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I am trying to figure out what are the main, simplified differences between a clinical social worker and a registered nurse...? I've 'googled' it and have gotten somewhat of a glimpse into how they are similar but different, but I am still unsure what might be the better career choice for me. I am planning on getting into a field where I can assist people and earn a decent salary and currently I'm researching social work, nursing, and even the dental field. I've taken a few career tests and I've been pointed in the general direction of these three fields. I don't have a science background, so I'd have to learn nursing from scratch. I do enjoy studying how people think and how to help them better themselves, so that's why I'm leaning a bit towards social work (I taught middle and high school in the past).
If anyone works in social work or in nursing and can give a quick and easy comparison of both, I would appreciate it.
At the hospital where I used to work, the social workers were not involved in any medical decision and they were most engaged before a patient got discharged: they had to find a spot for the patient in a rehab facility or nursing home (if s/he was not to go home right away), arranged for transportation if family members weren't available, helped the patient apply for Medicaid, etc. IMO you would have immensely better prospects for career advancement if you were a RN, even if the schooling will take longer.
At the hospital where I used to work, the social workers were not involved in any medical decision and they were most engaged before a patient got discharged: they had to find a spot for the patient in a rehab facility or nursing home (if s/he was not to go home right away), arranged for transportation if family members weren't available, helped the patient apply for Medicaid, etc. IMO you would have immensely better prospects for career advancement if you were a RN, even if the schooling will take longer.
I agree that jobs are more plentiful and better paid for RN's. Sometimes even paying twice as much as a clinical social worker.
But also, be aware that school will take MUCH LONGER to become a clinical social worker (requiring a Master's degree and 3 years of supervised experience afterward) vs. an RN (requiring a Bachelor's degree if that - some RN's have only graduated from a certificate program).
I am trying to figure out what are the main, simplified differences
between a clinical social worker and a registered nurse...?
The blood and other body fluids you'll get on you when in Nursing.
There are other differences but that's the main one.
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