Respiratory Therapist VS Nursing

Phlebotomyguy · May 8, 2010

Just wanted some thoughts on my situation, I am currently a phlebotomist who wants to move up in the healthcare field. I am debating on lpn vs rt. I have been a nurses aid(stna) so I know what nurses do and my wife is an lpn as well.

My main point of concern is the amoutn of time and job outlook. I can go to lpn school part time and be done in about 21 months, rt would be a lot longer due to prereqs. The current lpn out is not so good as well. My other concern is my knees, I have bad knees and have a lot of trouble bending them. I'm just kinda lost, long term I am more intereseted in rt, but I can get done with lpn a lot faster although job outlook in my area at the moment is almost non exsistant.

any thougths are appreciated.

RN2BKS · Jul 28, 2010

Phlebotomyguy said:
Just wanted some thoughts on my situation, I am currently a phlebotomist who wants to move up in the healthcare field. I am debating on lpn vs rt. I have been a nurses aid(stna) so I know what nurses do and my wife is an lpn as well.
My main point of concern is the amoutn of time and job outlook. I can go to lpn school part time and be done in about 21 months, rt would be a lot longer due to prereqs. The current lpn out is not so good as well. My other concern is my knees, I have bad knees and have a lot of trouble bending them. I'm just kinda lost, long term I am more intereseted in rt, but I can get done with lpn a lot faster although job outlook in my area at the moment is almost non exsistant.
any thougths are appreciated.

I would think about your health and how it could affect you if you were working with heavy pts. But both ways you do do a lot of walking/bending in the health field. I would also take in that LPN jobs/the field is going away like you said non exsistant. Look and see what else you are interested in and how long it would take you to finish. I'm a aide too and the nursing schools here are wait listed for several years! I need to make a living not struggle until then. I think I am going for RT next fall. Wishing you luck!

Kemet31042 · May 1, 2011

I love the way you responded to nursing vs respiratory. you just put the health care profession in a nut shell. I have been a CNA myself for 20 years and practiced from 1989 to 2006 when my husband had a stroke. I love working the medical field and I don't really want to be a nurse either so I am currently studying to become a respiratory therapist.

Kemet31042 · May 1, 2011

I was referring to rtme. I forgot to quote message in reply.

Kemet31042 · May 1, 2011

rtme said:
To begin, all health care workers, even those that don't deal directly with patient care, have chosen to make it their life's work to help and serve others. Thats a big commitment. We work long days, nights and holidays. We are expected to show up in bad weather. We deal with patients and their families who are kind, indifferent, non-compliant and combative. Health care workers see things in hospitals that the lay person may never see. We experience extreme joy's and sorrows. These are all things to consider when you are deciding upon entering the health care field. If you are considering such a step because it seems like good money, then your entering for the wrong reasons and may find that you are miserable down the road.
In reference to the RT's vs. Nursing:
Not all RT's and nurses have animosity toward each other. The simple fact is that our jobs have differing set's of responsibilities. Really, no one job is " better" than another. Successful patient care depends on each member of the health care staff working in cooperation with each other.
Of coorifice there are fleeting moments when our assessment/care/treatment/ opinion of pt. care may differ. But that is not strictly between RT's and nurses. I have heard CNA's complain about nurses, nurses complain about doctors, residents complain about the attending , Pulmonologists complain about cardiologists...the list goes on and on...and of coorifice, we all complain about our co workers within our own department. There will ALWAYS be something/ someone to complain about or look down upon. Unfortunately, its a part of human nature.
As for me, I am an RT, but I was also a CNA for 10 years in nursing homes. Being a CNA was a great introduction to the health care field. I would highly recommend it as a first step to be sure this is what you want to do. Anyway, as a CNA in a nursing home (the ones I have worked at) we did EVERYTHING except wound care and pass meds. We dressed, bathed, fed, transported, ambulated, etc. (this however does not apply to all nursing homes, only the ones I have worked for.) At the time, I knew I wanted to take that next step up the career ladder, but...I knew that I didn't want to be a nurse. I wanted a completely different set of responsibilities.
Mind you, Hospitals and nursing homes are two different types of health care settings. Obviously, hospitals have much more going on than a rest home for the elderly. As such, the responsibilities/scope of practice for nurses will differ.
The amount of respect you receive seems dependent upon two things:
1. It seems correlated to the responsibilities/ tasks you perform at your institution . As well as how competent you are at performing these tasks, how well you relate to your coworkers/ patients, etc. This goes for everyone, not just RT's.
2. If you are good at what you do, you enjoy what you do, you work well with others and you treat your co-workers with equal respect, no matter where you go, YOU as a PROFESSIONAL will be respected.
That being said:
In hospitals that dont have established respiratory driven protocols, RT's may be considered little more than treatment jockey's, knob turners and equipment techs. Simply put, if your not allowed to do much, then you cant expect much in return. HOWEVER, keep in mind stipulation # 2.
In hospitals where they DO have these protocols, RT's may be expected to intubate/ extubate , enter orders, modify orders, d/c orders, start A-lines, etc. The wider your scope of practice, the more indispensable you become. There are institutions like this and I work at one of them. The nurses there see me as an equal member of the team. I am expected to do things (like intubate during code situations) that they would not want to do. Those exact words I have been told time and again from my fellow nurses. Just like they do things that I do not want to do, like clean and pack a wound. Some nurses don't like to deal with airway secretions, I don't like to deal with poo anymore. Still, if I have time, I will help my fellow nurses change/bath a patient. Likewise, if they have time, they may do some naso-tracheal suctioning on a patient of mine.
It is up to you what type of an institution you decide to work at. Make sure you talk to the department heads about what your job requirements are. There are ups and downs to everything. Its ultimately your decision. If you later complain about what your expected to do (whether it be too much or too little), than look no further than yourself for blame because you chose to work there. You can always look elsewhere when your ready to try something different. This goes for everyone.
Opportunities:
Nursing does tend to have more opportunities. You have the option of working in a hospital, doctors office, school, nursing home and home health. RT opportunities vary from hospitals, few long term care institutions (that take on vent patients), home health, traveling therapist....and i think that about covers it. You may also get into the pharmaceutical sales rep. role.
Good luck to all those stuck in indecision!

