radiology tech vs respiratory therapy vs nursing

Published

I know this is a nursing board, but as healthcare professionals you all have exposure to these different fields. What are the pros and cons of these different field. which if you had to do it over would you go into or recommend going in to?

Not every nurse works with respiratory pts in the hospital setting; there are facilities in my state that permit nurses to work with vents because it is with the nurses scope; we learn about ventilators and care of a ventilator in nursing programs because when there are no or not

enough RRTs or CRTs a nurse is placed in the RT role; I have been a "Respiratory Nurse" in the acute rehab setting, post-acute pediatric setting (currently) and had to know the anatomy of vents in the home health PDN setting. :yes:

Most of my nursing career has been working with ventilated patients newborns-adults/older adults outside of the hospital setting.

You are the first nurse to ever say you learned about ventilators and the care of a ventilator in a nursing program. I have seen the respiratory section in the nursing curriculums and it is not enough to prepare anyone to function independently with a home ventilator. Many ICU nurses will admit they don't get near enough training for ventilators even after they start in the unit. There are also numerous discussions in the home care section here started by nurses trying to find out about ventilators. I think the nurses who are the best at doing respiratory tasks are those who readily admit they don't know it all and are willing to learn once out of school.

No, there is no shortage of RTs. In fact, many states have an unemployment rate of over 10% for RTs. The shortage is in the reimbursement. CMS has cut it for RTs which means hospitals, LTC and Home Care services must give RT duties to nurses.

Much of my scope of practice overlaps with nurses. I can start IVS, PICCs, manage IABPs, do ECMO and give many different medications. At no time have I ever felt the need to call myself a nurse or compare myself to a nurse. I am a Respiratory Therapist working under the scope of practice of my state as allowed by the Medical Director who signs my job description. If a new RT is lucky enough to land a job in a progressive hospital, they can do a lot. But, the future for RT is not secure until we get the Bachelors as entry or at least be recognized by CMS with the higher education for those who hold a Bachelors or Masters. To be an RT today you need to be ambitious and able to move to any state which has an opening...just like some new grad RNs and Radiology Technologists. Some states are also restricting licensing to those who hold the RRT and not the CRT. California and Ohio are two examples of this.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
go to xray school, become a CT, MRI, US, or Nuc Med Tech. DO NOT go into nursing.

Out of these options, I would choose ultrasound. They make nice money and are in demand in my area at least.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

what area are you in?

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Join the Discussion