Answers:
First the difference between nursing and social work salaries is not as large as those here would want you to believe. Average salary for BSW is 30K and BSN 35K with no experience. The range in salaries is roughly equivalent in the first few years out. Now it is true that a BSW will usually top out salary wise faster than a BSN or RN. It is also true that many BSW go on for an MSW; but with a BSW you can complete that MSW in a year and then you will surpass most RN salaries and you have MANY more options. The clearest test of the fact that nurses actually make less than social workers is in the fact that many hospitals shift work load usually associated with social work to nurses because they don't want to pay for social workers.
Now if you really like nursing in terms of the medical side of things then I would go in this direction.
If you want to work broadly in the human services then the BSW would be a better choice...especially if you are thinking of going on for an MSW.
DA
No money in social work, both are great jobs, higher demand for nursing. You have to decide what YOU want to do these are two very different jobs. Can you handle the stress and being exposed to bodily fluids with nursing? Can you handle seeing people in horrible living situations that you cannot believe survive? Do you want to provide healthcare to the public or do you want to provide assistance to people in need of a social worker?
Do you like science? In social work, you are constantly troubleshooting and problemsolving people's mental health problems. With nursing you deal with both the physical and mental health. Dealing with someone's physical problems is a nice break from just dealing with the mental health part.
For me, nursing was the clear choice. taking care of patients in the ICU feeds a part of my brain that I could not get fed if i was a social worker. But I am burned out now, and it's witnessing so much suffering that has put me over the edge. So I am taking a break. I loved the medical side of things/ troubleshooting etc.
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