Well, there may be a glitch in my nursing school plans...
My husband has pretty much been offered a good job, paying over twice what he makes now (which is only about $10K/year), with benefits, company truck, etc.
The catch is... we'd have to move to a town 60 miles from here to get it. That particular town doesn't have a BSN program, and is over 120 miles away from the BSN program I had planned on applying to... it is where the rad tech program I applied to (and got in) is located, though.
I'm torn about whether or not he should take the job.. I have so much family support and help with my kids here. My oldest goes to a fantastic private school, and my youngest has a sitter who loves him like a Grandma. Plus, if I move.. I could change and try to go back into the rad tech program.. or, I just don't know. There's really no options for my husband getting a good job like that in the town we live in now (VERY small), and I don't know if I could afford to go to school in 2004 unless he got a better job anyway. I'm thinking of just having him move down there, and the boys and I stay here until I finish school. That's 3 years away, though, and then we'd have two households worth of bills.
I'm very torn and can't seem to make a decision. Anyway, if you pray - say a prayer that I'll have some direction... or if you have any advice, my ears/eyes are wide open! :)
Thanks Marilyn. I'll be sure to keep yall posted.. he goes for a 2nd interview Monday, so we'll see what comes out of that.
All the rad sites that I found weren't near as classy (LOL) or active as allnurses, but you can try http://www.radiography.com - There's a lot of great people there if you can wade through the thousands of "where is a rad school in my state" posts. There are also tech discussion boards at http://www.auntminnie.com
Angela posts here and at radiography (she's an RT student), so if she reads this maybe she'll be able to give you some more links. (she's a sweetie) :)
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awww Manna you're so sweet! :)
there is also a group in yahoo groups that is for radiography students and professionals. I think the name of the group is just radiography (real original huh?) other than that the radiography message boards are pretty sporifice. I have actually thought of starting one, but maybe when I have a little more time!
As far as your situation Manna, let me tell you. Last summer my husband had to go to San Francisco for a month for his job and it was tough! So I would think long and hard about him living in one place and you living in another. Also, you have the kiddos to think about. If your husband is away, would all the responsibility of taking care of them fall on you? Is there any way that you could move in with your parents so that you don't have to maintain 2 seperate households? Are there any BSN programs anywhere close to where you guys would be moving to? I know that you will be further away from the one you are planning on going to. Have you checked schools in neighboring states? Are you moving east, south, north, west? Try Alabama, Tennessee, Louisiana. Last but not least, are there any ADN programs near where you would be moving? This would at least get you into the field and you could go back for your BSN or even find a bridge program that would let you get your MSN while skipping the BSN stage.
Now as far as radiography goes, new positions have been created that allow you to advance beyond the point of staff technologists. These are radiologist physician assistant and also radiologist assistant. I think you can read more about these at http://www.asrt.org
Also, remember once you get your rad tech certification, you aren't stuck at the level of lowly tech. You can specialize in MRI, CT, mammography, ultrasound, radiation therapy, nuclear medicince, PET scans, and the list can go on. So you can in fact specialize, you won't be stuck taking chest films for the rest of your life.
A
ps, hope I didn't just make this harder on you. Bottom line, you know your situation, and only you and your husband can make this decision. The rest of us can only give advice, be it good or bad.
manna, you're in a tough position. i feel for you. my husband and i will be separated soon as he'll be going overseas for possibly 2 years while i'm in school. i, too, worry about the separation and hope we're making the right decision for our marriage. my situation is a little bit different from yours though because we don't have children. family support will be a huge benefit in getting you through nursing school. how does your kids feel about the possibility of moving? i know it's hard because you and your husband have to decide the best course of action for the whole family. i wish you luck in making a tough decision while trying to fulfill your goals.::)
I guess I am in the minority, here but i say go with hubby, I know u have a good support system but this man is your husband bottom line and if he wants u to go i feel u should go. I know how u feel i have given up alot for my hubby and kids, I even went to college part time( ALmost a senior in college, but i now i decided i want to be a nurse, go figure,lol) while he worked full time and went to school full time, He finally grad with a Bachelors of Art, and guess what its my time now, I am going to school and I think my sacrifice has paid off, Hubby has great job, I have two happy kids. I know it hard to detour the plan we have for other but some times the pay off is so much greater. I for one would never want to be seperated from my hubby while he worked in one city and i worked n another and I didn't see
him everyday, That just not the type of life i would want for my kids are me. We are very close knit:D , I hope u find a common ground u can agree, I wish u the best:)
thanks agent! I really think that most people in the general public have no idea what goes on in a radiology department. I am just beginning to find out myself! I guess its similar to nursing in that people think that nurses clean bedpans and wipe butts all day!
i'm sure that's part of the job description, but thats not *all* nurses do. you get to suction nasty respiratory secretions and if you are ever so lucky, you get a patient that will be so obliging as to vomit on you!
now, we radiology folks have the best, lemme tell ya. we get to give people barium enemas, talk about fun huh?
Thanks for the input Angela - I actually put a good bit of research into radiography and it's many "specializations" when I was applying to the program... I did some shadowing and was particularly fascinated by the guys who worked directed with the IR guy doing CV work. WOW. :)
I just figured with nursing there are more opportunities for advanced degrees, masters, etc.
Where do you go with a masters in radiography but to head of the department? I don't know... I read up on the RPA field, and I'm just not sure that there is that big of a market for it. My original plan was to go through radiography school, see how I liked it, do a BS completion in a specialization, and then pursue med school.
yea I can see your point, I think the reason that there isn't such a demand, or an apparent demand, for the RPA's is that its a relatively new (medically speaking) position.
But like I said, you need to follow your brain (not your heart, cause its not always logical) and decide what works best for your family. Totally have faith in you though!
Well.. my husband had the second interview yet. They're fairly certain he'll get the job, but it has to go thru a head office/paperwork has to be processed... blah, blah, blah.
My husband is determined to take the job, so I'm not going to stop him. That doesn't mean I'll move with him either, though - as the supervisor who spoke with him was impressed and wanted him to work directly under him, which is in a town that's actually 90 miles away rather than 60... and a pretty expensive place to live.
But get this (agent especially) - the town that he'll move to if he takes this job... is the same town where my state's medical school is located. My husband seemed excited by this idea (he doesn't put alot of faith into the me-as-a-nurse idea, I guess). *sigh*
agent
777 Posts
Plus as a rad tech you'll be limited to that specialty. As a RN you could float and do some surg some icu some L&D etc.