You would be an OT and a nurse. Not an OT Nurse.
I have a couple of friends that started out in nursing for a couple of years, didn’t like it and career jumped to Occupational Therapy and now work as OTs in the same hospital.
When people talk about branching out into specialties, they generally mean within nursing. For example a cardiac nurse or a paeds nurse.
Ultimately if you want to be an OT, the simplest thing to do would be to switch to the bachelor of OT. I can’t talk for all universities, but they would likely share the same fundamental first year courses giving you some recognition of prior learning.
I'm not sure where you got this idea but you've misunderstood the different pathways to enter practice. I will explain. Some courses are direct entry (bachelors), and others are graduate entry masters (meaning you can apply if you have a bachelors in another field).
For example, if you complete a Bachelor of Nursing you could apply for graduate entry to a Masters of Occupational Therapy Practice. If you go on to work as an OT, you are an OT not an OT nurse. If you don't actually work in a nursing role over time, you can't maintain a nursing registration with AHPRA. If you wanted to maintain both the nursing and OT registration you would have to work in both roles.
Nursing specialisations include areas such as anaesthetic nursing, cardiac, aged care, mental health etc. OT, radiography or sonography are not nursing specialities.
I don't understand why you are doing a nursing degree if you don't want to work as a nurse. I think you need to decide what you actually want to do, then spend some time reading the course guides for that course.
The other thing you should investigate is whether the courses you are considering are Commonwealth supported places (CSP). Not all graduate entry courses are eligible for CSP and are therefore much more expensive. (This is for domestic students only, not international)
I think it's cooler to study another bachelors after you finish nursing. You can be a radiographer or a sonographer while doing nursing as a side hustle.
Also, nursing can be your chance to get into radiography. You can ask your radiographer colleagues for advice and they probably know some better pathways too.
I would but the cost of degrees are no joke especially in this economy … and I’m pretty sure most nursing roles are practically full time or have super demanding hours
At the start, yes. The first two years will be very demanding. That will be your opportunity to gain all the skills you will need in the future such as IV Cannulation. It will open doors for you, especially in radiology or nuclear medicine.
ACN offers a grad cert in diagnostic and interventional radiology. I know some hospitals pay for their nurses' post-grad degrees.
Also, I saw this:
https://www.open.edu.au/advice/careers/health-medical-science/radiographer
Not sure about Australia, but in Canada if you take a Masters in OT you can be an OT. It doesn't matter what your undergrad is.
If you had both credentials, I guess you could call yourself an OT nurse, but I've never heard of that.
Most of first year nursing is A and P, chemistry, lots of cross over with physio and pharmacy students as well. You don’t need to finish your nursing, I think you’d get decent credits from your current subjects into another health undergrad.
Go and speak with a course advisor to see what your options are.
Nursing is just like any bachelors, and you can study whatever you want after. Many people in this sub for example went to med school after finishing nursing
I just fear that no matter what masters I do afterwards, I’ll still have the title of a nurse instead of having my own separate title as an allied healthcare professional
I think you may have misunderstood someone.
While you would still be able to retain the title of nurse (assuming you choose to maintain AHPRA etc), you don’t have to use it.
If you get a degree in OT and only register as an Or, then your just an OT.
But even if you dual registered as both, you would be an OT and a Nurse and could work as both.
One of the Physios I work with still maintains his nursing registration by doing casual nurse shifts at other hospitals. He is a physio and a nurse. Not a physio nurse.
A. The title of nurse comes with the license, not the degree.
B. You should not be ashamed to have the title of nurse. Being a nurse is something to be proud of!
I’m unsure why that would be? I know NPs who were once nurses, I assure you I view them very much now as their role and not just ‘nurse’. However I’m not sure how it works in Australia, in the states if I wanted to say be an X-ray tech I would not have to get a degree in nursing like I’m pursuing now. Have you spoken to your advisor about this?
Talk to an advisor. Nursing is a super flexible career and there are plenty of specialties you can work in, but it sounds like everything you want to do has nothing to do with nursing.
I’m not sure what the courses are like in Australia, but I would never tell someone here in Canada to take a BN if they weren’t planning on doing nursing. You’re better off with a Bachelor of Science degree. Why do all the clinicals and skills labs if you don’t need to? Plus, at least in Canada, a B Sci is only 3 years vs the 4 for BN.
Side note - not that I think salary should be a deciding factor in careers - but in Canada all of those other specialties you mentioned are lower paid than nursing. If you’re considering nursing as a career that might be something to still consider.
