Career Change: Radiology/Sonography v. Nursing?

[AvaPeers]

Hello everyone, I finally joined after seeing this forum on Google. My story is kind of long.

I pursued a BA degree in English and went on to obtain my certificate in Journalism. This is kind of ironic since I always aspired to become a nurse. And I guess it backfired on me. I have been out of school for three whole years now, yet was able to work for only one of those years. I have tried everything. I don't qualify for the military since I'm already 24. I'm too old for most career assistance programs which cater to kids in HS and in uni.

I have bombed interviews, received professional counseling, wrote to and met up with the colleges and publishing companies, volunteered, networked and etc but to no avail. The best I can get are positions from temp agencies offering short-term two week long paralegal positions. Believe me, I have become very depressed and anxious.

So I guess this all backfired on me. I am considering going back to college for something in the medical field. It seems to be far easier to find a job in those. The only problem is, I don't know what I would study. I'm an LA native though I am planning to live in Philadelphia and New York.

Finally, I narrowed it down to Radiology/Sonography or Nursing. My brother-in-law has only worked as a nurse. He told me that nursing offers more opps to move up, though. Ex. You can advance from AS to BS and even beyond to become an NP. Radiologists learn to create a formula to feed people and then they perform scans. If I were to choose Radiology/Sonography I can only afford to get an AS. With Nursing I could go get my BS. I do know people who got Radiology/Sonography ASes. They were hired right after graduating. Though they insisted it is also saturated and they got lucky.

Besides all that, I'm very logical. I'm outgoing and enjoy interacting with people. I do love helping people. I am very easy to talk to. He told me this personality would probably be better suited for a nurse.

I need some help regarding this decision. Thanks.

[dishes, BSN, RN]

Have you checked the job market for nurses and sonographers in your area? Contrary to popular belief the health care job market in many areas is saturated. New grads are being churned out every six months, many are disappointed when they find out that the health care job market has surplus and shortage cycles and is not recession proof.

[NurseGirl525, ASN, RN]

If you bombed interviews for your current degree, what is changing with this one? You still have to interview for a job. Jobs just don't land in your lap with a medical degree. That's where I'm having a hard time with your post.

Also, why do you think a radiology degree is more expensive than a nursing degree? A credit hour is a credit hour.

Last I checked CA has a 47% unemployment rate for new grads. If you are wanting to move east, you would need to make sure you were in compact states. One state that would accept your license from another.

I sometimes feel people think having a nursing degree just fixes their life. It fixes their dissatisfaction with their lives. People think easy money and a surplus of jobs. It's not true everywhere. The money is not easy. I earn every penny I make. I happen to live in an area with a nursing shortage. Not everybody does. I'm going to start calling this the Florence Nightengale Syndrome. You are not the first and won't be the last to ask these questions.

[AvaPeers]

Is there a certain site where you can check the job market? I did try to do some Googling. Most results only categorize rankings by work environment or salary.

So far, it seems like LA and SF/SJ are actually the best markets for both. Every site I've visited ranks California as being the best state to work in for medical jobs. They're also super competitive though. People have been on waitlists at public schools for 5+ years just to get a nursing degree. No one hires here unless you have experience. You might have a better chance with a BS.

That is true, like you said. Which is why I was hesitant for some time about going back. Getting the degree will not guarantee you a position. It could be more wasted time and money I just don't need. However, this unemployment nightmare has gone on for way too long.

[AvaPeers]

I fully acknowledge that. But I think that after going to counseling, I'm far more prepared to pass interviews and land a job. Everyone tried practice interviews with me. I seem to be improving.

I didn't say that. I'm sorry if that was the impression you received. I'm just saying that so far, I have found most schools only issue Radiology certificates and ASes. Yes, a handful of private and trade joints do offer BSes. Most do not. I think I considered one school in NYC. They happen to be the only university in the whole state who offer a Radiology BS. Even then, with scholarships and financial aid they were asking for as much as $85,000 after everything!

My plan was to leave CA, go to school in another state and then find a job. So far I've narrowed my options down to these two.

[dishes, BSN, RN]

I would check the job market by asking nurses in potential shortage areas such as; Ohio, both Dakotas, Michigan, rural Texas, rural Arizona.

[CelticGoddess, BSN, RN]

I live in SC, and we are seeing a shortage of nurses (enough that we are being staffed with travelers on a regular basis). What we don't have a shortage of is U/S techs or Rad Techs. (BTW: U/S and Radiography are two different modalities with their own education requirements, registry and exams). Some hospitals won't hire U/S techs until they are certified in ALL area's of U/S (cardiac, maternal/fetal, general med, venous, etc). And if you choose the Rad Tech route, you'll need to be cross trained in NM, CT, MRI, or Specials before you can get a job in a lot of places. It's not easy. (I'm a retire Rad Tech, husband is a Rad Tech/CT tech).

I am not sure why you would want to get your AS in Rad Tech. It won't give you a leg up in some areas. The only way to get a leg up is to get cross trained. The entry level for RT and U/S is an AS. Talk to others, find out the requirements before you spend money on a bachelors in Rad or U/S

[AvaPeers]

Thanks for clarifying that. So would you be able to tell me how long it takes to get cross trained? I tried Googling this. Very little info is available on it.

[dishes, BSN, RN]

Thanks for clarifying that. So would you be able to tell me how long it takes to get cross trained? I tried Googling this. Very little info is available on it.

Look at school curriculums.

[AvaPeers]

Thank you. I was thinking about going to CUNY since it offers both degrees (AS and BS) in both fields.

They don't specify anything about CT on their site. Guess I'll have to contact the program directors.

[dishes, BSN, RN]

I don't understand why you are considering NY for school, NY has a saturated job market, if you go to school in a state that has a shortage market you will be more likely to receive job offers after you graduate.

[AvaPeers]

I considered it because there's a lot to do and I heard they have a great nursing program. There was one thread on Reddit about this. They said that even compared to CA, the schedule is very busy and they offer less space. I have been to NYC twice and I definitely see the latter.

I heard Delaware and Virginia have the best job markets now. They added a lot of jobs. However, I haven't heard that for medical positions. I have considered going down to NJ or Pennsylvania cuz I have friends and relos in that area. I've been to all of these places except Virginia. Will have to give NJ, Delaware and PA a try. Thanks!