Accepted into two different health career programs...what to do?

nurseprnRN, BSN, RN · Aug 27, 2011

ummm, you do know this is a nursing community, right?

think: :idea: flexibility, potential, and you never know what's going to happen in your life. maximize your options: go to nursing school.

Juwon · Aug 27, 2011

Yes, I agree with the above poster. More flexibility, earning potential, more jobs in nursing even though the economy is a little bad, but nurse don't have it too bad in my area. You can do home health because of the one on one care or hospice, which is less flexible than other parts of nursing I gather on this board. When I go on Craigslist, I never have seen a job opening for a radiology tech, but I see countless jobs opening for nurses(LPNs and RNs both). As for me personally, i would stick it out with nursing......good luck, hope you make the best choice for yourself.

Thujone · Aug 27, 2011

nursing school will be harder and require much more effort, but the answer is definitely nursing school, from my perspective!

tainted1972, ASN, RN · Aug 27, 2011

Nursing offers a wide range of opportunities, and not all nursing positions are stressful. I find nursing to be a grand adventure each and every day!

If radiology seems to be something you are truly interested in, you may want to look into interventional radiology. Although I do not know a lot about it, I do know that nurses work in that department and it can be quite lucrative.

greenfiremajick · Aug 27, 2011

You started out this journey thinking about that delicious brand of candy (nursing) you wanted from the store....You know the one--that candy that you heard about from that lady that told you all about it...And then those other people that tried the candy, too. It sounded so tasty and satisfying!

So you got your map out, planned out your route and started heading towards the store. Along the way there were detours (those PIA prereq's, difficult policies and departments to deal with like financial aid, business office, registration, etc), potholes (difficult teachers, difficulties with family, surprises like broken appliances and taking your kid to the ER or your dog to the vet), construction (the building of your academic transcript) and so on, but after two long, hard years of gripping your sweaty hands on to the steering wheel for dear life, you FINALLY made it to the store......

As you walked into the refreshingly air conditioned store, you looked around in wonder and saw all the merchandise lying there, just waiting for purchase. Finally, you spied the candy it took you SO long to get to (remember it's was TWO years of making your way to it). As you walked towards that luscious morsel of goodness, you began to think about the taste, the enjoyment, the wonder of it all. You even began to subtly worry that the candy might not be as good as others had foretold....As you shook those dancing doubts out of your head like bees buzzing in a window, all of the sudden, there was a woman standing in front of you, stopping you in your tracks.

This woman was full of possibility, it seems. She had a breath of fresh air with every gesture and promises were waiting in her hands and on her lips, as she offered you something new...She began to describe the different tastes and the wholly brand new look of the packaging. The motion of her hands was reminiscent of hopefulness as strong as a teen that knows he can change the world; one act of kindness at a time.

You began to wonder....Was it better? How many others had tried it and were satisfied? Would I be satisfied? Would I wonder if I should have tried the first piece of candy I worked so hard to reach, or should I try something completely new and fresh, sitting right in front of me?

Quick! W/out thinking, which one did you choose?

So..........is there anyway to objectively simplify this decision? Do you stick with what you've wanted and worked so hard for? Or do you take the alternate path?

Aw, heck just throw in the towel and become a lion tamer or monkey wrestler!!! :lol2:

My vote would be for nursing. If you do rad tech, there's not many options (what is there--nuclear tech, MRI, what else? I can't remember right now)...I know there's a few, but hardly none when compared to nursing (sales, case mgt, all the different specialties, research, education, NP, flight, etc. and so on).....

I wish you much luck on your path and making a decision that you will be satisfied with. One more thought: There's a LOT to be said for perseverance and sticking with what you know is the right choice after you've made it.

