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

omiart · Feb 11, 2011

perhaps the reason why the x-ray tech's roles and responsibilities are so enshrouded in mystery is due to the fact that we work alone in dark rooms lined with lead. so maybe its time for some input from someone who has at least seen the inside of an x-ray room.

first of all, for those of you who are wondering "what does an x-ray tech even do?" let me just start by saying that an x-ray beam is not as magical as you think it is. it isn't rocket science, but there is a lot of thought that goes into producing a decent, useful x-ray.

let me give you an idea, try isolating the odontoid of the c2 vertebra from all the surrounding bones on an image. now try doing that on your first try. thats one view on what could be anything from a 3 to 5 view series of just the c-spine. now do that on a patient who is lying in a stretcher and wearing a collar. when it's your turn to be x-rayed i bet you'll be glad you have a licensed professional dedicated to imaging to do it instead of a nurse or even a doctor zapping away at you all day.

Radtechtx · Jan 9, 2012

ok first id like to say she seems like a smug butt. but the truth is rad techs have a lot more technical education than most nurses do and you should'nt be going to nursing school for 4 years it should be closer to 2. the simple truth is that nurses are an indespencible member to any hospital, but there education is limited to the range and scope of there field rad techs start iv's push drugs and can tell you how ionizing radiation effects ever type of cell in your body. including 6 books on physics alone. we are taught how electricity works on a atomized level and can even build you a generator from an armature and 4 magnets. where as you dont even have to have college algebra to go to nursing school. Rn's in my area make around 22 to 30 $ an hour depending on there experience and how long they been in the field where as a rad tech hired prn gets 30$ an hour. i have a friend who travels from city to city in a semi and does mri and ct had all his hotels paid for including food. then banked 118K last year. ( granted he worked his butt compeltely off and never slept). but i would never say choosing to be a nurse would bring economic hard ship on you its still a very well paid job nurses just really undrestimate what kind of technical education being a rad tech truely involves i promise you its a whole lot more than pushing a button.

GrnHonu99, RN · Jan 9, 2012

WOW. I can hear the ignorance flowing through this post! LOL where to start. Probably with spelling, since obviously, us nurses, can do that. Secondly, the pay scale for nursing varies and does pay for xray techs. So to compare a traveler with a staff RN or xray tech is just plain dumb as it is like apples and oranges. Sure, all travelers make more money, but it depends on many factors. I just returned from a 5 month stint as an RN and would have made over 150k for the year. That and I didnt have to travel via semi..oh and my food and lodging were paid for! oh, wait, thats what being a traveler is....right. Oh and I only have to work three days a week like most RNs.

3RD, perhaps the last poster should do his research BEFORE he decides to have diarrhea of the mouth, every RN program I have known (and that is many since I am in education, and have researched RN programs all over the country) requires algebra!! OH and pathophysiology, anatomy x2, nutrition, biology, chemistry, math, psych, soc, nutrition, etc. (and OH and those are just the pre reqs!! That doesnt include the full 2 years (as all NURSES know and ADN is never truly 2 years!)

Oh, and the kicker! OUR scope of practice is limited?? LOL. ON a standard day, i MUST know exactly how the body works in relation to everything else in the world (esp in ICU), how every medication works with the body and with other drugs. OH, and thats the "basics". OUr scope of practice is 10 fold compared to an xray tech! I mean come on! OUr scope of practice includes full on pt care...aka don't let your pt die. SOrry, no tech Ive ever known has had a scope of practice that encompassed that. I have saved lives in the ICU for 5 years, my assessment skills have to be sharp as a tac! You have to know as much as the MDs with out the benefit of medical school. We run multiple drips to control every system a patient has. So, yes, you MUST know what you are doing..oh and the college algebra (that none of us had to take, and that most of us prob passed out of) comes in handy when you are managing 8 gtts to keep BP certain parameters and UO..oh but wait...had I taken that physics class, I would have that all figured out. OH wait, I did take physics and its useless in my sector of the field!

IM not putting down techs just correcting the ignorant rant of the last poster. Wow if you are going to post something, at LEAST know what you are talking about! To those thinking about this career, do your own research ! Call the schools that have this program and talk to an advisor. Make sure you research salary in YOUR area!. RNs have a huge pay gap from state to state. Oh, and my final point...with an RN there are so many avenues you can take and pay is variable depending on that facet of nursing you do, I know some RNs who make 500$ working for a law office, however, that's not a salary you can compare to bedside nurses. I know in my area, techs are lucky to make low 20$/hr with mid 20 cap. Nurses are generally started at 65-70k where I am. Oh and that number is a low ballpark, I know the other hospitals around here the pay is higher.

