From either RTs or RNs...what would you say are the best and worst parts of each job?? im trying to choose bet

Question

between the 2, and was looking for advice from people who work in the fields...what are the pros and cons of your job, and what woul;d you assume they would be for the opposite job? Thanks in advance. =)

Babara-Thanks for a thorough answer...nice to hear another (I'm assuming) Christians perspective on this line of work. =)

Answer 1

I am an RN and can speak directly from my own experience about this profession. As for RT, I can only speak from observation of what they do.
PROS for the RN:
1. I will always have a job
2. Within nursing, there are many, many specialties to choose from...and it is fun to find out which one fits the best
3. You can persue a PhD in nursing, become a teacher, author, administrator....
4. You can become a nurse practioner..you can specialize in family practice, for instance, and see patients just as doctors do. In cities, these nurses usually work with and for MD's but in rural areas, they work independently and quite successfully, I might add.
5. You get to help people
6. This is still a fairly well respected profession
7. As a profession, we are growing in our level of responsibilty..no longer are MD's the "captain of the ship". We can work collaboratively with MD's for the good of the patient.
8. The pay is much better than other professions in some places

CONS:
1. The education needed to become an RN is sometimes daunting. Not all professors of nursing are nice and actually can be abusive to students. They claim it is to toughen us up but that is simply an excuse for taking out their frustrations on others. You cant let their imperfections distract you from your goal to become a caring professional.
2. Not all MD's appreciate the work of a nurse and there are sometimes power struggles between the two professions. Sometimes nurses go out of their way to make the doctors job hard and sometimes doctors go out of their way to make the job of the nurse impossible. The ones who get hurt the most in this terrible game is the patient. Doctors can be abusive to nurses and patients. The potential for this abuse is not limited to any particular group. Patients are sometimes abusive to nurses and doctors but we think.."oh..they are sick and thats why they're mean" but that is NO EXCUSE. Nurses are sometimes mean to patients, too. It hurts my heart when I see this happen.
3. In some places the pay for an RN is very low. You will see that in these places, teachers are paid very poorly as well.
4. The hours a nurse works can be too much...I've known nurses who work as many as 80 hours a week, and MORE. They are sometimes motivated by money and sometimes are motivated because there is no one else to work the hours. In some states, like California, there are laws that prevent nurses from working too many hours for the safety of themselves and the patients.
5. I've noticed that many people who become nurses have "Issues" and they take those issues out on the new nurses...this is called "eating their young". They dump on the new person and act disrespectful. (I'm sure this behavior is not limited to nursing but my experience is in this profession) Some nurses like to be in control of EVERYTHING..even when it has nothing to do with them, their job or their patients. They are bossy and treat others like idiots. I find these people quite offensive and basically ignore them anymore since I am confident in my own practice.
6. Sometimes, in the line of work, a patient dies and we feel very sad. Sometimes, babies are born dead and this is painful to watch the Mom grieve but this is part of life. Sometimes, patients are kept alive for no reason other than the fear that the doctor or hospital will be sued. (greedy lawyers)
7. Our system is not perfect and mistakes are made. People get the wrong medicine, get sick and die or have to stay longer in the hospital. No system is really perfect since the system is made up of human beings who are fallible.
I'm guessing that RT's have to deal with the same issues as nurses to some degree or others. They are REALLY specialized and do only a small number of tasks compared to the RN. But their responsibility is just as great as any other health care provider.
I really enjoy being a nurse despite all the crap that goes on. I love to teach and I get to do that in my job. I really enjoy seeing people get what they need and go home with new information to improve their lives. I like the pay, too but that does not motivate me as much as the satisfaction of coming home at night believing I may have made a difference in one persons life. I believe when this happens, God is working through me.

Answer 2

By RT do you mean radiologic technologist or respiratory therapist?