Which career is better, speech pathologist, surgical nurse, or respiratory therapist?

Question

i would like to do either 3 of these things, but i cant decide. which involves TONS of medical knowledge?? which is good for someone who likes science, and is a leader????
whats ur opinion????

Answer 1

I think it really depends alot on you. I am a speech pathologist so I can tell you that you have an opportunity to work in a very wide variety of settings...kids, adults, medical, educational. I would image that speech pathology requires less medical knowledge than nursing or respiratory therapy. As an SLP, i do interact with respiratory therapy. In the medical setting, i commonly deal alot with dysphagia (trouble swallowing), aphasia, tracheostomy patients, stroke (CVA) patients. Check out www.asha.org to learn more about the speech pathology field. I do enjoy it, I help improve a patient's quality of life by improving communication skills or a patients ability to swallow effectively.
Speech pathology not in demand? Absolutely not true. I'll add that the field of speech pathology is in VERY high demand. I can have a job anywhere I want in the country, no problem.

Answer 2

Speech Pathologist requires at least a Master's degree. You can become a RN with just an Associates but need at least a Bachelors to become a leader. Respiratory therapists also need only an A.A.S. I would go with Surgi Nurse. Best return on investment and if surgery bores you, there are many other fields to get into.

Answer 3

This is a bit long, but if you want a good answer, take the time to read it: I've been a nurse - and I'm a veteran and a father and husband - for more than forty years. Doctors do not MAKE people better - they help people make themselves better. To do this, they use a variety of tools, one of which is nursing staff. The nurse is, among other things, the eyes, ears and hand of the physician. The arts and sciences of medicine and nursing are complementary, not exclusionary. For example: in surgery, there is a job known as "scrub nurse" wherein the nurse assists directly in the operation by passing instruments, holding retractors, preparing sutures, wielding suction devices, applying dressings. There is also the "circulating nurse" who moves about the operating suite making certain the needed tools are ready and available, fetching supplies and materials which are needed as an operation progresses, and who controls who and what enters the operating suite. The "circulating" makes sure the "scrub", the surgeon and the anesthetist and anyone else authorized to be in the operating suite is properly gowned, masked and gloved. Circulator communicates with others outside the OR if necessary during a procedure. Each of these jobs demands an extraordinary level of training and experienced, and of course, OR is a very high-stress job. I stayed for six months before deciding the stress wasn't worth it and moved to a charge nurse position elsewhere in the hospital. An RN is responsible for aftercare of surgical patients and directs caregivers such as Practical Nurses and personal care assistants - sometimes called "nurses aides". An RN is a teacher - as an RN I taught a smoking cessation class open to the public. Others of us teach diet and nutrition. Still others work with licensed therapists in occupational and recreational therapy. There is a very important area of nursing called "Industrial nursing" in which we are the daily health resource for factories and major business offices. Among other tasks assigned such a nurse is keeping track of a businesses compliance with various state and federal regulations, such as those mandated under OSHA. As an RN, I went back to college to study public health. By the time I was ready to retire, I had been nursing supervisor for a 300-bed hospital and consulted on a daily basis with business and community leaders on matters of public health. In retirement, I still consult on such matters on a regular basis. Becoming an RN is not merely wiping some old fart's butt and taking temperature and blood pressure. It's a highly skilled and respectable job - and I don't regret not having gone to medical school in the least!

Answer 4

Do an advanced search on YA to find my past answers on being a speech pathologist. Look up Toot's answers, too; she was also a speech pathologist.

Answer 5

Surgical nurse 100%

Way more in demand than the other 2, you will always have a job. Good luck!

Answer 6

Not completely sure...im considering respiratory too, and it looks pretty decent to me.. =)

Answer 7

we CAN'T answer that for you. do you care if you dont have a job you like, but get paid A LOT? Or would you rather be able to have a job you enjoy but don't make as much?

Answer 8

Probably not one that can make decisions since you can't make one