Holistic studies and choosing a career

[tayshaw]

Hello all, I am in the midsts of figuring out what I want to invest my time and money into studying. I have a bachelors of psychology and environmental studies but would like to get back to school. I have been going back and forth between a masters of psychology, clinical social work, nursing, physical therapy assistant. These areas of study interest me in so many different and over lapping ways but I was curious if anyone on here has some ideas about finding a program that sort of combines these professions into one program, movement, mind, medicine. Perhaps a program like this does not exist, but I am hoping you all might provide me with some insight And advice about which direction to turn. Additionally, I was curious if there are nursing programs out there that have a more wholistic curriculum. I know you can go back and study natural medicine after reviewing the more main stream degree but it would be wonderful to find a program that puts an emphasis on both mainstream and holistic approaches to health. Any input would be greatly appreciated!

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[GreenDuck12]

All three of those career tracks are very distinct. While there is some overlap in terms of traits that lend themselves to each respective field, I would not say there is much overlap in terms of core functions of the job. You also need to be much more explicit with what you mean by holistic. Unfortunately, bad actors have used terms like holistic and natural to push practices that aren’t supported by evidence to the detriment of their patients. As a heads up, you will not find much love from the forums with respect to natural medicine (ND). If you’re interested in providing holistic support described above, I think you’ll need to branch out beyond nursing, social work, and maybe physical therapy. Remember, each of those paths typically leave limited room for independent practice. Instead, you typically work with higher ups who make decisions. Medicine is likely something you will only be able to work with if you have a medical license. Psychology may be an option but you will run into problems if you try to practice outside your area and I think you may need to earn a doctorate in something else. That being said, in education, there is a lot of interesting work happening with regards to diet, physical activity, meditation, etc and how it intersects with behavior, discipline, and academic achievement. You’re definitely going to have to do more research before jumping into a program.

 

[hannahh1616]

Hi! This is really hard. I know there are a few holistic medicine programs out there, but I think accreditation is not always strong so it might be a gamble. I outlined how I decided between counseling psychology, social work, and public health here: Part 1: So You’re Applying to Graduate School

Maybe that will be helpful to you!

 

[jhmmd]

I have been going back and forth between a masters of psychology, clinical social work, nursing, physical therapy assistant. These areas of study interest me in so many different and over lapping ways but I was curious if anyone on here has some ideas about finding a program that sort of combines these professions into one program, movement, mind, medicine. Perhaps a program like this does not exist, but I am hoping you all might provide me with some insight And advice about which direction to turn. Additionally, I was curious if there are nursing programs out there that have a more wholistic curriculum. I know you can go back and study natural medicine after reviewing the more main stream degree but it would be wonderful to find a program that puts an emphasis on both mainstream and holistic approaches to health. Any input would be greatly appreciated!

Hi Tayshaw,

Have you thought about becoming a practicing psychologist? There are programs out there in IL, Idaho, Iowa, LA, and NM (as well as in the Public Health Service, the Indian health service, the military, and Guam). As a practicing psychologist, you can basically prescribe any medication to a pt besides controlled substances (which require a supervising physician's sign-off, similar to a NP or a PA degree). This degree might help you pursue your desire for clinical work, nursing, and psychology at the same time.

You can check out this link to the APA website which outlines what practicing psychologists do day-to-day.

Good luck!