Published Jan 3, 2014
Brittney154
20 Posts
Hi I am a mom of 3 and 30 and have a degree as a medical assistant but haven't used it in awhile. my passion is healthcare and I am going back to school but trying to make the right decision. I am looking into respiratory thearpy at concorde or registered nursing at itt tech both in Portland Oregon... I am nervouse about nursing cause from what I see they aren't hiring anyone without a bsn and I am not sure about itt tech, but with respiratory I know there aren't as many job openings. anyone have any advice? I need to make a decision soon. thanks :)
alrighThen
80 Posts
Do nursing. I'm near PDX and make almost 20$ an hour more than my husband, who is an RT at OHSU. You'll find a job.
Even going to itt tech and only having an associates
Yes you can always do an online Rn-bsn but with rt a Bachelors won't equate to much. In my opinion you can do much more with an RN and being open to continuing ed
Is the portland area hiring nurses without a bsn
TraumaSurfer
428 Posts
There is a saying now: "If you want to do Respiratory Therapy, be a nurse or Paramedic".
I know a few hospitals like OSHU utilize Paramedics in certain areas where RTs had been in the past doing all the RT tasks. Several of the flight and transport teams have gone to using Paramedics instead of RTs also in that state. The same for California and Washington. As a Concorde grad you will also have a very difficult time finding a job. There are not many openings for RT and it is a close community which does have its hiring preferences. The school has a rep of taking in whoever can sign their name for a very large loan agreement. That much money would be better usedrfor a BSN.
All you have to do is look at the nursing job boards to see BSN is strongly preferred especially if you do not have experience. In a state which actually wants Paramedics to have an Associates degree, you can bet the BSN is preferred.
The problem with Associates degrees from private tech type schools is their credits usually will not transfer. But, the school may steer you to another very expensive private school near the end of the program by telling you times have changed and you really need the BSN.
I get what you're saying I just don't have that kibd of time to put in school right now. I'm 30 and a mom of three I can't do more than a two year program. I want to be in the medical feild its my passion but I don't want to waste money and be jobless. I will move to get a job I need to know if I will get hired easier with an associate in respiratory or nursing...I want to work In the nicu
So RT and RN prerequisite are the same. If you are just starting them you should have some time to further consider your options. RNs make more money and have more jobs available to them than RTs in the Pacific Northwest so I think it's a pretty simple decision. If you want to work Nicu then you should plan on continuing to your bsn after the two year program since it is a very competitive field. I do think that it would be better to go the community college route though, because the other poster is right about those tech schools and sometimes misleading statements about credit reciprocity.
Ya I don't have time to go the communuty college route if I do the program it will be itt tech I just want to make sure ill find a job after either at tge hospital or a clinic no nursing homes. As long as you think it will be ok, that's what ill probably do
meanmaryjean, DNP, RN
7,899 Posts
What state are you in? WGU has pre-licensure programs in Indiana, Texas, California and a few other places. You can accelerate pre-reqs and the clinical portion is approximately two years.
Washington..how do you do a nursing program online