So I've spent the last two years taking pre-reqs and gen ed. courses part time at my local community college. I am 40 years old and now that my kids are older (one is in college and the other in high school), I feel comfortable starting my own career.
I recently applied to both the Nursing (RN) program and the Rad Tech program and to my surprise I was invited to join both! YAY, I am so excited and thrilled! Now I'm torn between which one to accept. I know there isn't as many job opportunities in Rad Tech but I only plan on working part time anyhow and who knows what the job market will be like in two years. I like the idea of nursing because I can do home care and not be tied to the hospital. I also like the idea of nursing because I can most likely find a job working overnights (which would be my preference). Rad tech is appealing because I've heard its not as stressful and I don't do well is chaotic stressful environments.
Im so torn but so very thankful for the opportunity to join one of these programs. Can I ask you wonderful ladies (and men) here, knowing what you know now, which would you pick if you were just starting out like I am?
I look forward to hearing your opinions. :)
Thanks
Stacey

caliotter3 · Aug 27, 2011

Definitely more bang for the buck with nursing.

chevyv, BSN, RN · Aug 27, 2011

Perhaps check to see about job availability for each career. There are so many more avenues you can travel down in nursing. Having one client as in home care might not be so stressful and chaotic. There are not many job opps in nursing right now either, but because there are so many different paths a nurse can take, it makes it a bit more open then rad tech (in my humble opinion). Good luck and keep us posted on your decision. A big huge congrats to you. Finally getting the word is great hey :)

bsyrn, ASN, RN · Aug 27, 2011

Better opportunities, pay and flexibility with nursing....besides then you get to say, "I'm a Nurse" I still love saying that :nurse:

GilaRRT · Aug 27, 2011

nursing school will be harder and require much more effort, but the answer is definitely nursing school, from my perspective!

Really? I never had to do course work in physics while in nursing school. (Electricity and magnetism, Ohms law, nuclear physics and so on) I bet radiological technologist school can be quite difficult for some people.

OP, choosing a career will be a function of what you want out of life. Nursing has money, flexibility and possibly a better job outlook in some areas. Radiological technology has it's own set of pros as well. You need to seriously consider what you want in your career and what you want out of life. Also, try to shadow a person of each discipline to get a feel for what each job potentially entails.

MrChicagoRN, RN · Aug 27, 2011

I know there isn't as many job opportunities in Rad Tech but I only plan on working part time anyhow and who knows what the job market will be like in two years.
I like the idea of nursing because I can do home care and not be tied to the hospital.
I also like the idea of nursing because I can most likely find a job working overnights (which would be my preference).
Rad tech is appealing because I've heard its not as stressful and I don't do well is chaotic stressful environments.

We can tell you the value of nursing, but not what best fits your preferences and personality.

Perhaps you could find an allied health board to post on, and maybe arrange to shadow someone from each field/

eagle78 · Aug 27, 2011

Well first of all congratulations to you, I know you worked hard and this is a unique position to be in.

Secondly, I also was in the same position. I applied to BSN school and Radiation Therapy at two different universities, both of which have good programs. Now I hope I don't get beat up for this, but I chose radiation therapy.

My reasoning was as follows:

1). I want to be an oncology nurse, new grads do not have a good chance of coming out of school and getting on an oncology floor.

2). After contacting ONS I found that as a licsensed Radiation Therapist, if I get my RN licsense and have it for a year I can sit for the OCN using the hours as a radiation therapist because it would be dealing with oncology patients.

3). Traditional RN BSN school is 3 years, Radiation Therapy is 2, although it is year round with no breaks and 20 hours of clinicals per week the whole time.

My hope is to do the Radiation Therapy program, get the licsense and then do the CD2 program for nursing. There is the possibility that the Lord willing I can have both licsenses in 3 years as opposed to doing the traditional and only having one after 3 years.

Phyisics is not my favorite subject, and after taking two semeters of pre-reqs I still have to do 3 more semesters in the program. But, there is a lot of exposure to oncology. I really want to work on an oncology floor and I want to have as much versatility to deal with cancer patients as I can. This was my choice, I wish you the best in yours.

By the way, I asked the same question a couple of months ago and I got not takers, but I am glad you did. Good luck to you whatever your choice is.