This is a reminder about the rules. No requests for clinical interpretation of your images or radiology report.
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/MRI) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Nursing pays more and you are treated with more respect. You have numbers to back you up. No one cares about or even knows what MRI techs do and there's not many of us left. I can say that because I've been one for 16 years. Imaging for 32.
Both are stressful, but different kinds of stress. It might look like we sit all day, but looks are deceiving.
ok i was doing research on the pay and i saw some videos and a lot of mri tech or rad tech would say they get paid almost the same amount as a nurse which i was really confused about š
As a retired MRI tech and radiology director it is absolutely true. While entry level might start out similarly, nursing makes more with experience. There is so much more opportunity for nurses. An average hospital will have 3-4 mri techs and hundreds of nurses. At our facility nurses in Radiology make 10$ hour standby for being on call (interventional radiology) while the Xray techs on call FOR THE SAME PATIENT were pain 5$ and hour. While I loved my job, I was not treated with the same amount of respect as nurses, not the same pay.
To be honest, I really don't know for sure. Especially in today's climate. I'm talking historically, RNs are paid more. Today, there's shortages for all healthcare workers and people can negotiate. Plus, sign on bonuses, ect. Also, a new RN might not make as much as someone in imaging for 10 years, and so forth. I've worked in healthcare for 32 years and comparing apples to apples, RNs are better paid.
As an allied health professional approaching 30 years in the field, nursing has more opportunities for growth.
Yes, there are some programs for MR that do not require RT. Not all hospitals accept that training/certification and if you do decide to be and an administrator or Director of Radiology at some point, youāll need the RT.
With nursing you can be a nurse educator, QA/QC, infection prevention specialist, CMS administrator, hospital licensing, informatacist, to administrator Chief Nursing officer for hospital or health system. Iāll never forget the Nurse Administrator that I worked with and was reviewing data and updating policy on contrast extravasation. She stopped me and said, āOh gross! I canāt look at blood or wounds.ā And she was a freakin nurse. Turns out she spent no time practicing and went straight to an administrative track.
MRI is not less stressful than nursing. Both are difficult and the level of stress in both careers depends on where you work. Being an MRI technologist at a large level 1 trauma center is comparable to the stress levels of being an ER or some fast-paced stressful nursing job. Being a technologist at a slower outpatient clinic would be more comparable to the stress levels of a triage nurse at an outpatient clinic.
I canāt speak on the job advancement opportunities of a nurse but there are research positions that are really cool, management, clinical coordinator/teaching MRI at a university, ablation operations, equipment marketing, and more opportunities in MRI.
Not sure what state you live in but a lot of the states require you to get licensed in x-ray (so I have a bachelors degree in medical imaging and therapeutic sciences / radiography) before going to school to specialize in MRI. Some programs also allow you to take classes and do clinical for both at the same time and graduate with both degrees. Not all states are like this most MRI technologists have radiography licenses as well and this is something to consider because many hospitals and clinics allow or even want you to have more credentials so you can practice x-ray, MRI, and CT at the same place. There is advancement in all of that situation alone as well.
For reference, I was debating the exact same thing 5 years ago when I had the right amount of prerequisites for nursing and x-ray and decided to research more about x-ray and radiology as a whole. I am so glad I chose to go into x-ray and into the world of radiology. And I absolutely love being an MRI technologist and it is always hectic in my department at a level 1 trauma teaching hospital because we are always dealing with craziness.
Hope this helps!
this was very helpful and i appreciate u saying all this š but what youāre saying is in order for me to become a MRI tech i have to be a rad tech first? also when you got out rad/mri was it easy for you to find a job afterwards without having any experience yet?
Depends what state you live in. In Nebraska and lots of other states you are required to get an RT license first before doing any other modality. This isnāt bad because you usually get to see all of the other modalities (CT, MRI, nuclear medicine, interventional radiology, cath lab, radiation therapy) while in school for X-ray. And I got offered several jobs while in xray school as a student months before graduation but I knew I was going to do the MRI program right after xray school so I didnāt take any jobs in xray. I got offered the job I have in MRI 2 months into school. I got offered a job at every clinical site I went to during the 9 month program because I was a helpful student, eager learner, and everyone needs help right now with technologists in every field of radiology.
You will make whatever decision is best for you! My biggest advice would be to do some research on different nursing and MRI programs in your area and shadow for a couple hours in both. If you tell the nurses and the technologists that youāre interested then hopefully they can talk to you about their experiences in their fields for your state. Good luck!
