Xray tech~ more $$$ than RN???

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Hi everyone. I'm a little confused about something. I know this girl, let's call her Miss Braggart. Anyhow, she's a friend of a friend of a friend and after speaking to her a few times i've come to the conclusion that I don't like her and I like just about everybody and anybody. She and her husband are those obnoxious type people who brag about EVERYTHING. Example- My son wears this brand, what does your kid wear? We have a boat, do you? Etc... Anyway, to my point...she is an x-ray tech (for 3 years, oh and don't let me forget to mention she has a best-friend relationship with all the doc's at the hospital, they all love her and say she's the best ...EVER! ) and when I told her I was going to school to be an RN (I'm taking my pre-req's now) she laughed in my face and said "I'm in x-ray and I make more money then most nurses that work there, besides nurses get no respect" Of course I just smiled because I was so shocked by her blunt comment I didn't know what else to say. This can't be true can it? A big part of me thought she is one of those "try too hards" , you know those people who try so hard to impress they leave the opposite impression? If I remember correctly she said she made $18 an hr. Well, of course I'm not following my dreams for money....BUT...I do have 4 children and a husband who is the breadwinner and I want to know that if something ever happened where I'd have to support my boys I could. I'm sure most of you can relate. My question is....will I go to school and bust my rump for 3 and a half years in nursing school to make less income than someone who finishes school in a lot less time? (Not that an x-ray tech is a bad thing, please don't get me wrong, but money does come into play when you're poor and eating beans and cornbread so you can pay for college.) I live in KY and I'm not sure what the starting salary is for new nurses here. Can anyone shed some light on the average pay for new nurses in your state/area please? :confused:

Thanks,

Christy

Radiology Tech's make more money in Tennessee, BUT you have to have an Associates as a pre-req. So, essentially it is an advanced training type scenario here. You can't be a respiratory tech, sonographer, or rad. tech without being an RN first. :o

Dont ya just hate people like that. Tell her your allnurses.com sister makes over 21/ hour as a LVN, so she now can shut her pie hole. Dont forget to tell her I take my hillbilly self down to the governor's house for dinner once a week...:rotfl:

:) Hi. I work at a hospital as an operator but I am also attending school for nursing. Anyways, today I spoke to the XRAY tech and asked her a bunch of questions regarding her job. I asked her what the typical salary of an xray tech would be and she said that the starting salary is $21/h!!! So you can imagine my reaction when she said this...the way I see it I'm going to do more homework about XRAY techs and Nurses. Either way I might just decide to do both. :p

((Speaking of x-ray techs, meaning a tech. not an RN))..

How do x-ray techs save lives? When ever there is a code, they just stand there! When something goes wrong, they look to the RN on what to do!

The RN's do all the work and take responsibility. I think RN's should make WAY more than they do now! :(

Just a week or so ago, a patient arrested in MRI and was wheeled down to ER (without warning) per stretcher by one transport person. Guess you can figure he didn't make it! :uhoh3:

Originally Posted by diamondgirl

I hear they pay a small fortune for American nurses to work in Saudia Arabia. And for the amount they pay, I'd gladly wrap my body in one of those cloths (I forget what they're called). And I'm dead serious.

Wow, youre far braver than I am....noooo way would I go over there. :)

p.s...it's called a Burqua.

in Louisiana you do not have to be an rn to go to xray school or to physical therapy school but you do have to have a minimum of two years of college and since they have such a limited enrollment probably about 100 per six months i am sure that having a rn even an ad degree would give you a boost toward being admitted

what ever encouage your children to educate themselves to the best of their ability..so your grandchildren will have the wherewithal to go to college

as to op study and apply yourself you will never regret learning something

Specializes in ECMO.

dont forget tho almost anywhere in the country a RN will make a bit more than a RT. some places salaries are on par, and even fewer places where RTs makes more than RNs. they both have 2 years of ACTUAL schooling, some of the prereqs are just different. usually the only diff for a Associates is that RNs take microbiology and RTs take physics. but RTs dont deal with as much "drama" that RNs deal with on the floor. i want to be a RT and i would feel bad that i made as much as a nurse, because i know that an Rts job is "easier" (however u want to look at that) than an RNs. so dont feel bad if ur friend says all that crap. because karma aka payback is a biah......lol

who cares what people say? u do what u enjoy!

who cares what people say? u do what u enjoy!

yup

:chuckle

Dental Hygienists are alleged to make salaries comparable to nurses. And boy, are the hours ever better..no weekends, no holidays, no nights, no call, 4.5 day work week...but I can't imagine making my living cleaning teeth all the time. Ugh! That'd get so old. I don't begrudge them their money one bit.