TakeTwoAspirin, MSN, RN, APRN · Jan 9, 2012

Come on now GrnHonu99, you know you wish you could MacGuyver together a generator from chewing gum and shoe laces - admit it! Our training as nurses is clearly inferior because when our patient crumps that's the first skill we wish they had taught us in nursing school.

KelRN215, BSN, RN · Jan 9, 2012

ok first id like to say she seems like a smug butt. but the truth is rad techs have a lot more technical education than most nurses do and you should'nt be going to nursing school for 4 years it should be closer to 2. the simple truth is that nurses are an indespencible member to any hospital, but there education is limited to the range and scope of there field rad techs start iv's push drugs and can tell you how ionizing radiation effects ever type of cell in your body. including 6 books on physics alone. we are taught how electricity works on a atomized level and can even build you a generator from an armature and 4 magnets. where as you dont even have to have college algebra to go to nursing school. Rn's in my area make around 22 to 30 $ an hour depending on there experience and how long they been in the field where as a rad tech hired prn gets 30$ an hour. i have a friend who travels from city to city in a semi and does mri and ct had all his hotels paid for including food. then banked 118K last year. ( granted he worked his butt compeltely off and never slept). but i would never say choosing to be a nurse would bring economic hard ship on you its still a very well paid job nurses just really undrestimate what kind of technical education being a rad tech truely involves i promise you its a whole lot more than pushing a button.

Where are you getting your information on nursing education from? You are comparing apples to oranges. Nursing education isn't exclusively a "technical" education which is one of the reasons it takes so long. How, exactly, do you fancy yourself an expert on how long nursing education should be?

I may not know how to build a generator from an armature and 4 magnets but when my patient is coding, what skills do you think the person at the bedside needs to have?

NicuGal, MSN, RN · Jan 11, 2012

My husband is a tech, he has done many areas of radiology and is now a manager for a very large imaging institute at one of the larger hospitals. He makes as much as I do and has had additional education for MRI and CT. The amount of A/P he needs to know is astounding...much more than we as nurses know. Our roles are very different, even though we have some similar roles. We both can put in IV's, we both can interpret labs (he has to know renal function inside and out due to contrasts), he has a lot of patient contact, he has to know about certain diagnosis so that he knows what to look for, he had knowlege of a lot things I don't...the amount of physics he knows blows my mind!. Do I think I am more than him....no way. We both respect what each other does.

As for the poster that was down on nurses...shame on you. Do the nurses in your department know what you think...

xraykay · Jan 15, 2012

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....

The tech you speak of sounds like an ass and is an embarrassment to our profession.

I always say that those who brag have little to brag about and are trying to make up for deficiencies in their personal lives. They try to bring you down to feel better about themselves. Don't let her do that to you.

I am a Radiologic Technologist, Mammographer and in the process of Training in CT. We are not just button pushers (in most states). We go to college year round for 3 years (includes all our field related prerequisites) or 4 years w/summers off. Many programs require prospective students to score a B or better on the nursing entrance exams to qualify for the program. We learn pathology, nuclear physics, about everything you can learn about radiation, biological physics, pharmacology, health care ethics, how to insert an IV and all that goes along with that responsibility, all of the structures of the entire body, HIS/RIS, PACS and several other computer software systems; quality control for film processing, CR and DR equipment of various types, how to know the exact number of Milliamps, fractions of second and Kilovolts Peak is necessary to get the appropriate dose of radiation for every exam, every body part for every age, size, shape, distance of the tube from the patient and the image receptor, magnification and with or without various types of contrast; what to do in case of extravasation or reactions to contrast or even just the run of the mill health care issues. We learn how to adjust for different types of grids, and angles - foreshortening and elongation, divergence of the beam, and the effects of the angle of the xray beam hitting the anode effects the path of the ray and when it enters the patient's body/passes through it and exposes the image on the image receptor; understand the attenuation of the radiation as it passes through skin, fat, muscle, contrast, fluids and so on. We also have to understand how to monitor patients just as a nurse would and what to do if something happens. We have to lift and shift patients and move heavy equipment which is very hard on the body.

