Respiratory Therapist VS Nursing

I too was thinking of switching from Nursing to RT, but I surely cant make my mind up. Money wise I'd like nursing, but it seems to me that there are just to many obstacles to get into nursing programs, thats my only dilimia. Then having to take all these test to get into the program. It makes me lean more towards the RT program.

Hi everyone,

I wanted to provide some insight into this from a different perspective. I am a Canadian Respiratory Therapist, who is employed in an advanced practice setting within the department of anesthesia. I have held previous positions at various hospitals and clinics where I was responsible for patients on general wards, as a member of the flight team, in several ICUs, in the trauma room, on the cardiac arrest team, etc. I've floated through many different areas and had contact with many different healthcare professionals.

As the debate rages on both within this forum and in practice, no one can provide you with a better answer for what you should do with your career than yourself. The best exposure you will have will not be found on the message boards, but rather by shadowing actual professionals.

Having said that, I was a little dismayed with some of the postings found previously in this string. Postings where nurses described respiratory therapists as coming in an writing down some numbers and leaving again, is not reflective of the profession as a whole, nor is it a fair assumption to make of the profession. At several of the hospitals in which I worked at, nurses were in no way responsible for any aspect of ventilation, nor were they interested in doing so. All ventilator changes, parameters and initiations were made by the respiratory therapist and were evaluated by the therapist. Prior to this, virtually all intubations were performed by the respiratory therapists in all settings (ER/ICU/Wards). Further to this, we were responsible for the insertion, and monitoring, of hemodynamic lines including central and arterial lines. Many hospitals operate on the basis of standing orders or advanced directives which allow the respiratory therapist (I have seen the term RCP used in American literature, as well) to function with a great deal of autonomy. We are able to initiate therapist-driven protocols through which patients are treated and monitored under the guidance of the respiratory therapist. Not all therapists come into contact with patients for merely 15 minutes and then leave.

In many settings, respiratory therapists function in an autonomous manner and are able to assess patients, provide treatment and monitoring and advise physicians and nurses in further treatment options within their own scope of practice. Furthermore, opportunities for (at least Canadian) respiratory therapists to expand their practice are ever-growing. Similar to the American program involving Nurse Anesthetists, in Canada we have Anesthesia Assistants - the majority of whom are Respiratory Therapists. Furthermore, we have certifications in asthma and COPD education, as well as other respiratory diseases and many RTs are employed in the community setting as well as in ICU and on the general wards providing respiratory therapy to critically ill patients and less-acutely ill patients alike.

Like any profession, your role as either a nurse or respiratory therapist will first of all be whatever you choose to make it. I think any of us can say we have all been witness to somebody doing the bare minimum to get by. However, contrary to that - the opportunities to expand your own personal practice exist if you are committed to exploring them. Secondly, the roles and responsibilities of nurses and respiratory therapists will vary from setting to setting, and it is not fair to base your personal assessment of the profession on some of the postings made earlier in this discussion, because I can personally tell you that I would be fired if all that I did was come into a room and write numbers down and leave. The role of the therapist, in most settings, supercedes that by a longshot and the knowledge base of cardiopulmonary physiology is, in many cases, unique to the profession in its breadth and application.

Happy studying.

If in your heart you are truly leaning toward nursing, then maybe that is the route you should take. When I originally started out to do nursing, there was a 2 - 2 1/2 year wait at the local comm. college. At that time, the RT program was trying to lure potential nursing students into it's program. Well, I was lured.. I took some classes part time, and enjoyed very much what I learned, but I was never happy in that decision to pursue RT, so I decided to go back to "Plan A", which was nursing school. In fact, I applied to the BSN program at a local university and was accepted. Sure, it's going to take me longer, but I'm 35 and still have plenty more years left to work.
I guess what I'm saying is, do what you REALLY want to do. I don't think you'll regret it. What's a couple more years of waiting, tests, etc when you still have plenty more years to work? That's the conclusion I came to for myself, and I have never regretted my original decision.

Best wishes to you!! I'm sure you'll do great in whatever you decide to do!
Diane

Hello everyone! I saw this thread and figured it would be a good place to ask something I've been wondering about...

One of the things I've noticed that nurses are upset about ( and rightly so ) is the way they are treated by doctors, patients, families of patients and so on. I'm curious to know if other professionals working in hospitals, such as RT's, feel the same way. Do RT's experience the same bad treatment and lack of respect that so many nurses have to contend with? Is there the same level of discontent for RT's as there is for many RN's?

The reason I ask is that I am considering RT over Nursing, mostly because of some of the horror stories I've read about how overworked/underappreciated/underpaid nurses feel today. I'd love to hear from both perspectives (Nurses and RT's) on this.

