Thinking about a career path to pursue and what to study?
It’s a big decision, I hear you.
In this article, we’ll discuss whether to study Nursing or Psychology.
Nurse or Psychologist, which is better?
In short, Nursing is seen to be better since Nurses have significantly more job opportunities than Psychologists, thus getting into the psychology field is much more difficult. Nursing, in general, is a career that may last a lifetime if you want it to be, even if you’re not a brilliant nurse, and does pay more.
Nursing demands a serious commitment, so if you are kindhearted and have the willpower to help the weak and diseased, nursing is the path for you.
Furthermore, you need to be willing to contribute long hours in stressful conditions, and you need to put your patient’s needs ahead of your own.
Highly skilled nurses are in great demand globally, and nurses quickly get jobs in the private and government sectors.
Many imagine that nursing involves caring for patients.
However, it is much more than that.
Nurses increasingly assume leadership roles in healthcare settings and can diagnose, treat, and handle patients without supervisors.
Furthermore, advanced education can let you specialize in critical care nursing, psychiatry nursing, oncology nursing, or cardiothoracic nursing
Then some Paediatric nurses work with children, and they have to provide intensive and standard care and provide everything that their medical conditions demand.
No, let’s discuss Psychology.
Psychology is the study of the human mind and behavior, and it allows researchers to investigate outstanding issues about the brain.
Such as how it works under stress, how it learns language, how it recalls data, and how mental illness affects how it performs.
During your psychology degree, you can specialize in fields such as health, child development, abnormal psychology, counseling, social psychology, and cognition.
Graduate students with a psychology degree have considerably more work prospects.
A master’s degree can lead to careers as research and clinical assistants.
However, a doctorate is required if you want to deal with patients in a clinical setting or engage in research or academia.
Nurse harder than Psychology?
Nursing is much harder than Psychology due to the vast amount of material and range of courses required to study.
Students seeking to enter Nursing School should be comfortable with and firm understanding of biology, anatomy, chemistry, math, and pharmacology
Most students studying Nursing find the workload of studying huge, sacrificing their social life and time normally spent with family.
This does not mean a Psychology degree is a walk in the park.
Most Psychology students find statistics subjects the most difficult.
It’s also important to remember that level of difficulty does depend on the natural abilities and capacity of each student and also interests.
Who earns more Psychologist or Nurse?
Nurses Practitioners earn more than Psychologist, with the median wage of a Nurse Practitioner at $117,670 compared to $82,180
However, wages will vary on the number of years of experience, geographical location, etc.
Vocational Nurses or Licenses Practical and Licenses Vocational Nurses earn around $48,820 per annum.
| Job Role | Median Wage / Per Annum |
| Nurse Practitioners, Nurse Anesthetists, Midwives | $117,670 |
| Registered Nurse | $75,330 |
| Psychologist | $82,180 |
The median wage is the wage at which half the workers in an occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less. According to US Labor Bureau and Statistics, the median annual wage for nurse anesthetists, nurse midwives, and nurse practitioners was $117,670 per year in 2020.
The lowest 10 percent earned less than $82,460, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $184,180.
Median annual wages for nurse anesthetists, nurse midwives, and nurse practitioners in May 2019 were as follows:
| Nurse anaesthetists | $183,580 |
| Nurse practitioners | $111,680 |
| Nurse-midwives | $111,130 |
In May 2020, the median annual wages for nurse anesthetists, nurse midwives, and nurse practitioners in the top industries in which they worked were as follows:
| Hospitals; state, local, and private | $124,660 |
| Outpatient care centres | $122,840 |
| Offices of physicians | $114,570 |
| Offices of other health practitioners | $111,610 |
| Educational services; state, local, and private | $111,400 |
Source; Nurse Anesthetists, Nurse Midwives, and Nurse Practitioners: Occupational Outlook Handbook: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (bls.gov)
Final Thoughts
Nursing School is more rigorous than Psychology Degree.
There is a multitude of career opportunities in Nursing compared to Psychology.
Nursing jobs are also more stable than Psychology and earn more money.
Making any career decision is a big one.
Important to consider your options, and speak with family and friends to get their feedback.
Even obtain career counseling.
Importantly think about your strengths, weaknesses, and likes.
