Xray tech~ more $$$ than RN???

Nurses Career Support

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Hi everyone. I'm a little confused about something. I know this girl, let's call her Miss Braggart. Anyhow, she's a friend of a friend of a friend and after speaking to her a few times i've come to the conclusion that I don't like her and I like just about everybody and anybody. She and her husband are those obnoxious type people who brag about EVERYTHING. Example- My son wears this brand, what does your kid wear? We have a boat, do you? Etc... Anyway, to my point...she is an x-ray tech (for 3 years, oh and don't let me forget to mention she has a best-friend relationship with all the doc's at the hospital, they all love her and say she's the best ...EVER! ) and when I told her I was going to school to be an RN (I'm taking my pre-req's now) she laughed in my face and said "I'm in x-ray and I make more money then most nurses that work there, besides nurses get no respect" Of course I just smiled because I was so shocked by her blunt comment I didn't know what else to say. This can't be true can it? A big part of me thought she is one of those "try too hards" , you know those people who try so hard to impress they leave the opposite impression? If I remember correctly she said she made $18 an hr. Well, of course I'm not following my dreams for money....BUT...I do have 4 children and a husband who is the breadwinner and I want to know that if something ever happened where I'd have to support my boys I could. I'm sure most of you can relate. My question is....will I go to school and bust my rump for 3 and a half years in nursing school to make less income than someone who finishes school in a lot less time? (Not that an x-ray tech is a bad thing, please don't get me wrong, but money does come into play when you're poor and eating beans and cornbread so you can pay for college.) I live in KY and I'm not sure what the starting salary is for new nurses here. Can anyone shed some light on the average pay for new nurses in your state/area please? :confused:

Thanks,

Christy

What did you like better? xray tech or nurse???

I am have been an RN for about 18 years and am thinking about going THE Xray Tech route-I do not have hospital experience and have been out of work for over 4 months. The majority of my experience was in Blood Services (bloodmobiles), then clinic nursing for 2 years (making a clerical error and got fired). I am not looking for L/T care as I've done that before and dreaded going to work. I believe that I saw salaries starting in the 40's and up to about 55,000 per year. This is Minnesota. I'm going to check it out, but keep looking for employment as an RN, but it doesn't look good with experience lacking and no way to build on it. (it would appear that becoming certified in any specialty-getting training-requires either a BSN or a job)!

I like nursing better as it it more of an ongoing mental and critical thinking challenge. We play a part in the patient's outcomes and if you have some experience and you have built that rapport with the doctors, you know you have that interaction with the doctors where they respect your opinions and they share their thoughts with you on the patients rationale and treatments. I like that. However, having said that, as nurses, we have some patients who are extremely needy who are constantly on the call light, familys that try to drive your care for their relative, narco addicted patients, and other ones that basically drive us to the edge of insanity. However, as an x-ray tech, you take their x-rays and send them back to the floor for the nurses to deal with.

Had one patient the other day, whose family member gave them a stopwatch so they could time how long it takes us to respond to the call light. I personally believe there is no nursing shortage, I believe there is a shortage of nurses that want to put up with all of the crap that we have to put up with on a daily basis. I think that one particular company should stop all of those nursing is caring ads. I think that gives potiental nursing students the wrong idea of what nursing is really like. I also think those ads make us look like brow and butt wipers and soda fetchers to the general public rather than the science degreed, medical professionals that we truely are. Just had to get that out. That's my 2 cents.

That is pretty insulting.