Hi everyone. I'm a little confused about something. I know this girl, let's call her Miss Braggart. Anyhow, she's a friend of a friend of a friend and after speaking to her a few times i've come to the conclusion that I don't like her and I like just about everybody and anybody. She and her husband are those obnoxious type people who brag about EVERYTHING. Example- My son wears this brand, what does your kid wear? We have a boat, do you? Etc... Anyway, to my point...she is an x-ray tech (for 3 years, oh and don't let me forget to mention she has a best-friend relationship with all the doc's at the hospital, they all love her and say she's the best ...EVER! ) and when I told her I was going to school to be an RN (I'm taking my pre-req's now) she laughed in my face and said "I'm in x-ray and I make more money then most nurses that work there, besides nurses get no respect" Of course I just smiled because I was so shocked by her blunt comment I didn't know what else to say. This can't be true can it? A big part of me thought she is one of those "try too hards" , you know those people who try so hard to impress they leave the opposite impression? If I remember correctly she said she made $18 an hr. Well, of course I'm not following my dreams for money....BUT...I do have 4 children and a husband who is the breadwinner and I want to know that if something ever happened where I'd have to support my boys I could. I'm sure most of you can relate. My question is....will I go to school and bust my rump for 3 and a half years in nursing school to make less income than someone who finishes school in a lot less time? (Not that an x-ray tech is a bad thing, please don't get me wrong, but money does come into play when you're poor and eating beans and cornbread so you can pay for college.) I live in KY and I'm not sure what the starting salary is for new nurses here. Can anyone shed some light on the average pay for new nurses in your state/area please? :confused:

Thanks,

Christy

wow you hit the nail on the head, i have met so many of those types of people in my life but just couldnt put into words exactly what it was that i didnt like about them...but yep thats definetly it...in one of my nursing courses there is a girl just like that, she never forgets to point out that she has a job waiting for her as soon as she gets out of school at Univeristy hospital, and she was so great that they are saving a job just for her...blah blah lol..i live in NKY and i have heard of new nurses down here making 20-28/hr..i dont know what xray techs make but i know my mom did it for awhile years ago and she transfered to 'unit secretarty' bc it offered her more money....so i would definetly think rns even new grad woujld make more....call a local hospital and ask..or go to http://www.monster.com and they have a salary wizzard there where u can put in your zip code and profession and it will tell you what the ave salary is...in fact i just did it for you kind of...a staff nurse (general RN) in Louisville, Ky, according to Monster.com says the median salary is...50k-55k/yr (base salary)..wow seems high...i couldnt find anything i thought was similar to xray tech...they have MRI tech but i dont know if those are even close?? lol...

Dental Hygienists are alleged to make salaries comparable to nurses. And boy, are the hours ever better..no weekends, no holidays, no nights, no call, 4.5 day work week...but I can't imagine making my living cleaning teeth all the time. Ugh! That'd get so old. I don't begrudge them their money one bit.

i think so too...i couldnt be a 9 to 5er though, that would drive me nuts, i love nursing bc of the flexible schedule!!:)

dont forget tho almost anywhere in the country a RN will make a bit more than a RT. some places salaries are on par, and even fewer places where RTs makes more than RNs. they both have 2 years of ACTUAL schooling, some of the prereqs are just different. usually the only diff for a Associates is that RNs take microbiology and RTs take physics. but RTs dont deal with as much "drama" that RNs deal with on the floor. i want to be a RT and i would feel bad that i made as much as a nurse, because i know that an Rts job is "easier" (however u want to look at that) than an RNs. so dont feel bad if ur friend says all that crap. because karma aka payback is a biah......lol

who cares what people say? u do what u enjoy!

Hello All-

I am a radiographer/mammographer...have been one for 21+ years. I have made the decision to leave xray because I want more patient contact (hopefully will be going to LPN school)

Let me set the record straight:

I was employed in a private imaging office and left making 19.00 /hr.

The work load is unbelievable --all about the numbers not about the patients.

I graduated with an Associates Degree in 1981. There are Bachelor's programs in Radiography( no difference in pay to start but a lot of these techs go on to be managers)

I think that if you love what you do, then you shouldn't let what others say bother you.

Specializes in Adult SICU; open heart recovery.

I'm curious; in your job, what "liability and accountability" do BSN-prepared RNs take on that Associate- or diploma-prepared RNs don't? (assuming you're talking about staff RNs doing the same job).

I am personally...2 years compared to 4 and the liability and accountability we assume without the authority...yes.
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