I love the way you responded to nursing vs respiratory. you just put the health care profession in a nut shell. I have been a CNA myself for 20 years and practiced from 1989 to 2006 when my husband had a stroke. I love working the medical field and I don't really want to be a nurse either so I am currently studying to become a respiratory therapist.

Kemet31042 · May 1, 2011

What is the average age for going to school for respiratory therapist?

MelindaRT · Jun 27, 2011

Kemet,

You can start RT school at most any age. RT, just like nursing, can be physically taxing with long hours, sometimes nonstop...I think that if you are willing to get up and go, and care about your patients, then any age is fine.

I have spent the last while reading this thread (my bad, I'm at work). I have been a Respiratory Therapist since 1975, and have seen so many changes in our field. RT's responsibilities have increased tremendously, especially in the last 10 yrs. I have always respected the RN's I work with as patient care is a group effort. No, I can't adjust IV's but I can help turn a patient with the best (poop or not) if they are busy. Likewise, when I'm deciding to which stat call I'll do first, a RN is there to take my patient off his treatment. It's like a symbiotic relationship, we can't do without each other.

RT21 · Mar 15, 2012

How was nursing school in comparison to respiratory school? Do you think being a RCP helped you understand nurisng school any easier?? I just got accepted and will be starting in the fall.

philRRTNPS · Mar 23, 2012

to put things in perspective. I am a respiratory therapist, my girlfriend is an ICU nurse. An RT may have less to do with one patient vs. a nurse. But RT's have more patients than an RN. RN's work is focused on a few patients (in depth), as where an RT can have many patient's and more if part of a rapid response/code blue team (with main focus on a patient's respiratory situation). Not to say that RT's are only limited in knowledge on lungs, because a patient's respiratory standpoint can be reflective on cardiac, renal, liver, neuro, blood, g.i. issues. In order to understand the lungs thoroughly, an RT must understand the rest of the body. We can't do much for the rest of the body, but we can humbly offer suggestions. So a proactive RT can be strenuous. A lazy RT can get by with the bare minimum (turning on a flow meter, and pushing buttons on a vent) sad but true. Dont be a lazy RT!

philRRTNPS · Mar 23, 2012

RT21 said:
How was nursing school in comparison to respiratory school? Do you think being a RCP helped you understand nurisng school any easier?? I just got accepted and will be starting in the fall.

yes, it is definitely a good foundation. you learn bedside manner, you learn the basic vitals, you learn advanced vitals, your exposed to use of blood pressure meds, sedation meds, tons of meds (if you pay attention). In the intensive care, if you have sharp ears and a keen eye, you can learn a lot of nursing knowledge. As an RCP, you are surrounded by RN's, and MD's. Its never wrong to ask a nurse or a doctor a question to help you better understand something. To compare nursing school to respiratory school is like comparing apples and oranges. Theyre both tough, they just cover different grounds. Im currently an RT, finishing up prereqs to start a BSN program and bust my butt to get myself into an ICU, because I dream of attending a CRNA program

hulljay83 · May 12, 2012

I know this thread is kinda old, but SUPER INFORMATIVE!!! I really enjoyed reading everyone's input and experiences!! Invaluable information, really! I am currently waiting to hear whether or not I've been accepted into the RT program and couldn't be more excited after reading this thread! I'll probably try to go back for nursing later in my career, but am excited about the future in healthcare PERIOD.

Thank you, to all the RTs, RNs and everyone else who took the time to post to this. Very helpful for students!

Twill1025 · Jan 29, 2023

RRT2RN2CRNA, are you still around? If so, pop in and let us know how things are going. I've finally gotten my BSN, CCRN, and heading towards CRNA. Actually, I plan to apply towards the end of this year. I have a few questions, if you don't mind.

Thank you,

Twill1025