Did You Know?
allnurses is the largest community for nurses on the web. We now have over 388,463 members! Join today to network with other nurses, laugh, share, and much more.
| No. 10 | 
Feb 01, 2008, 08:32 PM
 Re: Should rad techs make as much as RN's? Originally Posted by GilaRN  Respiratory tech or a respiratory therapist? RRT's are in fact highly educated professionals. They have indepth knowledge of physiology and pathophysiology. In addition, an RRT may have responsibility for several patients. Perhaphs even a dozen or more in some facilities. Just because you see them giving LVN's on the floor does not mean that their next stop will not be the three intubated patients in the ICU, after they do an RSI in the ER.
As far as other health care providers making more money than nurses, hey, that is capitalism. They have found a way to advance in their area of expertise. Areas such as vascular ultrasound are quite specialized and in high demand depending on the area of the country. We as nurses have several ways of making more money and even more areas to choose if we wish to specialize and capitalize on our abilities.
But lets not forget- in the military, RNs are OFFICERS, LPN/LVNs, X-Ray Techs (of all flavors and speciatlies), RTs, lab personnel, are all ENLISTED. Do you see the difference?
By virtue of the fact that RNs are all officers, they earn more than the above health care providers.
RNs need to start seeing themselves as officers.
Lindarn, RN, BSN, CCRN
Spokane, Washington
 | | Advertisement Sponsored Links | | | | No. 12 |
Feb 01, 2008, 10:39 PM
Re: Should rad techs make as much as RN's? Originally Posted by TheCommuter Society has the distorted views regarding job responsibilities and pay.
For example, professional baseball players are paid tremendously well. Many of these men even earn incomes that fall into the millions per year. In my opinion, their only job responsibilities are to provide an entertaining season to the fans, meet or exceed the performance expectations of the team's owner, and play ball competently.
It's supply and demand again... professional athletes are performing a job that the vast majority of us could never do. Also consider the risk involved and the relatively short life of their career (even without injury). If a 21 year old rookie signs on for $5 million a year, then sustains a career-ending injury that first year... that's 44 years before a 'normal' person's retirement age at 65... 90,000 hours working 40 hour weeks... $55/hr (without benefits)...
I'm bored. Can ya tell?  | | No. 13 |
Feb 02, 2008, 08:30 AM
Re: Should rad techs make as much as RN's?
in our area, the resp therapy program is associate degree. they qualify to take RRT / CRRT exam.
in 40 years of nursing, i have observed that resp get their lunch -- and even get their breaks. they can 'stop everything' to have a department meeting. etc. etc.
there just is no comparison -- but the pay is almost comparable.
| | No. 14 |
Feb 02, 2008, 09:43 AM
Re: Should rad techs make as much as RN's? Originally Posted by lindarn But lets not forget- in the military, RNs are OFFICERS, LPN/LVNs, X-Ray Techs (of all flavors and speciatlies), RTs, lab personnel, are all ENLISTED. Do you see the difference?
By virtue of the fact that RNs are all officers, they earn more than the above health care providers.
RNs need to start seeing themselves as officers.
Lindarn, RN, BSN, CCRN
Spokane, Washington
Your comparision is invalid. Many of the most professional and well respected individuals in the Army are NCO's. In addition, I can get a degree in history and take a MSC commission. So, we have a MSC O4 with a history degree making more than a O1 RN. The MSC officer must be more professional and deserving of the extra money he/she receives by the virtue of the fact that he/she is a higher ranking officer.
Again, it comes down to supply, demand, and a little capitalism.
| | No. 15 |
Feb 02, 2008, 01:28 PM
Re: Should rad techs make as much as RN's?
I was just thinking that the responsibilities of nurses entail much more than rad techs. We work 12 hours straight, sometimes without BR or food breaks,taking care of multiple patients, passing meds, knowing med drug classes & side effects, taking dr orders and carring out the orders, charting, starting IV's, entering orders, monitoring patients often, not to mention putting up w/ difficult families. It seems to me that we have a greater load but I guess it's like you all have said it comes down to supply and demand.
Don't get me wrong I'm not saying that rad tech don't have important jobs or that their jobs are easy. I'm just saying that their responsibilities do not seem as great as a nurses. Nurse deserve more compensation for all they do but that's a whole nother thread.
Thank you for all of your input.
| | No. 17 |
Feb 02, 2008, 06:45 PM
Re: Should rad techs make as much as RN's?
[quote=Emmanuel Goldstein;2637391]It's supply and demand again... professional athletes are performing a job that the vast majority of us could never do. Also consider the risk involved and the relatively short life of their career (even without injury). If a 21 year old rookie signs on for $5 million a year, then sustains a career-ending injury that first year... that's 44 years before a 'normal' person's retirement age at 65... 90,000 hours working 40 hour weeks... $55/hr (without benefits)...
Professional athletes, as overpaid as they seem, do not **** me off as much as high-school or college athletes who are given "privileged" treatment by what are supposed to be impartial public employees (if they work for a public institution). With so many of us struggling to balance school and work while star athletes get a free lunch, there's something very wrong there. Also, there's the "look-the-other-way" attitude on the part of school officials, and even law enforcement, towards the misbehaviors of student athletes. All of which should be disturbing. I came from a football-crazy small town where the high-school football team were treated like little kings, and live in a college town where the college athletes are treated the same way.
| | No. 19 |
Feb 02, 2008, 07:05 PM
Updated
Feb 02, 2008 at 07:08 PM by carolinapooh
Re: Should rad techs make as much as RN's? Originally Posted by RNperdiem At least one year of post-graduate training is required for rad techs to get into nuclear medicine, CT scan or MRI. The education at school is as rigorous and probably more demanding than nursing school(physics anyone?) Why would nurses begrudge a coworker who makes pretty good money?
I don't think these folks have a masters degree, do they? Because "post-graduate" signifies work beyond an MS/MA.
I've taken physics at the college level - and unless what they're taking is calculus-based, it's really not that impressive. I took it several years ago thinking I wanted to go to pharmacy school.
I would never say "more demanding" - I would say "different". I took grad-level pathophysiology in nursing school (because it was a program requirement) and I would never say that a rad tech course is more demanding than RN school - for that matter, it's not "more demanding" than ANY RN program.
The point is - anyone who holds the lives and well-being of patients in their very hands, every day (and yes, I mean all of us - NAs, PAs, NPs, RNs, and even physicians!) are underpaid when you compare them to what baseball players and the rest of that cohort make.
I find it disgusting that the pitcher for the NY Yankees makes more than a brain surgeon.
For that matter - teachers, cops, firemen, you name it - PUBLIC SERVANTS are grossly underpaid.
ETA - I think the point of the OP was that these people don't interpret the films, they take them. While I know they need to know basic information about stuff like changes in vital signs, LOC, etc...it's completely different.
I don't begrudge anyone who makes more money than me. I just wonder about the equity. And yes, I could have chosen such a job - and would have been bored out of my mind.
|
| 372 members
3,967 guests 4,339
| 1 | | | 12 | | | 2 | | | 9 | | | 17 | | | 11 | | | 16 | | | 16 | | | 37 | | | 14 | | | 20 | | | 23 | | | 19 | | | 24 | | | 10 | |
|
Nursing News