Thanks in advance!

thanks alot for starting this thread!! I am in your same situation , but i can apply in a month for the rt program and i hear it has no wait. Im thinking i could always go into nursing after i finish the rt program, since i never plan to stop going to anymore. maybe you can answer me some questions later since you are already in the program. thank you

I WANT TO KNOW THIS ALSO

I just applied to RT school that will start this summer! I am so nervous to see if I get in. Anyone who has any more info or more opinions please share because I have been debating with the same careers ( nursing/RT)

Thanks,
Clover

I go to fairmont State in West Virginia. They just started an RT program, one of the only ones in North Central WV. There is a HUGE need for RTs in my area because of the two colleges in my area, neither offered a program until the one at Fairmont starting this summer. I am so nrevous to see if I get in. We find out the end of Feb, beginning of March, so I don't have too much longer. They only take 20 students-- so that adds to the stress!! I have wanted to be an Rt for like 4 years, but I didn't want to move and there was no program so I started looking into nursing. Nursing sounds great and I still might go back to school for it eventually, but beginning an RT was my aspiration from the get go. After seeing my aunt with asthmatic bronchitis and the RT treatments-- I was hooked. I always liked the thought of specializing. Anyway-- do you start clinicals soon? do you know what supplies you have to get? Tell me about your program b/c there are no older students to ask about ours!!

Thanks
Colver

Hi everyone! Interesting thread... I thought it would be nice if I could add a few of my own opinions on the subject.

I am a fairly new RT in Canada for just about over a year now. I am currently a night-shift worker since I am pursuing my pre-university studies in Engineering during the daytime. When I made the decision to join the RT program, I didn't really know yet what I would do with my life. The profession was a bit falsely represented to me when I started. I soon noticed how things really were when I started my clinical rotations. I knew right away this wasn't what I would be doing of my life, but I decided to finish the program anyways since it was important for me to finish what I had started (and it would also be a good back-up plan to have an RT diploma in my pocket) I know I'm far from being the pioneer of respiratory therapy, but I did realize quite a few things during both my short period as a practicing RT and as an RT student. First, let me start by saying that this is a relatively new profession... If I'm not mistaken, the first RT's (which were then called Oxygen Orderlies, and Inhalation Technicians later on) appeared in the 50s approximately. Sure it's been about 56 years, but it's still quite new when compared to other health care professionals such as nurses, who have been present for a few hundred years. From what I heard from RTs who have been practicing 20+ years, this profession has progressed A LOT lately, most probably due to the increase in respiratory diseases in patients as well as the technological advances with the medical equipment. Most of the modern ventilators being used now in North America use processors and software and are therefore more complex in operation than the good old MA-1.

I am currently working in a 700 bed hospital, which includes 2 ICUs, 1 CCU, 1 NICU, and of course an ER, PACU, and 20-theater OR. We are approximately 40 RTs working in this hospital (not counting the RTs working in the OR).

As mentioned previously by a nurse, no, we do not only chart ventilator parameters once every few hours. We participate in many things; intubations, bronchoscopies, bronchial suctioning, non-invasive ventilation, aerosol/MDI treatments, code blues, nocturnal CPAPs to only name a few.

One thing that striked me the most when I read the postings here was how one RT prospect was saying that respiratory therapy has so much possibilities of advancement. I think that is mostly false. When it comes to our field, the most you will get in advancement is possibly being chief or department chief of a department, and by then your job will be much more administrative than anything else. Other possibilites include working for home care, flight service, or private companies (such as Siemens or Dragaer, who manufacture ventilators) However, these possibilities are very remote and I would say less than 5 % of RT's eventually make it to that.
Sure, there are more exciting things that an RT might come accross, such as high frequency ventilation, inhaled nitric oxide, or independent lung ventilation... however, I wouldn't see any of that as advancement since you are still an RT. Post-degree studies are very limited (atleast here in Canada). We used to have a university certificate available but it got removed. Now, all I am aware about is another certificate that can be done by distance.

One of the biggest possibilities for RTs (and as well for RNs) was to become a Cardiovascular Perfusionist. However, in Canada atleast, Universities have changed admission criterias. They now require both RN or RT certification AND a bachelor in science.

Also, one thing I'd like to add is that it is false that RTs are more respected and that their inputs are more valued than RNs. I think RTs may be well qualified to answer questions in the respiratory component of a patient, but when it comes to the whole image, an RN is definitely more qualified to answer. And when a panicking resident wants quick answers, the RN is the one to be questioned.

My point in this post if just to say that the RT profession is much more technical-oriented than anything else. They do not care for only one patient. but care for many patients all over the hospital. They do however tend to care for the sickest patients, since the very ill usually end up on ventilators. They are the best ones when it comes to ventilator modes and troubleshooting. I believe that on the other half, the RN profession is a very big mix of technical and clinical work. And with more and more auxillary nurses coming in, I believe RNs are moving away more and more from the technical portion of their jobs and are becoming more involved in clinical work.

Don't get me wrong, Respiratory Therapy is a nice profession and can be very rewarding, and it's also far from being easy to be a Respiratory Therapist. However, I believe that at this point and time, Nursing has much more advantages in terms of advancement, satisfaction, level of responsibility and so on. So, to anyone thinking of seriously joining the RT profession, I really encourage you to call a hospital and arrange a visit with a therapist. Ask him/her questions and find out if this is what you want... Only you will know if this is really for you.