Made the leap from Rad Tech program to Nursing!!!

Nurses Career Support

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I have been mulling over this decision for months now. Reading and researching everything that I can get my hands on, talking to any nurse or rad tech that will listen, watching nursing youtube videos, looking over "brains", reading NCLEX style questions, reading nursing and nursing student blogs, looking at Job Search websites, etc. I have been in the clinical portion of my rad tech program for 6 months now and realized that I do not think that this will hold my interest for any length of time and also, my personality and thought process is geared much more towards nursing. So yesterday, I did it. I waived my summer semester's rad tech courses and enrolled in the CNA course which is my last prereq needed for the nursing program. I already have a valid NLN test on file with a very good score and a 4.0 gpa. I should be accepted in September and begin Nursing classes January 2015!!! Super excited, super nervous...Here's to hoping that this was a good move. :nailbiting:

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Good luck! Depending on where you are, jobs may be very, very hard to come by for new grads. Be willing to move where the work is or you could end up unemployed for an extended amount of time.

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Specializes in Critical Care, Education.

Seems like you have made a very well informed decision. I wish you great success in your nursing program.

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Good luck! Depending on where you are, jobs may be very, very hard to come by for new grads. Be willing to move where the work is or you could end up unemployed for an extended amount of time.

I know this to be true but the hospital that I am doing my clinicals at hires new grads. I just have to remain hopeful that the job market improves for everyone.

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You're very fortunate! Absolutely fight to get hired on there after you've graduated.

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I definitely will. And it seems unbelievable but apparently they still reimburse your tuition fees if you bridge from ADN to BSN. I am hoping to tech there if I can while I am in school.

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I am very intrigued to know how this transition works out for you, I am in somewhat the same boat. I however finished my rad tech program and have been unable to find a job after a year and 3 months. I am also a CNA and a phlebotomist which lead me to my current position as an ER Tech in my local hospital. After almost a year in the ER I am almost certain I will be spending the next year working full time and finishing my 5 pre reqs then applying for nursing school next fall. My employer will pay my tuition and promise me a full time position after school to which I pay them back in time. Not only is it impossible to get an X-ray job unless you know the right people or fit in to the right department, but by the end of my 2 year program I was already bored with taking x-rays. RN not only increases your job opportunity but also your options of places to work. In x-ray you are only employable in a facility that is able to afford very expensive radiology equipment, and only need so many people to run this equipment. I think you made a very wise decision, I wish I would have been able to do the same before I dug myself into debt for a degree I have been unable to use. Good luck and keep posting, I am interested to get someone's take on the difference between RT® program and RN program.

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I will keep you posted! I am hoping to tech in the ER as well. Glad you like it and I am sure you are getting great experience.

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Thank you very much for putting up this post, it helped me decide to go for nursing even though I was accepted into the radiology program. I was having the same dilemma with career choice. Are you still happy you made this change?

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I have now been working in my ER for two years and still have only had 2 interviews in my radiology dept after applying for over 15 openings. In X-ray it is more important to hire someone with previous experience than to give a dedicated employee that experience. I am now currently half way thru an LPN program and have given up on X-ray! Before I started the X-ray program I read all of the "don't go into X-ray" posts but I took those as a challenge! To anyone trying to make the decision between X-ray and nursing I would like to give advice rather than say don't do it! Yes the xray field is saturated and the jobs are scarce but they do exist. But be aware my hospital employs 5 PRN techs, a few of who have been PRN for 2-4 years waiting on a full time opening. These PRN positions exist to cover open shifts, vacations, etc. to keep full time techs from receiving any overtime. Depending where you work X-ray pay is approximately $20/ hr and your 40 hours a week at that rate must be enough to support yourself and family bc the opportunity for overtime is nonexistent. Meanwhile my RN's in the ER directly across the hall are making slightly higher pay and are being begged to pick up overtime. We offer an extra incentive for critical needs shifts in which our nurses are offered $13/hr on top of regular pay and overtime,if you have already worked your scheduled 36 hrs, to pick up these shift. It is normal for an RN to work their 3 12's then pick up a 12 hour critical needs shift which if u pick the right day and get your shift diff and/or weekend pay it is nothing to make $50/hr for those 12 hours. We have hired more new nurses in the ER in the last 6 months than radiology has hired new techs in the last 2 years, not including the many other depts constantly hiring RN's. I do find nursing school to be slightly more difficult than X-ray school but I also did not work during X-ray school. I would advise anyone unsure of which route to go to job shadow. I didn't think I had the personality to deal with 4-5 pts for 12 hour days which is why I went the radiology route when in reality floor nursing is not all nursing. I never have a pt for my full 12 hr shift in the ER. I am not a floor nurse however I can do ER, OR, cath lab, etc. please take the time to job shadow. Understand the jobs. Shadow in different dept of a hospital (nurses in different depts have different duties) also shadow at nursing homes, home health, clinics etc. School is a huge financial and time commitment and you do not want to end up with a large amount of debt and no job opportunity or a job you hate.

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