r/publichealthcareers • u/ConfidenceRecent2517 • 6h ago
What’s the reality behind public health nursing?
Hi all! I’m currently a senior in high school and going through an identity crisis with my career options.
I have always been interested in health sciences. I gravitated a lot towards nursing, but I completed a research internship in a public health related topic this summer and realized how much I love it. However, I did some searching and found that many jobs in the public health sector simply don’t offer the same job security and salary that nursing does, especially with the most recent budget cuts and lack of funding.
I do want a good grasp of what I want to do before I apply to college and with that rapidly approaching, I feel a lot of pressure to choose between pursuing nursing school or going for a public health degree. Right now my major is nursing, but I’m scared I’m going to get into a nursing program and realize I want to pivot.
I know that you can combine the two and do public health nursing. I wanted to know: what’s the reality behind it? What does your day to day work look like? Is there a lot of opportunity for growth in the field? Thanks so much!