Which is a better career-Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist, Family Nurse Practioner, or Occupational Ther
Asked by Tari17
Out of Certified Registered Nurse Anesthesist, Family Nurse Practitioner, Women's Health Care Nurse Practitioner, or an Occupational Therapist. In your own opinion, of course if you know about the fields, which do you think is a better career and why? I would like to know the pros, cons, good, bad, ups, downs, all of your thoughs on the careers. Any helpful feedback would be appreciated.

Best Answer:
As has been said, you cannot compare these 4 career fields on an objective list. Which career field you would enjoy is purely subjective and based on your abilities and interest as well in a large part to psychological factors. CRNA- Requires an MSN degree and certification following a BSN and RN licensure. Usually requires 2 years of intensive care experience and ACLS/PALS certification for admission. Highly competitive admission, difficult school, very difficult certification boards. Job is described as 3 hours of artery clogging boredom followed by 15 minuted of heart attack causing stress. Any fool can put a person to sleep, they do it in prisons and call it capital punishment. The skill and knowlege and of course the stress is in being able to wake the patient up, and to prevent injury. Provide sedation and standby anesthesia for local anesthesia cases, regional anesthesia, concious sedation and general anesthesia for surgical procedures. Usuall take some amount of rotating night, weekend and holiday call. Malpractice liability risk is high. Average US salary is $112,000 per year. Womens Health Nurse Practitioner - Requires MSN and certification following BSN and RN Licensure. Most schools prefer at least 1-2 years of clinical experience prior to starting MSN program also CPR required/ACLS is optimal Admission is competitive, school is moderately busy and difficult, certification examination is difficult. Works with adolescent to geriatric female patients primarily in womens health issues, including pre/postnatal care and infertility, significant focus on contraception, STDs and pregnancy. Stress wellness, prevention and patient education. Mal practice liablitiy risk is low-moderate dependent on type of clients seen. Job can be repetitive in some clinics. May cover some clinic after hours calls, but rarely need to see patients after hours. Average US salary is $70,300 per year. Family Nurse Practitioner- Requires MSN and certification following BSN and RN Licensure. Most schools prefer at least 1-2 years of clinical experience prior to starting MSN program also CPR required/ACLS is optimal Admission is competitive, school is moderately busy and difficult, certification examination is difficult. Works with patients from well-baby checks through geriatrics. Originally planned as acute minor illness and chronic stable conditions. In many clinics the FNPs see a large percentage of same-day appointments and it is hard to determine if these are minor or stable. May see very unstable chronic patients and very acute major patients. The key in FNP practice is to know when a patient needs to be referred to a specialist, and when diagnostic testing and treatment is appropriate. Some FNPs go into specialties or work in a particular area such as womens health. May take rotating after hours, weekend and holiday call, may make hospital rounds, may need to make nursing home visits. Malpractice liability risk varies dependent on clinic clientelle. Average US salary is $78,300 per year. Occupational Therapist - Must be licensed, requiring a master’s degree in occupational therapy following a bachelors degree, 6 months of supervised fieldwork, and passing scores on national and State examinations. Plans and conducts occupational therapy program to facilitate development and rehabilitation of mentally, physically, or emotionally disabled. Programs involve activities, such as manual arts and crafts, practice in functional, prevocational, vocational, and homemaking skills, activities of daily living. Malpractice liability risk is relatively low. Average US salary is $53,800 per year.

Nurse Anesthisists make paper!! but the liability is very high and it is a tough career as they say. I think nurse practitioner is good but nurse anesthisist is the best if you can get into a program and finish because it is quite competitive. Of course money isn't everything but it pays the best and they are all hard work.
Answered by Christina

I've heard that nurse practitioner is a very enjoyable occupation and much less stressful than some other nursing positions.
Answered by greffy

I am aware of the various fields, but a lot depends on what you enjoy doing and where (based in a hospital, clinic, school, etc). I would be inclined to think either of the nurse practitioner positions would be very satisfying, as well as, in greater demand. This of course is based on your location. Good luck on your search!
Answered by blueiron511

I'm always amazed when people ask what is the "best" career, as if it were an objective fact that one career is better than another. It is entirely subjective- what is the perfect career for one person is a complete nightmare for another. It is all about what fits. You need to get experience in a medical setting to decide for sure. I would apply for a job shadow at your local hospital so you can see all these careers in action. That would provide you with a much better answer than any advice we can give you. If you decide to do a job shadow, make sure you send a thank you note to let them know how much you appreciate their time. You could also volunteer in these areas or get certified as a CNA to get exposure to some of these careers. All of these jobs require at least a master's degree. OT's can work with a BA, but that will soon change. Their is some talk about NP's needing a doctorate. CRNA's would be very high stress, but are paid accordingly. OT's work in rehab, so if rehab interests you, go that route. NP's make very good money, but take it one step at a time and get your BSN first.
Answered by sugar