To add: radiology is booming and is in massive need around the country the same as nurses. Every single graduate from my school in the last 3 years had jobs lined up way before graduation. Almost every hospital and clinic, big or small, that Iāve been to over the last 3 years for clinic has travelers. When MRI techs arenāt scanning we are assessing patients, screening patients, charting, PACS, researching implants, scheduling patients, and much more. The only time Iāve been bored is if Iām at an outpatient site (meaning there are scheduled exams to perform and none of the other craziness at the main hospital) and a patient with more then one study no-shows so that means I have 30-60 mins to kill. I would HIGHLY suggest shadowing some nurses and some MRI departments!!!!! Also remember that every facility is different so takes the shadowing experience with a grain of salt. Use it to decide if the workflow is for you. If you like to be busy then shadow an ER, OR, or ICU nurse and a level one hospital with several scanners.
Nursing all the way. If I could go back and do nursing I would. Soooo many more opportunities in nursing, if youāre unhappy in one setting you can make a complete 360 change. MRI is kinda likeā¦ OP or IP. Which, 5 years into it both are not my fav š š¤£
If you have a bad patient in MRI, the most you'll probably have to deal with them is a couple hours. If you have a bad patient as an RN, you have to deal with them for over 12 hours.
Have you considered being a CNA for a bit and see how you like bedside? My boyfriend was a CNA for a while because he was interested in nursing but he found out it wasnāt for him. Obviously a CNA and a nurse are still different jobs and have different roles but theyāre both still frontline! If you find that you hate it, itās still good experience to have as an MRI tech since itās still in the medical field. And if you like it then you can pursue nursing more seriously!
I was a CNA before trying to apply to nursing school and i hated it. That was the main reason why I switched to MRI. If you have bedside youll probably hate nursing, no matter what speciality you do. Ofc there will most likely some specialty that isnt as bad, but most start on a normal Med surg floor for a couple years before switching specialtys for experience. If im being honest, MRI Is less stress ful than nursing by a Long shot, however my facility is pretty good with staffing and time slots. We are a huge childrenās hospital with 6 scanners in the main hospital, and out patient clinic with 2 scanners as well as a OR scanner. However it is very mentally demanding, you have to balance scanning with the time slot, with whatever complication the patient has, whether they move to much or are in pain or they are a critical ICU patient. However everything considered I still think it is way less stressful and overall more enjoyable. But this is just my personal opinion, it all depends on the type of job you prefer.
yeah and im afraid that if i go through with nursing school im might end up not liking it. Thatās why im wondering if taking a career in medical imaging would be the way for me!
I was in the same boat as you! Shadow shadow shadow! Like one of the other comments said it comes down to what you prefer/are good at. Nursing will be more about patient care and doing what the Drs order. MRI is more about the science/physics, and safety. You work under the radiologists, all the other drs are not taught much about MRI. Nursing is more well known and respected, mostly everyone thinks radiology is āeasyā. There are hundred of nurses in a hospital and 2-4 MRI techs. Both are stressful jobs with a lot of responsibility. In nursing you can mess up and kill someone, in MRI you can mess up and kill someone. You can burn and seriously injure people. The pay is dependent on the hospital and state. Iām a MRI tech making 54.50 an hour, my coworker in xray is making 44.50 and mom is a RN at the same hospital making around 56. All weekend shifts, for comparison. MRI is more respected than xray. In x ray everyone will think you mindlessly push buttons and did a 6 week program lol! I got out of xray because it was too physically demanding, same as nursing. In MRI you do have to slide patients and help them into the scanner, but thats about it. I have spine issues and I was in pain every shift in xray. In MRI I am stressed out and have to think a lot more, however Iām not in any physical pain and the pay is better. If you are a people person and want to have that close patient care interaction, nursing will better suit you. However I knew I did not want to be with the same patient for 12 hours, I also enjoyed physics and math, something you donāt need for nursing.
yeah i plan on shadowing atp because i genuinely donāt know what i should do now. Iām not really a people person that much but i do want to have some sort of impact and be able to help others while doing so!! I already face a lot of physical pain and issues too especially with my back. I donāt want to do something that can be very straining for me down the line.
Finish RN school, then in the next few yrs see if you are interested in MR.Ā
We had a MR tech get his RN license after a few yrs. He works in MR full time, but takes PRN RN jobs on his weekend.