There are over 200 basic positions in general x-ray alone for an average person that we have to learn to adjust - for ht, wgt, age, shape, pathology, doctor preference, and so on. We learn to observe these patients and figure out exactly how to adjust positioning and exposure factors in order to see every bone, organ and so on in just the right angle...including joint spaces 'opened' up in just the right way; being able to view every bony process, fissure, fossa and on and on. We have to know how everything is supposed to appear under the skin. We learn the inner workings of the organs so we know exactly when to expose and what results to expect. We aren't just winging it. A credentialed and properly trained technologist just makes it look as easy as pushing a few buttons.

General x-ray, orthopedic, fluoroscopic, surgical, pain management, C-arm, portable x-ray are all different and we learn them all. Then many of us go back to learn mammography, CT, Radiation Therapy, MRI, Nuc Med, Pet Scan, and so on. Many of us now need to know 2 or more modalities in order to be considered for a job.

We have to do enemas and clean up messes that nurses also deal with. We deal with vomit and some of the nastiest bowel movements just as nurses do. In all GI studies we have to know exactly when the contrast will make it through the colon, to the small bowel or through the esophagus, duodenum, jejunum, stomach, etc. to position and expose patients at the right time. GI studies are rapid fire, multiple positions and images. We also have to know the vessels, veins, and every organ down to every fiber and function.

Your comments about Rad Techs belittle the immense amount of skill and knowledge a fully trained and credentialed Technologist must have in order to earn the income we are earning. We are not at all happy that there are states (GA, NC, ID, MO, NV, AL, MI, ND, SD, and NH) that do weekend training programs to teach people to push buttons and call them Technicians. I don't know the pay grade for those techs, but as a credentialed, multi-modality Technologist, with my education and skills, I EARN my pay. I do what I do because I love my work.

Don't let that woman or anyone else derail your desire to be a nurse. It is an honorable profession and takes a special person to take on that role. Pay ranges are very close for both professions and vary from state to state and between credentialed techs and people just trained of the street - usually. You can go to Salary.com to see what ranges you should expect all over the country, down to the zip code where you plan to work. I know pay grades are going down due to the recession, however so that and part-time or float pool pay grades will not be reflected.

I personally feel that nobody should be able to work in Health Care just because the pay is good - they don't make good health care professionals.

Both professions take a great deal of knowledge and skill. Both professions require continuing education. Please remember that before you say we are undeserving of equal or greater pay. People in general have very little knowledge and understanding of our profession.

cameronransom · Aug 10, 2012

I think x-ray techs get paid $26 per hour... and they actually do have to go through a lot of training to get to their position.

2-4 years of study, either an AA degree or maybe even a BS. It isn't easy but I think the outlook for the x-ray technician career is pretty decent.

Ivanna_Nurse, BSN, RN · Aug 12, 2012

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.

Lol :) I can just hear this booming voice in my head as I read this...

Pets to People · Aug 12, 2012

There is no way in the world this woman affords everything she brags about on an $18 an hour salary, especially with two kids, so her husband must make the "real" money, in addition to maxing out their credit to live above their means.

It frustrates me to no end when people compare who has the more expensive stuff, especially when it is stuff they are paying on and don't even actually own! I don't care if you have three SUV's, a giant house, tons of expensive shoes, etc. All that stuff is money down the drain...if you need cash you are s#@* outta luck...if you want to brag, tell me how much CASH you have in SAVINGS, then maybe I'll be impressed. If within the next week you needed lots of CASH, could you get it from your phone (basically worthless), shoes and purses (certainly won't get back what you paid for them), the car and house you don't even own...nope.

Kadambari · Aug 12, 2012

In my area it seems like RNs make more than Radiographers. RNs have a salary of 67,000 a year while RTs make 50,000 a year

jadelpn, LPN, EMT-B · Aug 12, 2012

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. 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.

Don't let people like this freak you out. Behind closed doors, I am sure her life is a hot mess, so adopt an attitude of "the poor thing, bless her heart, having to brag to make herself feel better". It is hard not to get upset, and not stoop to her level "why bless your heart, you have so many wonderful things and such a full and rich life, how LOVELY, you should be proud of yourself". Because quite frankly, any adult who needs to have every conversation about the material things that make them somehow "better" deserve pity. (and in all reality, one can go into any discount store and get label clothes for their kids, prepaid phones can be the "good ones"--you get what I mean....)

There are many things that go into someone's salary. Unions, certifications, differentials, all sorts of things. If you want to be a nurse, go for it! With a base salary, differentials and any certifications that come along as you move in your career, you have an opportunity to make a living at it. If your husband has a good job that he loves, then do what you can to start classes--evenings, online, whatever will work for your family. Best of luck and remember "bless her pea-picking little heart":yeah: