Respiratory therapists switching to RN

PatMac10,RN, RN · Jul 14, 2010

That's what my CNA instructor did. She said that there wasn't really much for her to do with RT. There wasn't a great need for them in our area and she was limited to clinical RT, and this was 15 years ago. As soon as she graduated from her RT program and worked during the summer and during her last year of RT school at the hospital, she worked around nurses and saw that she liked their job better and returned to school for nursing that next fall. She already had the prerequisites since she had just graduated as a RT.

She said that with nursing, she could be more flexible as to what she could do and the job/advancement opportunities were better for her. She been an RN since.

ladybugme! · Jul 14, 2010

Well I can’t speak from personal experience but there is a RT in my ADN nursing program and she told me she choose to change because she was burned out. She said there is only a few of them in a very large hospital and they pulled around and worked to death. Also once I met a RT who worked at a local hospital and I told her one of my friends was going to school for RT and she said "tell him DONT DO IT"! When I asked her why she basically told me the same thing they are over worked and their scope of practice is the same thing over, and over and over! I hope that helps a little. My friend who is in a bachelor program for RT seems to love it. Although if you think nursing is what you want to do long term than why waste your time, energy and money on a program you are sure about sticking with? I am in RN school and it is the best thing I have ever done! Good luck to you![/b]:monkeydance:

CNL2B · Jul 14, 2010

I have known a few that have gone this route, and of the ones I know, it's about the $$$. RTs and RNs have some job overlap so the learning curve isn't that steep, and at least in this part of the country, RNs make more cash (not a huge amount more, but enough to be significant.) The ones I know got tired of making less money for what they perceived to be a similar job.

Fribblet · Jul 14, 2010

I couldn't be a RT. The suctioning.....blech. Sputum is my weakness. It makes me gag.

I do, however, work with a RT who has been an RT for over 20 years and loves it. Whether or not you get bored is something that you'll have to deal with personally. Some will get bored with it, and others will love it.

On a side note, I do work with a PA who used to be a RT. Have you looked into that? Much better pay, more autonomy, and prescriptive authority. You will spend more time in school though.

alissadancer · Jul 14, 2010

I couldn't be a RT. The suctioning.....blech. Sputum is my weakness. It makes me gag.
I do, however, work with a RT who has been an RT for over 20 years and loves it. Whether or not you get bored is something that you'll have to deal with personally. Some will get bored with it, and others will love it.
On a side note, I do work with a PA who used to be a RT. Have you looked into that? Much better pay, more autonomy, and prescriptive authority. You will spend more time in school though.

Ha that's funny. It seems like there is one bodily fluid serves as each person's own gross out factor. Mine is poop.

I figured I would try Respiratory because aside from wanting to work with patients, I was excited about all their new technologies and use of chemistry. I guess I'm a bit of geek for that stuff

I did look into being a PA or NP. It certainly is a lot of schooling. My husband and me were hoping to buy a house within a couple years. We need both of us earning good incomes to make it work though. If I were in school to be a PA I feel like my time to work would be pretty limited.

Fribblet · Jul 14, 2010

Hey, you've got to do what's right for you.

Good luck!

wooh, BSN, RN · Jul 15, 2010

I actually used to work with an RT that had previously worked as an RN. I often think if I had to do over, if not for the slightly less money factor, I'd have gone the RT route instead. Sure, more patients, but everything that's not a breathing treatment you can say is the nurse's job. Come to think of it, that might be worth the drop in pay.

....Off to see how long RT school would be.... :)

GilaRRT · Jul 15, 2010

I actually used to work with an RT that had previously worked as an RN. I often think if I had to do over, if not for the slightly less money factor, I'd have gone the RT route instead. Sure, more patients, but everything that's not a breathing treatment you can say is the nurse's job. Come to think of it, that might be worth the drop in pay.
....Off to see how long RT school wouCld be.... :)

I often thought the same thing. Now that I am getting my orifice handed to me during summer critical care clinical rotations in semester three of a five and a half semester programme, I find my self questioning my prior notions.

So far, I enjoy respiratory therapy. In fact, the nurses job seems all that much more miserable as I look at the ICU nurses struggle through endless amounts of paper pushing, lifting, and playing cocktail hostess. I now remember why I left the hospital for transport.

In fact, respiratory therapy has been somewhat of a breath of fresh air as the culture in the hospitals I have rotated through is much more relaxed and jovial than nursing. However, RT school has been the work of the devil. Not the loads of math, chemistry and physics, but some of the politics are more...interesting than anything else. Of course my big mouth and my "nurse" ways have done little to get me on my instructors good sides. Clinical instructors, a very different story however.

mocool · Jul 15, 2010

It seems like a lot of people who post here go from an RT career to an RN career. Can anyone explain their reasons why they chose to do this?
I have a BA in English lit. I was going to apply for an accelerated BSN program, but the schooling was just too expensive, competitive, and intensive for me. After looking into it, the field of respiratory care really piqued my interest. I was just accepted into a very competitive community college RT program in Massachusetts.
I realize it will also be stressful, but the affordable cost and the field itself really swayed me.
But now I'm worried that RTs eventually get bored? tired? frustrated? with their jobs and go back to school to be an RN anyway. I don't want to wind up spending more money on yet another undergrad degree down the road. Anyone have any thoughts on the subject?

I will go for RN.

TiffyRN, BSN, PhD · Jul 15, 2010

I've known a handful of RT's that went to RN. I've only ever met one RN that went to RT. I think that says something. It's not just pay, it's the huge variety of settings in which an RN can practice.