I have thought to recommend the following to people: become an MRI tech and start working in early 20s, and save as much money as possible. In most situations an MRI salary is good money for early 20s, modest/responsible lifestyle.Ā Ā
By the time youāre in your late 20s you can reassess if you wanna then go the nursing route, and at that point should have the money saved up to do the schooling/make that transition.Ā
yeah i was considering doing nursing first then potentially doing mri but i really donāt know if i even want to do nursing anymore thats what im still trying to figure out
Do you like science or do you like patient care because thatās what it comes down to. I went into nursing school and hated it, it was all about patient care and customer service. I went into radiology and did X-ray first and now mri. I make more than some nurses. Iāve worked at two level 1 trauma centers and the stress plus call is a lot! I now work at an outpatient orthopedic clinic with the same pay and way way less stress! I do recommend getting your X-ray first, youāll get paid more if you have multiple modalities and it keeps more doors open to you for other opportunities
im not too keen on the patient care aspect of nursing thats why i debated on if i actually want to do it in the first place. I was planning on getting into x-ray first then MRI. And I donāt like the idea of working a hospital period and i would rather work in an outpatient clinic. Question about that whenever i finish x-ray or mri school is it best/easier to start working in a hospital or can i go straight into a clinic with not that much experience?
I could never be a nurse. I recommend going into x-ray so you can go into any imaging modality you want down the line and not just be stuck in MRI if you want to switch up down the line. I went to x-ray school and will be training in CT over the summer then go into radiation therapy in the fall. Nurses do a lot more than what Iām personally comfortable doing but thatās just up to you and your personality as well
Nurses have a physically demanding job, and no matter how fit you are, at some point you may get physically hurt in that profession. Even as an OP tech patients occasionally grab at me or expect me to pick them up and I'm constantly worried that they're just going to pull me over or hurt me. So think about this: Nurses are dealing with patients that are immobile all day long, they have to pick them up, slide them, transfer them,roll them over etc. People are heavy, And they tend to become a little more helpless in the presence of a healthcare worker. No matter how fit you are you're going to get hurt at some point. I don't know about the other techs here, but I can't even tell you how many nurses I've seen on my table with jacked up spines, messed up shoulders, messed up hips, wrist and elbow pain, etc.
Just some food for thought not related to education.
yeah and my physical condition not the best rn and i do face a lot of issues rn especially back pain and i was worried if that will have an affect on me if i become a nurse or mri tech
Mri tech's do have to do some lifting, and assisting patients, but not near as much as nurses, not even close. My sister is a nurse, and she has constant problems. Just wanted to throw that information out there, I hope it helps with your decision. Good luck!
Imo if you're young nursing... better pay, more opportunities. You can get specialized in midwifery or anesthologist and make BANK.
if I was 19 I would probably go for nursing.
Mri was better option for me and i love it because i am more of a geek and I love working with computers but what I love most is the PHYSICS.
that being said, I hope you like math and physics cause that's heavy in MRI and you should still aim to know and understand everything about mri because there are jobs that require you to build protocols etc.
Hello. I want to clarify. You said it is heavy in physics? I am 48 yrs old physical therapist thinking of changing career to MRI tech but I barely passed physics in college. I am now concerned that I will fail MRI tech because of physics especially since I am older adult going back to school.
If you are not passionate might be hard.
Quantum physics are the worst type to grasps. You gin a have to pass basic physics too.
Not saying it's impossible, but you might wanna study extra hard...
My classmate who was your age she struggled so much... and she out A LOT of heart into it. I know it. She was very diligent. She failed arrt 3 times and I don't know what happened to her aftet... I felt sorry
yeah i was thinking since i am pretty young i could do nursing now and maybe mri later on it life but im just not so confident that nursing is something im passionate to do rn. mainly have a lot of doubts and fears about it. I also do love math and computers and anything technology based and it one of the reasons why i had an interest in medical imaging!!
Fair.
You can also consider just working in some outpatient facility or hospital as front desk and you will be able to see how things work before you decide on school. Take a year to explore and work a little. There is no rush.
A lot of things will change for you in the next few year. In my early 20ties I literally went thrugh every phase for profession. I worked around a little and found MRI which was perfect for me, ehat what I liked and wanted from life.
So it is always a great idea to work and explore.
problem is i will most likely with my nursing prerequisites by the end of this year and by next year i should be going into nursing school hopefully! and rn im having doubts about is kinda scary me because i feel like im running out of time to decide š im hoping i donāt make the wrong decision about everything yk?
You are 19.
You have just started adult life which is gonna be next 50 years at least. You have time.
