anybody know about having a BSN and being an xray technician?

[girtenbt]

Hi, Im a sophmore nursing student in a BSN program and trying to decide on my career route. I have a friend who told me that nurses that become xray technicians make 60K-65k a year but thats all they told me about it. I was hoping someone can give me more information about this. For example, Do you have to have an associates degree (beyond your RN degree) from some kind of Xray tech program? What duties do you have in this kind of position and how much do you start off making (rough figure) right out of school being an RN and being an xray tech OR do you need to work your way up the ladder to this position?

On a side note I've been thinking about attending physicians assistants school if I do fairly well in my BSN program. However, I would like to find other educational opportunities besides grad school like certificates and 2yr community college degrees that can further my career and opportunities as a nurse without paying through the nose or risk "not having what it takes" to making it through a grad program.

Any input from someone who has knowledge or experience in this area would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

[HouTx, BSN, MSN, EdD]

I'm confused. Do you want to work as a radiology tech instead of RN? In addition to?

I know of only one instance of the latter - RNs in (very) small rural hospitals are highly valued if they are qualified to function in multiple roles.. most frequently as RTs or Rad techs. In some instances, the hospital actually funds this additional training. Because of size & usually status as a critical access hospital, these facilities can get waivers that allow them to do this. However, keep in mind that rural health care is a very different animal than the environment that most people are used to.

I admire your ambition and eagerness - it will be interesting to loop back with you in 5 years or so to see if your goals have changed. FYI, grad school is not so expensive if you attend a state university.