(Gotta vent again) What kills me about this woman is that everything she does is better and everything she's gone through is worse and so on. You all know the story. You cannot carry on a conversation with her because she never lets you speak and as soon as you jump in she interupts you. My husband landed his dream job about 6 months ago and his work gave him a cell phone. We have been thorugh a lot financially over the last 2 years and we were proud he finally found something that he loved and made a good living at. When he told her about the job her reply was...my cell phone is better, and she meant it! LOL Who in the he** says that?? Who cares??? Anyhow, I asked her a while back about the diff careers in the healthcare fields just to know a little about each, considering she works at the hospital and knows everything. :uhoh3: Her reply was, "become a nurse because x-ray is full and you ain't gettin' my job honey". ( as if I wanted it ) She also stated that x-ray school was harder than RN and if she could get through x-ray I coud breeze by in nursing. She just knocks me down every chance she gets. I was appauled but kept a tight lip considering some people know when to speak and some people know when to listen and some people know when to sit on their hands so they don't choke someone. He he. :chuckle I don't have anything against x-ray tech's so please no haters..it's just her......HERRRRR!

It just pains me to think I'm going to work so hard and make less money for more education! Her arrogance just drives me further towards my goals and hopefully someday I can ask her....did you get those x-rays done yet?? I have a patient waiting!

Thanks for listening guys.

There are always people like "her" . . . just try to ignore her . . . I know that might be hard.

However, on your point about salary and education . . . unfortunately, the salary structure in this country is not based upon years of education . . . it is often based on unionization . . . example, average nursing salary in San Francisco is $50/hr+ . . . a strongly union city . . . and to further my point . . . the union bus drivers can make just as much after enough years of service. By comparison, college professors, with PhD's, can make less. Go figure!!

Specializes in trauma,cvicu,micu.

going into the medical field should be for helping patients and not just because we make a good living! if his is what you are called to do then do it, if this is about money only then go sell something or work in a office. please dont let sour people and their hate drive you from your dream! By the way i have been in trauma for a while and live in florida and make great money! the money will come with the experience...good luck to you...

I am a BSRT xray tech with nearly 4yrs of experience, and I am currently

in the 1st level of clinical in a BSN program. I can not speak about RN salaries, but I will say that rad tech salaries are not great in my area. Also, diagnostic rad techs do not have alot of different specialty areas to choose for as with nursing. (that is without returning to school for an additional yr or two) And even after that there is not much variety. The fact that as of 3 yrs ago not all rad techs in every state have to be licensed to perform exams really gives a clue of how some states view xray. (God, I hope this has changed) Don't get me wrong radiology can be great! It can also be extremely labored, back breaking work ( position pts for certain images is not always ez) That's not to mention the potential hazard of long term exposure to radiation that accumulates.

Overall, the most important thing is to evaluate career goals and choice the career path that suits you best. Money without the desire and interest in the field is worthless.

Specializes in ER/OR.

Most RN's get paid more than RTs or Rad Techs. Something else you need to consider is that the glut for these is exponentially worse than RNs. There are nearly as many programs for Xray as RNs, and there is much less need for rad techs than nurses. It's a much smaller niche area in hospitals and require fewer employees. The xray programs keep churning out hoards of grads every semester, though. Ive heard some horror stories about grads not being able to find ANY job ANYWHERE. I hear half of them are giving up and applying to RN programs. Doesn't seem worth the risk, as well as techs getting even less respect than RNs (if that is possible).

Where I work new grads start at $20.00/hr, not sure what the xray techs make. Your post reminded me of the SNL skit with Taylor Swift.

You have got to see it, it will make you laugh,

http://vimeo.com/8270310

where are you located?

Arise!

Arise, Thread, from the dark shadows of forgotten and dead threads, for it is time for thread necromancy!

Rise up! To the tippy top!

:)

I doubt the OP is still around. This thread is aged.

Pleae do not allow this one bad "apple" spoil your view on X-ray techs, by and large. These days, x-ray programs are a full 4 year BS program, much akin to the education required to obtain an RN degree. Most RTs recognize and appreciate RNs education and experience. However, please do not be insulted by the pay scale. We are all playing on the same field, in the same game, even on the same team - perhaps just on offense or defense. I do not procalim to have all the capabilites of a nurse, but I would expect that a professional nurse would recognize my value in the health care profession as well.

In my area, the market for any imaging professional is overly saturated - no jobs available in this field. Before you commit to additional education, ensure your area can support your chosen path!

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