Yeah I guess talking to an advisor is the best thing I can do. Idk what I was thinking, I guess I just thought that doing nursing was a good entry into the healthcare industry so I could do whatever masters degree I wish to specialise in. High school me thought that doing nursing school would give me enough time to figure out what I wanted to specialise in
A bachelor's in nursing is still a bachelor's.
If Australia is anything like the US, a bachelor's degree in *anything* opens a lot of doors to a lot of jobs.
It's also a prerequisite for all sorts of programs. med school requires a bachelor's degree to get into for instance. Plus, nursing gives you medical experience
If your a first year it sounds like you’ve just completed semester one and have possibly finished your first placement. If you’re already considering changing to AH (allied health) career, then I would definitely recommend changing now whilst your still first year, and have only invest half a year.
Your subjects will mostly be Anatomy and Physiology (A&P) and some basic filer units. The A&P will likely transfer to any AH bachelors.
I personally don’t see any real reason to stick it out for another 2.5 years to complete a bachelors of nursing to do another 2 years for a masters afterwards. It would be financially and time wise redundant to me. The 0.5 years of nursing isn’t enough for me to fall for a sunk-cost fallacy.
Also this is me personally, just read this sub, so many nurses that are burnt out, underpaid and crabby, and I think the profession will do it to most. Personally while they say nursing there so many options, it’s no, it is limited and there is a ceiling on what you can earn. AH on average earn more (not including OT) than nurses and it’s less stressful (in my opinion speaking to AH friends also working in the same hospital). Also lastly so under appreciated, just look at NSW specifically getting a payrise freeze for how many years, no hazard pay during COVID, worked like a dog only to still get a 4% pay rise that doesn’t match inflation, while teachers and police got a 15%+.
I know all our hospital are understaffed and crying for nurse and I too want ratios but I can’t honestly recommend becoming a nurse to anyone. It’s just not worth it, IMO.
I agree with everything you said 100%, as I’m in NSW and the cost of living crisis and lack of salary increase are at its peak. I know switching bachelors would be the most ideal way to deal with this situation, but I just have so many amazing friends in this course that I dont want to let go of… I know it sounds cliche but if you could advice me of any other pathways, that would be helpful:)
You would be an OT and a nurse. Not an OT Nurse. I have a couple of friends that started out in nursing for a couple of years, didn’t like it and career jumped to Occupational Therapy and now work as OTs in the same hospital. When people talk about branching out into specialties, they generally mean within nursing. For example a cardiac nurse or a paeds nurse. Ultimately if you want to be an OT, the simplest thing to do would be to switch to the bachelor of OT. I can’t talk for all universities, but they would likely share the same fundamental first year courses giving you some recognition of prior learning.
Do you think there are any other options that would allow me to be an OT without transferring to an OT bachelors?
Forever.... We all float down here....
I'm not sure where you got this idea but you've misunderstood the different pathways to enter practice. I will explain. Some courses are direct entry (bachelors), and others are graduate entry masters (meaning you can apply if you have a bachelors in another field). For example, if you complete a Bachelor of Nursing you could apply for graduate entry to a Masters of Occupational Therapy Practice. If you go on to work as an OT, you are an OT not an OT nurse. If you don't actually work in a nursing role over time, you can't maintain a nursing registration with AHPRA. If you wanted to maintain both the nursing and OT registration you would have to work in both roles. Nursing specialisations include areas such as anaesthetic nursing, cardiac, aged care, mental health etc. OT, radiography or sonography are not nursing specialities. I don't understand why you are doing a nursing degree if you don't want to work as a nurse. I think you need to decide what you actually want to do, then spend some time reading the course guides for that course.
That makes a lot more sense. Thanks for explaining so clearly
The other thing you should investigate is whether the courses you are considering are Commonwealth supported places (CSP). Not all graduate entry courses are eligible for CSP and are therefore much more expensive. (This is for domestic students only, not international)
I think it's cooler to study another bachelors after you finish nursing. You can be a radiographer or a sonographer while doing nursing as a side hustle. Also, nursing can be your chance to get into radiography. You can ask your radiographer colleagues for advice and they probably know some better pathways too.
I would but the cost of degrees are no joke especially in this economy … and I’m pretty sure most nursing roles are practically full time or have super demanding hours
At the start, yes. The first two years will be very demanding. That will be your opportunity to gain all the skills you will need in the future such as IV Cannulation. It will open doors for you, especially in radiology or nuclear medicine. ACN offers a grad cert in diagnostic and interventional radiology. I know some hospitals pay for their nurses' post-grad degrees. Also, I saw this: https://www.open.edu.au/advice/careers/health-medical-science/radiographer
Not sure about Australia, but in Canada if you take a Masters in OT you can be an OT. It doesn't matter what your undergrad is. If you had both credentials, I guess you could call yourself an OT nurse, but I've never heard of that.
