Ultrasound vs. Nursing your opinion

[johnnyDoGood]

I am torn between ultrasound tech. and 2 yr nursing. Can you give me advice? I've been weighing pros and cons on both. To me it seems there are more job opportunities in nursing, but the pay is the same for both. Ultrasound seems less stressful, and not as many jobs available.

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

More career mobility exists in the nursing profession. You could even work as an RN in the radiology suites of a hospital or outpatient imaging center, working with MRIs, ultrasounds, dopplers, x-rays, fluoroscopy, etc.

The ultrasound technician has less career mobility. If they tire of their job, it is more difficult to move to a different area. If the nurse tires of working in the hospital radiology suite, he/she can move on to do medical/surgical nursing, psych nursing, occupational health, hospice, community health, intensive care, emergency nursing, long term care, home health, clinic nursing, school nursing, rehabilitation, wound care, surgery, or a host of other specialties.

[Shanny246]

I think that choosing nursing as a career just because there is always a need for it, is a very bad thing. I have dealt with a lot of different nurses (my son was born with Marshall Smith Syndrome) and the best ones were the ones that really LOVED it. It takes a special type of person to be a nurse, it is not a glamorous job. You must be kind, loving, patient, be able to sympathize, possibly even empathize with the patient and family. You should really have a passion for nursing before going into the field.

[johnnyDoGood]

More career mobility exists in the nursing profession. You could even work as an RN in the radiology suites of a hospital or outpatient imaging center, working with MRIs, ultrasounds, dopplers, x-rays, fluoroscopy, etc.

The ultrasound technician has less career mobility. If they tire of their job, it is more difficult to move to a different area. If the nurse tires of working in the hospital radiology suite, he/she can move on to do medical/surgical nursing, psych nursing, occupational health, hospice, community health, intensive care, emergency nursing, long term care, home health, clinic nursing, school nursing, rehabilitation, wound care, surgery, or a host of other specialties.

You have really helped me. Can you tell me how I can transfer? Say If I'm a psych nurse and wants to move on to ER nursing, how do I transfer? Do I need to go back for more training or will they hire me just because I'm already a CRN for that?

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

You have really helped me. Can you tell me how I can transfer? Say If I'm a psych nurse and wants to move on to ER nursing, how do I transfer? Do I need to go back for more training or will they hire me just because I'm already a CRN for that?

If you've been working in a particular hospital unit for 6 months or greater and are an employee in good standing, management will usually allow you to transfer to another area.