Career Change:How hard to get in to a program?Radiography vs. Nursing? Male Nurses?

SarasotaRN2b · Jan 29, 2005

Okay, here it is:
I'm REALLY struggling with making a career change decision. I am a 31 year old GM of a Furniture Store, and cannot wait to get out of that industry.
That being said, I've been researching 3 jobs within the Medical Community. Nursing, Radiation Therapy, and Radiography.
-How hard is it to get into a RN program?
-Can a person make it (without going crazy) in a RN program and working 25-30 hours?
-what have you discovered to be the most challenging thing about nursing school...anything.
I don't want to spend time and money on dealing with prerequisities if it's impossible to get into a program
Thank you all in advance.
BTW will be moving to CA (bay area) in 6 months, where I'll live for a year before going at this full steam ahead.

Because of the competition to get into limited seats within a nursing school, it can mean being on a waiting list for a couple of years in some cases. Usually you are not even put on the waiting list until you finish your prereqs which usually takes a year to complete. If you really want to be a nurse, I would suggest that you look into a BSN and start taking prereqs as soon as possible. Even if you only start with taking one or t wo classes this very first year. Get your feet wet.

I've currently finished all of my prereqs and I'm just waiting to hear if I am going to get into a program in the fall. I've applied to both an ASN and a ADN.

good luck!

angelac1978 · Jan 29, 2005

also, admission to radiography school and especially rad therapy school has gotten extremely competitive as well. if you don't have most or all of your pre-reqs done, you probably won't get in. Rad tech school is tough too. I am in my second semester and I was working 40 hrs/wk and have cut back to about 20 and it is still rough. We are in class and clinic for close to 40hrs a week! That being said, I love school and am so glad that I made this decision. I knew that nursing wasn't for me, and I was lucky to have stumbled on to a rad tech program. The 3 fields you mentioned are very different and what one person loves another will hate. If you haven't already, I would suggest that you try to shadow a nurse, a rad tech, and a rad therapist for a day or so each to really see what each job entails. Good luck in whatever you decide!

A

mitchsmom · Jan 29, 2005

I would think that guys may have an edge getting into schools b/c they need more men in the (nursing) field. Don't know if I'm right, but maybe you could ask around about it. Can you get information about the schools that you are considering? Their recruiters should be able to give you info about their requirements and how competitive they are. It seems to vary a lot from area to area and program to program.

mingez · Jan 30, 2005

also, admission to radiography school and especially rad therapy school has gotten extremely competitive as well. if you don't have most or all of your pre-reqs done, you probably won't get in. Rad tech school is tough too. I am in my second semester and I was working 40 hrs/wk and have cut back to about 20 and it is still rough. We are in class and clinic for close to 40hrs a week! That being said, I love school and am so glad that I made this decision. I knew that nursing wasn't for me, and I was lucky to have stumbled on to a rad tech program. The 3 fields you mentioned are very different and what one person loves another will hate. If you haven't already, I would suggest that you try to shadow a nurse, a rad tech, and a rad therapist for a day or so each to really see what each job entails. Good luck in whatever you decide!
A

Angelac, thanks!!! So tell me, why did you decide Nursing wasn't for you?

Thanks to everyone who replied as well!

angelac1978 · Jan 30, 2005

I was planning on applying to a BSN program that required that students have their CNA certification. I was lucky in that a local hospital was desperate for CNAs and was offering a paid class and also paid for the exam. I took the class, passed the test with flying colors and got a job on a peds/med surg floor. Within a week I knew that being a CNA and being a nurse moreover was not for me. Maybe it was the floor I was on, but working with the same patients day after day really started to get to me. I also noticed that the nurses spent hours in the lounge after report working on paperwork. That's not what I wanted to do (and yes I know that there is much more to nursing than just paperwork) I lucked out one day when transport was backed up and I had to take a pt down to the rad dept for a routine chest. I knew the tech that was working that day and chatted for a few minutes and then on my lunch break went down and talked to her some more. I went to the local technical school the next day to apply. I just knew that it was right for me, I could see myself doing this, I didn't feel any nagging doubts in my stomach like I did while working as a CNA. I put in my 2 week notice and didn't look back.

I really suggest that you do some job shadowing. Like I said in my previous post, what one person hates, another person loves! and that's what is great about the healthcare field. There is a place for everyone!

A