Hey Rn's,,do you ever wish you had done physical therapy instead?

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do you ever wish you had been a pta or pt instead? fall is coming up and i can't decide on adn/rn or pta. talk to me.....thanks...

I don't regret nursing, but some days I wish I had the ability to say "not my job" like PT, OT and other healthcare positions with very defined functions.

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Specializes in Tele,PACU,ICU,CCU,ER,Home Care.

Originally Posted by RN47

If you plan on getting an ADN you should also plan to get your BSN, since associate degree RN's are not considered nurses anymore. You will most likely not be able to find a job as an ADN since most facilities will only hire BSN's.

I'm not considered a nurse anymore?

Go for nursing! Where I live, the pay is better...and it goes without saying that there is much more variety.

I think this varies by region, in the NW most hospitals prefer experience over education..

Today 10:06 PM

No debate ADN vs. BSN here. Magnet status seems to be the latest trend around here. Without a BSN, job selection is pretty poor.

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Definitely PT. If you plan on getting an ADN you should also plan to get your BSN, since associate degree RN's are not considered

nurses anymore. You will most likely not be able to find a job as an ADN since most facilities will only hire BSN's.

Who says??:no:

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PTs make a lot more than some nurses?...don't assume the career doesn't have earning potential on the RN side once people get experience. Also CRNA vs. PT there zero comparison in compensation CRNAs make out double PT salary.

I wasn't assuming anything. But if you are comparing earning potential for an RN with experience, you have to give the PT the same amount of experience, otherwise you aren't comparing fairly. So if an RN and a PT have the same number of years of experience in the same region of the country, and you don't include OT, the PT will earn more.

I think everybody is well aware of the kinds of salaries that CRNAs command, but the OP only asked about RNs vs PTs and PTAs. Besides, the CRNA program is intense enough that it's been compared to medical school, so IMO, it's in a different league and and can't be lumped in with the ADN or BSN groups.

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Specializes in Home health was tops, 2nd was L&D.

Yes, I wish I had gone for PT.. I know it is more schooling but there are so many more jobs. I even would have been happier as PTA or even OTA. And they get respect nursing just does not get anymore.. Not fair but seems to be just the way it is.

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I wasn't assuming anything. But if you are comparing earning potential for an RN with experience, you have to give the PT the same amount of experience, otherwise you aren't comparing fairly. So if an RN and a PT have the same number of years of experience in the same region of the country, and you don't include OT, the PT will earn more.

I think everybody is well aware of the kinds of salaries that CRNAs command, but the OP only asked about RNs vs PTs and PTAs. Besides, the CRNA program is intense enough that it's been compared to medical school, so IMO, it's in a different league and and can't be lumped in with the ADN or BSN groups.

Right but your not comparing two careers that are of equal education.

Entry level for RN is BSN, ADN, Diploma...PT is masters level.

The appropriate comparison is Nurse Practitioner, CRNA, Midwive, Nurse Educator etc vs PT - then we have a level playing field at masters level.

In that case the RN+Masters makes 85k or more as NP national average... OT is 75k...the #s don't back up your argument. That is directly from salary.com (of course things vary state to state).

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Right but your not comparing two careers that are of equal education.

Entry level for RN is BSN, ADN, Diploma...PT is masters level.

The appropriate comparison is Nurse Practitioner, CRNA, Midwive, Nurse Educator etc vs PT - then we have a level playing field at masters level.

In that case the RN+Masters makes 85k or more as NP national average... OT is 75k...the #s don't back up your argument. That is directly from salary.com (of course things vary state to state).

Yeah, I realize that. You have some valid points and in a different discussion I probably would probably feel that the education difference would be relevant. In this case I didn't. Mostly because the OP only asked if any RN wished that he/she had become a PT instead of an RN, not an APN or any other discipline. I said "yes" for reasons I already stated.

The amount of education didn't seem to be a concern for the OP and it definitely wasn't a consideration for me, so I didn't consider it relevant for this particular discussion, particulary since I was stating my feelings and opinions on the subject, not to make a persuasive argument for the OP to follow one path or the other. This kind of decision is highly subjective and there is no one right answer.

Edit: As a side note, salary.com is not highly reliable. Too often I've found that it isn't accurate for different regions.

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Not interested in PT but I do still have an interest in ultrasound.

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Yeah, I realize that. You have some valid points and in a different discussion I probably would probably feel that the education difference would be relevant. In this case I didn't. Mostly because the OP only asked if any RN wished that he/she had become a PT instead of an RN, not an APN or any other discipline. I said "yes" for reasons I already stated.

The amount of education didn't seem to be a concern for the OP and it definitely wasn't a consideration for me, so I didn't consider it relevant for this particular discussion, particulary since I was stating my feelings and opinions on the subject, not to make a persuasive argument for the OP to follow one path or the other. This kind of decision is highly subjective and there is no one right answer.

Edit: As a side note, salary.com is not highly reliable. Too often I've found that it isn't accurate for different regions.

I agree its not often reliable but, I personally know people who make far more than what they are saying as NP...but I only have experience with New Jersey/New York and California. From what I hear the south is extremely low paying across the board : (

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Specializes in LTC, med/surg, hospice.

Not PT but maybe some other health related profesion..

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Specializes in Psych, Geriatrics.

I wish I had done PT. To make any money in your average state in your average hospital, you need an advanced degree around here. The same amount of time I could have been a PT and probably been a lot happier, and you can work in so many settings for "real" money: schools, home health, hospitals, rehab, all those things. And I think it would be so much more rewarding than nursing. I have never met an unhappy PT.

If I had to do a bachelors over, I'd do SLP.

PT may becoming a doctorate, but so is NP.

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Specializes in LTC, Med-Surg, IMCU/Tele, HH/CM.

Sometimes I wish I had chosen another career. But then I think about all the possibilities that nurses have. Do you want to teach, do research, etc? All it requires is a little more education. Those other fields, like PT and sonography, all you'll ever get to do is the same old thing. Nothing new, nothing challenging.

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