Social work or Mental health nursing - which is better

Basically i'm torn between the two. I don't know which degree i should choose to study. I'd would like to help children/adolescents or people with eating disorders. It's hard to make a decision that's going to be irreversible.

I like social work because it's less of health care/physical care of the person and more so talking with them, assessing their situation, doing paperwork etc.

I'm still interested in mental health nursing because of all those things that are also kind of similar to social work but i don't like the physical care aspect of it. I'm also worried about the violence..

I really want to have a career where i can help others with their lives, but also enjoy what i'm doing at the same time.

If i chose it i would rather work with victims of crime or people with eating disorders, depression or PTSD. I also don't mind paperwork. I've always enjoyed things like that.

If you're a social worker or a nurse please let me know what is your day to day work life like, what do you do, how are the working hours etc. (students, leave your opinion too) I want to be able to make an informed decision.

Also, do mental health nurses have to wear uniforms? Is it easy to advance in both of these careers?

Thank you

If you do not want to be involved in the health of people or physical care then nursing is not for you. Your primary aim as a nurse (in any field) is to care for people, to help them manage their health conditions and to provide them with physical care to ensure they are as comfortable as possible. There are some nursing roles which involve less physical care however you would still need to complete your training and likely get additional experience before you would be qualified for these roles.

I'm not sure what you are referring to in terms of violence but assaults on staff are very rare and not tolerated.

Honestly, from what you've written it doesn't seem like you have much of an idea of what either of these careers entail. I would strongly recommend you get some work experience in either area prior to making any decisions.

I'm doing a CertHe in health and social care this year. This will include placement. As i've mentioned before i am interested in caring for people and their health, just not the physical side. I'm sorry if you don't like what i wrote but not every person is going to like every aspect of a job - this doesn't make them a bad fit for the job.

Also, thanks for the reply but you did not actually specify what the job entails which is actually my question.

I have absolutely no opinion about what you wrote so please don't assume that's the case. I gain nothing from you either wanting or not wanting to be involved in nursing, but I don't think there's any point in sugar-coating the reality of a profession I am in when it seems at total crossroads with what you have stated you are looking for.

The physical aspect of the role is the major part of it and is something you would spend the vast majority of your time doing - it is not something you can simply tolerate and focus on paperwork instead - that is not what nursing is about. If you do not enjoy the physical aspects of caring for patients it then you will be truly miserable on the course, and will not support the patients in the best way.

As I advised, you really should look at getting some work experience so you can make your own opinion of the careers and can see for yourself how much personal care is actually involved.

Many people (including myself) have listed what a student nurse or registered nurse does in a day - you should use the search function and be able to find lots of these. I work in a very specialist role which is not in line with what you are interested in therefore I did not feel there was any value in adding this.

I'm doing a CertHe in health and social care this year. This will include placement. As i've mentioned before i am interested in caring for people and their health, just not the physical side. I'm sorry if you don't like what i wrote but not every person is going to like every aspect of a job - this doesn't make them a bad fit for the job.

Also, thanks for the reply but you did not actually specify what the job entails which is actually my question.

Basically i'm torn between the two. I don't know which degree i should choose to study. I'd would like to help children/adolescents or people with eating disorders. It's hard to make a decision that's going to be irreversible.

I like social work because it's less of health care/physical care of the person and more so talking with them, assessing their situation, doing paperwork etc.

I'm still interested in mental health nursing because of all those things that are also kind of similar to social work but i don't like the physical care aspect of it. I'm also worried about the violence..

I really want to have a career where i can help others with their lives, but also enjoy what i'm doing at the same time.

If i chose it i would rather work with victims of crime or people with eating disorders, depression or PTSD. I also don't mind paperwork. I've always enjoyed things like that.

If you're a social worker or a nurse please let me know what is your day to day work life like, what do you do, how are the working hours etc. (students, leave your opinion too) I want to be able to make an informed decision.

Also, do mental health nurses have to wear uniforms? Is it easy to advance in both of these careers?

Thank you