radiography,radiation therapy vs nursing

cccormier · Apr 3, 2011

I'm glad you mentioned this , because I'm a similar situation where I have to decided between accepting either an offer for a BSN degree or a Radiation Technology program... and I'm finding it hard to choose.

If anyone could give us their insight or opinion on both professions (roles, salary, main differences, etc), that would be greatly appreciated! :nurse:

roso614 · Apr 3, 2011

so got accepted to both your nursing and radiation therapy program? would you say its difficult to get accepted to your rt program? i know i dont go to your school but it could still give me an idea if i got a chance your not

damrcngrl95 · Apr 3, 2011

I think you should go for whichever you think you will really love, but the Rad Tech jobs are kind of hard to come by right now. They are over saturated at this moment, but if it was something that you really wanted to do, don't let it stop you from realizing your dream.

I plan on going into respiratory knowing that it doesn't pay as well as nursing, the jobs are harder to come by, and it is kind of dead end as far as options. I really want to do this and I will find some way to over come these hurdles.

cccormier · Apr 3, 2011

Thank you damrcngrl95! Even though the job prospects seem a bit lower than in nursing, but in the end I have to choose what makes me happy and what would be better suited for me. However I seem to find pros and cons in both fields, and I am still "on the fence" regarding which path is what I "really love". Regardless, I really appreciate your input, and happy to hear that you are into Respiratory - seems very interesting! :)

@roso614

Yes, I got accepted to both programs. The university here lets 300 students in for the nursing group, but only 60 people get accepted into Radiation Tech, with over +1700 applicants!!! So, I assume it's just as hard, even harder to get into Rad Tech over here considering a higher amount of people apply, and so few get in.

I didn't do a "pre-nursing" major to be precise, but I completed a "pre-health-science" college program prior to getting accepted. Pre-Health is a program that prepares you to get into a "health care" field of your choice, so it is more broad. I am not sure if a pre-nursing major will help you get into Rad Tech or of it mainly geared towards nursing... I also had a 3.95 GPA (out of 4.0) in the program.

Good luck to you Roso, and let us know if/once you get in! :yeah:

mursingbro · Oct 20, 2015

Am I a little late? No really, this a great question though by the time I am writing this you surely graduated. I was a nurse aid for 5 years before I applied for a program. Within those five years, I worked medsurg and pedi. I loved pedi the most and my dream was to work in a PICU. Things changed, I got burnt out real quick. I lost the love of nursing that I once had. I applied to a bachelors radiation therapy program in Houston and got accepted. I am now a senior 10 months away from graduation. I love radiation therapy because it makes you feel great to help others fight cancer. You work with multi-million dollar machines and very talented people. Downside is the job market is kinda tight and you have to be flexible after graduation. Long story short, go for what your passionate about, don't be the ones who do it for the money and hate their lives.

flyawaybudgi · Jun 10, 2017

How is everything going w the job now? Are you happy?