nursing.</p>

<p>mini: all this time i thought u were female!!!</p>

<p>How can you be sure you are correct this time?</p>

<p>I’m going to put a coin in the hat for nursing, too. With nursing, she has the opportunity do her education in stages - she can get a BSN, work, and then return for a master’s degree in nursing to become a nurse practitioner OR can become a physician’s assistant. In fact, with a little bit of planning she could probably go from a BSN to a DPT program, too. She’ll have the prerequisites.</p>

<p>I have recently been looking for hospital administration jobs (my hoped-for field) and I see TONS of nursing jobs in different specialities on the hospital job boards here in NYC. She could move basically anywhere in the country she wanted to and get a job - pick a city. There are quite a few jobs in PT too, but not as many.</p>

<p>mini, LOL, so true!! it’s that heterocentric thinking coming thru. point well-taken! hahaaa</p>

<p>One additional thing to be concerned about in PT is the PHYSICAL aspect of it. One of my friends has a petite D who is a licensed PT but has gotten a lot of injuries because many of the patients she has worked on are VERY heavy/obese/overweight. It takes significant mass and strength to work with some/many of them, especially as many have very poor muscle tone and strength.</p>

<p>Nursing does have a LOT of options, but at least in HI, it can be tough to get a job in it if you don’t have experience. She should try to get some experience in it WHILE she is going to school if she does decide to go into it. She could also get a degree in nursing as an undergrad & then apply to PT school.</p>

<p>Nursing does seem to have a significant amount of flexibility–there are many jobs for those who just have an RN degree and also opportunities for those who become MSN & even go on to get their PhDs. If it were my D, I’d recommend nursing as well. Unfortunately, neither of my kids have any interest in going into healthcare.–have seen & experiences more than they want 1st hand.</p>

<p>Good luck to your D. I believe it may be possible to get merit aid for grad school sometimes but don’t have specific knowledge about these fields.</p>

<p>Just don’t come to Calif. to look for nursing jobs. My friend’s D graduated from nursing school over a year ago and is still looking. There was a glut of graduates several years ago and now hospitals and clinics have cut way back.</p>

<p>cbreeze: not entirely accurate (is your friend’s daughter flexible?). although i’m definitely in favor of cal residents (longtime residents) being hired over newbies to the state, LOL!</p>

<p>I don’t think she can go wrong either way, but I would like to add that all of the wonderful positives that folks above mentioned for nursing also can be said for PT. </p>

<p>There are lots of jobs available; PTs can find work anywhere, for any amount of hours that they want to work (or not); they don’t have to work weekends or holidays, and there are many different ways to be a PT, contrary to what katie93mom says. Yes, you can work in a hospital, rehabilitation center, or outpatient center, and have a wide variety of patients at each. But you can also work in home health, hospice care, the school system working with all different types of students with disabilities from age 3-21, Birth-3 in home. There are so many specialites, just like nursing, like orthopedics, geriatrics, traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, pediatrics, seating/positioning of wheelchairs, wound care, sports training, prosthetics, school system, burns, stroke, occupational/workplace, health, diabetes (including wound care and peripheral neuropathy), pain management, lymphedema, TENS, to name some off the top of my head. You have to take specialized classes or have training in these areas. You can also go into management or research, or open your own private practice. For example, I knew someone who specialized in physical therapy for pregnant women. </p>

<p>There are tons of overseas opportunities; hospitals, schools, non-profit organizations, etc. I have done some (I am an OT), and know of many others who have gone to all kinds of places, Egypt, Africa, Sri Lanka, Mexico, Haiti, Cambodia, New Zealand.</p>

<p>With PT you usually get to work with a patient 1:1; sometimes for an extended period of time. Each person and their issue is a puzzle that a PT gets to figure out and help to get that person more functional with the specialized knowledge base they have. </p>

<p>That being said, there are some drawbacks. The educational requirements are long, arduous, and expensive. Depending on where you work, productivity requirements can be difficult. There is a lot of physical activity, so you should be or stay in good shape. I don’t know a PT who doesn’t take care of him or herself. As mentioned above, you can get injured, but your size or the size of the patient should not be a factor in injury, as this is part of the training; it is all physics.</p>

<p>She may want to get some copies of the different professional’s magazine, and see what articles she is most drawn to. I know one PT magazine is called Advance for Physical Therapy Practitioners, which she should be able to find online. I don’t know what a similar nursing magazine would be. </p>

<p>Good luck to D and her decision; she has picked two wonderful professions.</p>

<p>In HI also, they are only hiring EXPERIENCED nurses, so folks have to go to other places to gain their experience because the employers in HI don’t want to have to mentor them & supervise them (of course there are exceptions, especially if you do a lot of internships and otherwise get a lot of experience).</p>

<p>My vote is PT and that is what I am “pushing” for several of my kids. I am a mom of 5 and have been a PT for 21 years. It is the best job ever, especially for a mom. Unlike a nurse I never have to work nights. My part-time job opportunities far out weigh the ones my nursing friends have. At least 2-4 times per week I receive info for job opportunities in my area. Like a nurse I can work with all ages and work in a variety of settings. The messiness I deal with is far less than a nurse: I am not responsible for bedpans, needles, tubes, etc. (My nurse friends do not mind this but this was not my “cup o’ tea”.)</p>

<p>Look up careers that have the highest job satisfaction. PT’s always rank very high.</p>

<p>For any student who likes to stay fit, encourage and educate others, and wants to work in the medical field you cannot beat this job.</p>

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<p>Times may have changed, but I have SIL on both sides (wife of B and wife of BIL) who have injured their backs lifting patients. Both are (or were) nurses.</p>

<p>I have worked as a PT for 35 years and have never been unemployed. I have worked in outpatient, acute hospitals, and currently in home health. It has been a great profession to have as a mother also. PT’s are always in demand since programs graduate such small numbers. Nursing is also a wonderful profession, (my sister has a Masters in Psychiatric Nursing and teaches at a junior college). You can’t go wrong with either one.</p>

<p>How old is your daughter now? is she in college yet? Is she still at the stage where she could take undergrad courses to prepare her for either and make a final decision later?
I’ve been a nurse practitioner for 26 years and my younger daughter (graduating HS) is thinking of one of the rehab professions - PT, OT, maybe speech. I don’t really keep up with the job markets, even in my own field, having been at my current job for 20 years, but I think your d could find lots of interesting things to do in any of these. Bear in mind that if she becomes a nurse and wants to go into any kind of advanced practice, it’s back to school (sometimes employers will pay for it, but full-time work and grad school is grueling).</p>