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Mental Health Nursing or Psychology?

Would it be more beneficial to do a degree in Mental Health Nursing or Psychology?
It would be a dream for me to become a psychologist/psychotherapist as I have a personal interest in working to help those who suffer with mental health issues. (Plus I dislike the statistical/research methods side of psychology). However, I understand that pursuing a career in this profession is extremely competitive and highly unlikely.
I would love to become a mental health nurse, but drawing me back is that a) what f there is a slight chance of me actually being able to become a psychologist. and also, of much less importance, the fact that the salary of a psychologist is far more than a mental health nurse- so would I be somewhat limiting myself ?

I am currently drawn to Mental Health Nursing because it almost guarantees a job and I would be playing a vital role in helping patients. it's essential for me to find work as soon as possible after university and I do not think I would be able to pay for further education as needed for becoming a psychologist.

I guess I am seeking reassurance or opinions on this matter!

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Seems like you have a really good overview of the issues and really it depends on whether you want to be a psychologist or a nurse as their roles are quite different. Some experience in either field would be ideal to help sway you one way or another.

Psychology is a lot more than just mental health so you'd need to enjoy psychology as a whole to get the most from a degree and career in it. But you are right about the hard road ahead should you pursue that route.

I wouldn't worry too much about pay. Psychology salaries are shrinking and there are many senior nurse roles being created that allow for fairly good salary progression. Also bear in mind the lost pay you would experience pursuing psychology as a career for a decade compared to working as a nurse during the same time frame.


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If you don't like statistics and research then you're likely to struggle with psychology. There is a significant amount of that, and will continue to be so throughout undergrad and doctorate. If you do MH nursing you're unlikely to become a psychologist. To do so you'd have to do a psychology conversion course so that you could then apply for a doctorate. But that would involve large amounts of stats and research. Do you not think you'd be happy working as a MH nurse? It's possible to do training courses in therapies if you're working in a job where that's appropriate.

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Reply 3
I was having the exact same problem! Clinical psychology is the most competitive job however there are alternatives such as Forensic Psychology (working with criminals to assess their mental state etc. you get the benefit of working with mentally ill people and helping them) so you should google it! There's many branches: clinical, counselling, educational, forensic, health, occupational, sports and teaching/research.
The main problem with mental health nursing is not only does it limit your chances whilst on the degree (placements are time consuming, you're in self-catered flat with other nursing/midwife applicants, if you don't like it you're stuck unless you drop out, limited social life) and after the degree as you're only qualified for mental health nursing, no other branches of nursing and means you'd have to go back to university in some cases if you wanted to change career paths.
On the other hand, psychology degrees are beneficial for almost every job, you can enter into different branches of psychology and different specialties OR another career path and a degree will make you more appealing, you have many many more opportunities with a psychology degree.
Hey,
I have just finished my degree in psychology and am now going on to start MH nursing in September. As someone else said psychology is so much more than no just mental health so you really do need to have a good interest. As for statistics etc, I hate them myself, and yes psychology involves quite a lot of it, but I think the actual psychological content of the degree far outweighs they nuisances of stats that have to be completed for some assignments. Also with psychology there is the possibility of going into a lot of different branches, but it is extremely difficult to access most of them without at least a masters as well as the BSc. Most psychology assistant positions won't event take you unless you have experience in a similar role. A good thing however is that the stats involved open you to more roles as employers can see that you are "clever" enough to do formulas etc. there's no need to worry about stats really because most are done through a computer programme and after first year there's a lot less of stats.
Like you I always had an interest in mental health which is why I'm now going on to do MH Nursing. I think either would be good if you have a genuine interest, nursing is just slightly easier to land a career in.

If you have any questions give me an shout!
Hey just wanted to know a little more about your situation. So basically I am in my last year of my psychology degree and also want to go on to study mental health nursing, but a lot of the university master programmes I have come across require prior healthcare experience, which obviously we do not do (placements) in a psychology degree. Whats the way to go about it? Thanks in advance.
I have three degrees in psychology but have struggled to get work. To give things some perspective, in the time I studied psychology I could have had degrees in mental health nursing, occupational therapy and a fast track social work degree (three career choices). It's only my opinion but I feel that any of these degrees would have provided more career opportunities.
Reply 7
Hi, I was just wondering how someone goes onto being a cpn or mental health nurse if you have a psychology degree. I have a bsc in psychology and currently doing a masters in psychology research methods but I feel it is becoming more and more unlikely to ever to be able to actually work as a psychologist due to the way that jobs are being structured at the moment. How could one convert to mental health nursing?
Reply 8
Original post by Psychology & me
I have three degrees in psychology but have struggled to get work. To give things some perspective, in the time I studied psychology I could have had degrees in mental health nursing, occupational therapy and a fast track social work degree (three career choices). It's only my opinion but I feel that any of these degrees would have provided more career opportunities.


you are definitely correct there I think the way things are going we are going to run out of clinical psychologists and others that are not funded are simply not affordable for most people. There are simply not enough entry level positions to get your foot on the ladder to get the experience needed to even make it worthwhile applying for a place !

I was wondering if anyone knows how to convert an existing psych degree onto nursing? assuming you wanted to be a mental health nurse or cpn?
Reply 9
Original post by litacook
Hi, I was just wondering how someone goes onto being a cpn or mental health nurse if you have a psychology degree. I have a bsc in psychology and currently doing a masters in psychology research methods but I feel it is becoming more and more unlikely to ever to be able to actually work as a psychologist due to the way that jobs are being structured at the moment. How could one convert to mental health nursing?


