RRT or LPN need advice to decide

MsLoriRN, BSN, RN · Apr 16, 2009

Hi Melissa,

I hear your confusion and frustration!!! I hope I can help out...you've got a TON of responsibility, and not much time to meet it. So here's a hug, :icon_hug: , take a deep breath, and let's talk!

OK, so the RRT job looks enticing to you, and I can understand why. Will it all be in trauma? Nope. RT's do lots of work in the ICU, but it's not trauma. Many folks are on ventilators, and the RT does checks on those, but the nurse at the bedside does most of the hour-by-hour management. FYI, early in my RN career, the hospital laid of RT's to save $$$ and required the RN's to become certified in giving chest PT (it's a technique RT's traditionally did to loosen the gunk clinging to patients' airways, say if they had pneumonia--that's REALLY simplified, but it'll have to do here) so we could do it in the RT's absence. I don't know what's happening in the minds of the hospital bean-counters right now, but it's just something to think about.

The situation with nursing, hospitals, and the national economy is very complicated right now. But it's not completely new. People in situations like yours are, honestly, the BEST and just about ONLY reason I ever recommend going for the LPN. Honestly, I don't often recommend that people go the BSN-route right off the bat, for a number of reasons. For you, I think you would be able to achieve your goals by starting off with the LPN, and then doing a "Bridge to RN" program while you are working and earning money as an LPN, so you can support yourself and your child(ren). Again, grab the mini-course to get more info about this, but in the meantime, be sure to check with your LPN school if they are "connected" with a Bridge to RN program where your course credits can transfer.

All that said, if the Respiratory Therapy career sounds more like what you truly want to do, then go for it! But if nursing is what's in your heart, then do everything you can to get there, by whatever route you are able. It'll be worth it!

I wish you all the very best, and I hope I've been able to help a little!

Lori RN

sunray12 · Apr 16, 2009

If money is your initial consideration I believe RT's make more money than LPN's. It seems lot of RT's move on to other health care occupations but that might be my personal perspective since the RT's I am acquainted with don't work as RT's. You can always start out as a RT and then continue your ed to become a RN.

GilaRRT · Apr 16, 2009

Fist, verify the type of program. There are two levels of respiratory providers. The CRT and the RRT. If you are truely looking at a RRT program, you are looking at a minimum of a two year program.

In addition, the RRT program will likely be an intense course. You will learn rather technical concepts such as air flow dynamics, compliance, and advanced knoweldge of cardio/pulmonary concepts. Concepts such as Delta P, static versus dynamic compliance, and hemodynamics can be difficult to understand at best.

So, you are looking at two very different programs when considering LPN and RRT. In fact, it is rather difficult to compare the two. Good luck deciding.

Neveranurseagain, RN · Apr 16, 2009

An LPN would give you a lot more job options. You could work in a clinic, a SNF, a hospital, home health, camp nurse, or MD office--the possibilities are almost endless. You could eventually go back and get your RN, too. As a RRT your options would be limited and you are locked into that role.

GilaRRT · Apr 16, 2009

I disagree, the specialized care that a RRT has to offer is a great asset when it comes to employment. Consider electrophysiology labs, sleep labs, vent hospitals, virtually any hospital with vent/RT resources. In addition, the skill set and experience of the RRT makes them particularly useful in the critical care transport environment and in specialized areas such as pediatrics and neonatal care.

Not to mention the challenge and benefit of such a specialized education and skill set.

Sherriblu · Apr 16, 2009

If you want to be a nurse go for RN, the Lpn makes so much less and you will be fighting all the time to have to prove you are a nurse and many RNs look down on the LPNs. They dont seem to understand we are nurses too just with a limited scope of practice. The jobs for LPNS in the hospitals is just not what it used to be.Ihave been an LPN for 27 years and that is my advice..

gemini79 · Apr 16, 2009

If you want to be a nurse you can go either route. Most bridge program accepts RT, Lpn, and paramedica. RT s do make much more mont than lpn. I am a RRt and went back to school for my RN and I feel because of my RT background I have more options open to me. Most Rt programs are RRT programs. As a RT you are expected to manage vents, assess patients, and a whole lot of other things. I stay in Atlanta and at all hospitals RT are respected and have a wide range of responsibilities. It is up to you as to what to do but if you want to make more money initially I would say go for RT and it also lets you learn alot of knowlegde that most nurses dont know!

CABG patch kid, BSN, RN · Apr 16, 2009

Just my :twocents:

RRTs: Make more money, more specialized skill set/knowledge than LPN. I know a few RRTs who went on to be damned good critical care nurses, and can trouble-shoot vents better than all the other nurses!!

LPNs: Make less money, more generalized skill set/knowledge. Not as many jobs in acute care these days.

As far as I know, either can bridge to RN but it depends on what the schools in your area offer. If its L&D experience you crave, you may be the RRT present at deliveries if your hospital offers that (I think most do); you will be mainly focusing on the baby though. LPNs don't have much of a role in L&D as far as I know, it is almost all RNs, every facility I've been to anyway. But no matter what path you choose now, you can always go into L&D in the future!

lindarn · Apr 16, 2009

An LPN would give you a lot more job options. You could work in a clinic, a SNF, a hospital, home health, camp nurse, or MD office--the possibilities are almost endless. You could eventually go back and get your RN, too. As a RRT your options would be limited and you are locked into that role.

I have always considered Respiratory to be a rather dead end career. Where does one go if one wants to do other type of work. I know that RTs are employed by Sleep Apnea studies in hospitals, but there isn't a whole lot else. Nursing gives you FAR MORE OPPORTUNITIES THAN RT WILL EVER GIVE YOU. As others have said, RTs go back to school for other careers, nursing being one of them. An RT who I used to work with, went back to school for the pre-reuisites, and got accepted to Pharmacy School. But his education in RT was not exactly something that he was expanding on, since they are two different careers.

I have know RTs who went back to school to become an RN, earned a BSN, worked in ICU, and got acccepted to anesthesia school to be a CRNA. That is a good switch from RT, and one in which you education and experience in RT is very useful.

Again, the choice is yours, but nursing is really a better choice with more options.

Lindarn, RN, BSN, CCRN

Spokane, Washington

Neveranurseagain, RN · Apr 17, 2009

I agree lindarn. Where I live (rural area) there are jobs for LPN's and RN's. There isn't even a RT at our small hospital, and no sleep labs or other employment for a RT in a 60 mile radius. If you live in a city, there may openings (but how many?) for RT outside the hospital but in a rural or semi rural area employment may be very limited.

GilaRRT · Apr 17, 2009

I disagree, this depends on the area. I know of a couple of towns that only have a few hundred people. However, these towns have facilities that employ a full RT department. It is rather myopic to make a decision based on what you see in one area IMHO. Look at some of the RT specific sites, the field is growing and jobs exist.

Obviously, this all boils down to what you want out of your career. To say RT is a dead end career is in fact not correct. Many opportunities are open to RT's and it is simply a matter of what you personally want out of your career. In addition, the "RT's leave their field for other careers" argument is invalid at best as many nurses leave nursing for other careers.