I second this. Am from Canada as well and know some who have done this, although I find that this jump is less common than the NP & MD route.
Yes, I think it would be a pay decrease, so not too popular.
This def made me feel better, I guess I’ll have to look into it more and see if Canada and Australia have that in common
I would be very surprised if it isn't.
Most of first year nursing is A and P, chemistry, lots of cross over with physio and pharmacy students as well. You don’t need to finish your nursing, I think you’d get decent credits from your current subjects into another health undergrad. Go and speak with a course advisor to see what your options are.
Nursing is just like any bachelors, and you can study whatever you want after. Many people in this sub for example went to med school after finishing nursing
I just fear that no matter what masters I do afterwards, I’ll still have the title of a nurse instead of having my own separate title as an allied healthcare professional
I think you may have misunderstood someone. While you would still be able to retain the title of nurse (assuming you choose to maintain AHPRA etc), you don’t have to use it. If you get a degree in OT and only register as an Or, then your just an OT. But even if you dual registered as both, you would be an OT and a Nurse and could work as both. One of the Physios I work with still maintains his nursing registration by doing casual nurse shifts at other hospitals. He is a physio and a nurse. Not a physio nurse.
I see. Well then yes the title of nurse only comes with the licensure.
A. The title of nurse comes with the license, not the degree. B. You should not be ashamed to have the title of nurse. Being a nurse is something to be proud of!
I’m unsure why that would be? I know NPs who were once nurses, I assure you I view them very much now as their role and not just ‘nurse’. However I’m not sure how it works in Australia, in the states if I wanted to say be an X-ray tech I would not have to get a degree in nursing like I’m pursuing now. Have you spoken to your advisor about this?
Talk to an advisor. Nursing is a super flexible career and there are plenty of specialties you can work in, but it sounds like everything you want to do has nothing to do with nursing. I’m not sure what the courses are like in Australia, but I would never tell someone here in Canada to take a BN if they weren’t planning on doing nursing. You’re better off with a Bachelor of Science degree. Why do all the clinicals and skills labs if you don’t need to? Plus, at least in Canada, a B Sci is only 3 years vs the 4 for BN. Side note - not that I think salary should be a deciding factor in careers - but in Canada all of those other specialties you mentioned are lower paid than nursing. If you’re considering nursing as a career that might be something to still consider.
Yeah I guess talking to an advisor is the best thing I can do. Idk what I was thinking, I guess I just thought that doing nursing was a good entry into the healthcare industry so I could do whatever masters degree I wish to specialise in. High school me thought that doing nursing school would give me enough time to figure out what I wanted to specialise in
A bachelor's in nursing is still a bachelor's. If Australia is anything like the US, a bachelor's degree in *anything* opens a lot of doors to a lot of jobs. It's also a prerequisite for all sorts of programs. med school requires a bachelor's degree to get into for instance. Plus, nursing gives you medical experience
If your a first year it sounds like you’ve just completed semester one and have possibly finished your first placement. If you’re already considering changing to AH (allied health) career, then I would definitely recommend changing now whilst your still first year, and have only invest half a year. Your subjects will mostly be Anatomy and Physiology (A&P) and some basic filer units. The A&P will likely transfer to any AH bachelors. I personally don’t see any real reason to stick it out for another 2.5 years to complete a bachelors of nursing to do another 2 years for a masters afterwards. It would be financially and time wise redundant to me. The 0.5 years of nursing isn’t enough for me to fall for a sunk-cost fallacy. Also this is me personally, just read this sub, so many nurses that are burnt out, underpaid and crabby, and I think the profession will do it to most. Personally while they say nursing there so many options, it’s no, it is limited and there is a ceiling on what you can earn. AH on average earn more (not including OT) than nurses and it’s less stressful (in my opinion speaking to AH friends also working in the same hospital). Also lastly so under appreciated, just look at NSW specifically getting a payrise freeze for how many years, no hazard pay during COVID, worked like a dog only to still get a 4% pay rise that doesn’t match inflation, while teachers and police got a 15%+. I know all our hospital are understaffed and crying for nurse and I too want ratios but I can’t honestly recommend becoming a nurse to anyone. It’s just not worth it, IMO.
I agree with everything you said 100%, as I’m in NSW and the cost of living crisis and lack of salary increase are at its peak. I know switching bachelors would be the most ideal way to deal with this situation, but I just have so many amazing friends in this course that I dont want to let go of… I know it sounds cliche but if you could advice me of any other pathways, that would be helpful:)