Might be worth contacting the universities mentioned in this article. I believe it's a relatively new scheme to get graduated into nursing and more places will be offered in the future

https://rcni.com/nursing-standard/newsroom/news/nurse-first-graduates-to-begin-new-fast-track-programme-month-118601
Original post by litacook
you are definitely correct there I think the way things are going we are going to run out of clinical psychologists and others that are not funded are simply not affordable for most people. There are simply not enough entry level positions to get your foot on the ladder to get the experience needed to even make it worthwhile applying for a place !

I was wondering if anyone knows how to convert an existing psych degree onto nursing? assuming you wanted to be a mental health nurse or cpn?


I think (but can't be sure) that there are some fast track mental health nursing courses (maybe two years). Sometimes, if you already have a degree, you can do a fast track course in another related subject.

Check UCAS.

Hope this helps.
Original post by marple
Might be worth contacting the universities mentioned in this article. I believe it's a relatively new scheme to get graduated into nursing and more places will be offered in the future

https://rcni.com/nursing-standard/newsroom/news/nurse-first-graduates-to-begin-new-fast-track-programme-month-118601

Thank you I’ll look into that x
Reply 12
Hi, Im currently a CPN and I am looking into doing the MSc psychology conversion course. I currently help facilitate a DBT skills group mainly aimed at our EUPD patients and it intrigues me more and more. From what I am reading here many people aren't recommending a psychology degree? Could anyone suggest the alternative routes into psychotherapy training? I think its something I will look into further after reading this post. If I'm honest im reluctant to give up my RMN career as I truely do love it but I wish to progress further and feel psychology can help with this.
(edited 5 years ago)
Original post by SophBee
Hi, Im currently a CPN and I am looking into doing the MSc psychology conversion course. I currently help facilitate a DBT skills group mainly aimed at our EUPD patients and it intrigues me more and more. From what I am reading here many people aren't recommending a psychology degree? Could anyone suggest the alternative routes into psychotherapy training? I think its something I will look into further after reading this post. If I'm honest im reluctant to give up my RMN career as I truely do love it but I wish to progress further and feel psychology can help with this.


One of the Psychology MScs at the local uni here is one day a week of lessons. Known two people to keep day jobs whilst doing this.

Alternative routes?

There are quite a few distance learning Psychology courses/counselling courses also.
So glad I saw this ... I’ve just started a BSc Psychology degree but I’m thinking of changing next year to MHN based on all these responses and after speaking to a MHN earlier today who said the same thing. Will I need to start from scratch next year or will my ‘first year’ count towards ? I’m doing SDK100 atm
Original post by Katie 85
So glad I saw this ... I’ve just started a BSc Psychology degree but I’m thinking of changing next year to MHN based on all these responses and after speaking to a MHN earlier today who said the same thing. Will I need to start from scratch next year or will my ‘first year’ count towards ? I’m doing SDK100 atm


It's likely you'll need to start from scratch. What about doing a nursing masters after your psychology degree?
Original post by ChristineHere
Hey,I have just finished my degree in psychology and am now going on to start MH nursing in September. As someone else said psychology is so much more than no just mental health so you really do need to have a good interest. As for statistics etc, I hate them myself, and yes psychology involves quite a lot of it, but I think the actual psychological content of the degree far outweighs they nuisances of stats that have to be completed for some assignments. Also with psychology there is the possibility of going into a lot of different branches, but it is extremely difficult to access most of them without at least a masters as well as the BSc. Most psychology assistant positions won't event take you unless you have experience in a similar role. A good thing however is that the stats involved open you to more roles as employers can see that you are
Reply 17
Hi,so while i’m looking for the differences between psychology and mental health nurse. I came across this. I’m still in dilemma. I completed my bachelors of science in nursing which is of 4 years nursing course in my country. Since i’m stuck here wanting to study a course that would accomodate me for my future. I’ve done research in my final year on mental health. Hence, i’m quiet interested in mental health. So, i ‘ve been researching for some university that teaches mental health . I came across a Msc psychology , i reviewed the module and found it quiet interesting. But, now my question after looking at the replies is, can a person who has a BSN degree choose postgraduate in psychology?
Reply 18
Hi,so while i’m looking for the differences between psychology and mental health nurse. I came across this. I’m still in dilemma. I completed my bachelors of science in nursing which is of 4 years nursing course in my country. Since i’m stuck here wanting to study a course that would accomodate me for my future. I’ve done research in my final year on mental health. Hence, i’m quiet interested in mental health. So, i ‘ve been researching for some university that teaches mental health . I came across a Msc psychology , i reviewed the module and found it quiet interesting. But, now my question after looking at the replies is, can a person who has a BSN degree choose postgraduate in psychology?
Original post by kitslee
Hi,so while i’m looking for the differences between psychology and mental health nurse. I came across this. I’m still in dilemma. I completed my bachelors of science in nursing which is of 4 years nursing course in my country. Since i’m stuck here wanting to study a course that would accomodate me for my future. I’ve done research in my final year on mental health. Hence, i’m quiet interested in mental health. So, i ‘ve been researching for some university that teaches mental health . I came across a Msc psychology , i reviewed the module and found it quiet interesting. But, now my question after looking at the replies is, can a person who has a BSN degree choose postgraduate in psychology?

You would have to complete a conversion course to become accredited in order to start an MSc in Psychology

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