I don’t think that there is a single job that you can get with a BS in Psychology from UCLA that you couldn’t get with a BSN from SDSU. The reverse cannot be said.
4 Likes
I agree, but I also think it is important for this student to decide if he/she actually likes nursing.
Maybe try nursing with the understanding that you can change your major if necessary.
Really? The BS in Psychology is a general purpose major that provides preparation for many jobs outside the medical field, in a way that a BSN would not. For example, far more UCLA Psychology grads end up going to law school, or end up working in politics or business. As a much higher ranking school, UCLA can also open doors in those sorts of areas in a way that SDSU would not. I don’t think this is just about whether you love nursing, but about whether you are certain that you want to work in medicine more broadly.
1 Like
I still think that the main issue here is whether or not this student wants to be a nurse. The second issue is whether or not UCLA is affordable- that is unclear to me.
OP take a look at the nursing classes and see if they are of interest to you. Try to speak with current nursing students and ask about their day, clinicals etc. Try and get a sense as to whether you would enjoy the work, the profession, the courses etc.
There is no wrong answer here. It’s ok to try nursing and switch majors if you want. But…you would have to be ok attending SDSU (a perfectly good school) unless you transfer. It is also ok to realize now that nursing is not for you, and you also prefer UCLA.
Either degree will lead to a first job. Both will also allow you to go back to school down the road if you should decide to be an occupational therapist, a NP, a teacher, lawyer, psychologist etc. Nothing will be off limits…regardless of the major you choose. The difference is that as a nursing major you will immediately step foot into a well paying career. A psych major could have more twists and turns….initially.
I will repeat myself (again). Nursing is a tough career if you like it. It is a really, really tough career if you don’t…imo.
4 Likes
Ehhhhhh -
Law - you could go from either major equally. Nursing, might in fact, offer a diversity that they see less of and would appeal to them.
Business - going into a decent b school - you’ll need work experience - which you’d get from either degree - but nursing more easily.
Maybe a PhD in psych - but I think it’s an overstatement in general. I don’t believe the OP is losing anything at SDSU - except a UCLA experience (whatever it entails) as opposed to an SDSU one (whatever that entails).
Exactly. One can go into nursing with a BSN, and can choose to get an advanced degree later if one wants to be, say, a psychiatric NP (masters or doctorate level), a clinical nurse specialist, etc. There are many advanced nursing degrees. But, as @Twoin18 has stated, often the hours and the demand in hospital nursing (ambulatory surgery centers might be demanding too, but the hours are better) can be extremely stressful. And I am familiar with nurses who have had injuries from lifting/repositioning/transferring patients. And you also want to be sure you are comfortable with the… um.. “less glamorous” aspects of nursing (think bodily function, etc).
With a psych undergrad degree, you can get a hospital job like a mental health assistant/associate (some states might require licensure but if so, its probably uncommon), but if you want to provide a higher level of care, you will need an advanced degree (masters or doctorate). It can be in a variety of areas of psychology (clinical, counseling, educational, industrial/organizational, etc), but you can also get a degree in social work, and with some of the terminal masters degrees in counseling or social work you can still be licensed in several states and have a very lucrative career.
1 Like
This topic was automatically closed 180 days after the last reply. If you’d like to reply, please flag the thread for moderator attention.