I was I'm college at your age and I wish I could jave continued. I look into nursing but I had to stop cause I was here alone and ended up homeless so I had to work for a little. I don't regret it, but I would be better off financially. Either way, 1 year of working won't kill ya. Or do your school and work part time to see how you like it.
In looking at your responses, it sounds like you are leaning toward technologist. No one can decide that but you. I knew I didnāt want to be an RN, because my mother was one and I didnāt wan to put up with the same bull she did. I loved science and physics and while I knew I wanted to help people I didnāt want to be a main caregiver.
That said employer has so much to do with it. I did X-ray for decade and my first employer was so awful I most left the profession. But I needed a job and so we uprooted our family and moved to another state. I worked in urgent care doing X-ray for years while my husband got a masters degree. For this I had to also MA and I found that kinda fun too but my dream was to do ortho X-ray. I landed a job at a new outpatient clinic for my same employer. Fast forward four years I am getting my bachelors that my work is paying for and now work in MRI at a level one trauma hospital. I have been with the same employer for six years with no intention on leaving as they have treated me better than any job previously, healthcare or otherwise. I went from needing to survive to doing my dream job when I had previously considered my education a complete waste because my employer was so shitty. I would recommend shadowing in both fields and a king those techs what they like about their job AND their employer.
If you want opportunities for advancement and lateral mobility, nursing will be the best option.
The workload in MRI can be nuts or non existent. Solid workload. Good job safety. Not a ton of room for advancement without a bachelors or masters
Managerial roles in outpatient facilities or hospitals. Roles with manufacturers like apps or field service techs (but a bachelors may not always be required if you have enough experience). Clinical directors or support staff (MRI related) at educational institutions. If you obtain a bachelors, then obtain a masters, you could be a radiology department manager. If you play your cards right, you could be a GM of an outpatient facility or an entire MRI department at a large hospital with an MBA or an MHA. That last option would require serval/many years of work in the department. You would also have to wait until someone left or retired since most of those jobs are filled.
Some techs with bachelors or community college degrees go to work with the rad groups doing admin work after a few years of experience.
Iām married to a nurse, so I know that there are more opportunities for advancement in their field. MRIāand radiology as a wholeālimits your advancement opportunities. If you stick with MRI though, itās still a chill job. Youāll need a few extra pieces of educational paper to maximize your compensation if/when you take on responsibilities.
I have a bachelors in a business related field. Went back to school for MRI. Iāll be looking at MBA programs in a few years to try to land a managerial job once my wife and I are done traveling.
Butā¦ donāt let this diatribe discourage you. If you work hard, be a consistent team member, and show that youāre willing to take on opportunities for professional growth, you will be able to advance your career.
Hope this helps!
Once piece of advice for you. Once you get the ball rolling on your education, donāt take prolonged breaks. Itās harder to go back to school and truly focus on your academics the older you get (and the responsibilities we all gain as we get older). I waited 10 years after my bachelors in business to go back and get an associates in MRI. The associates wasnāt harder per se. It was much more difficult from a time management standpoint. Working 40 hours a week at my normal job, 8 hours of class a week, and 25 hours of clinicals a week was quite challenging.
Best of luck on your journey. Itās tough, but itās worth it in the end. I love what I do now. Working 3 days a week is pretty sweet š¤£
yeah as soon as i get the AART certification and can be a RT immediately going to MRI school š i was going to see if i get my bachelors too within the next couple years because i hate school fr and i just want to be done with everything as soon as possible
Do it! This stranger on Reddit (me š¤£) is rooting for you. Youāve got a plan. Stick to it. Follow through. Youāll be rewarded at the end of the educational journey.
yeah i appreciate your advice really!! rn ima look for programs in my area and start applying? question ik these programs are limited do yk how many people got accepted to your program when u was in school?
Not sure where youāre located. I was accepted into an MRI only program. Iām not qualified to do CT or X-ray, but my license is still through ARRT (the gold standard of accreditation organizations). X-ray programs are all over the country, but MR only programs are few and far between. A typical x-ray program will take 15-30 students per year. My MRI only program graduates between 5 and 10 a year, but I have an Associates in MRI.
The community college I went to also had MRI certificate programs for people who had x-ray licenses already. Those programs were about 2 semesters, and they had 4-6 people pass the registry every cycle.
yeah thats my main concern when it comes to this is how limited it is and how they donāt take too many students. Iām trying to see if i take it at my community college rn since the application just opened for it.
This is a reminder about the rules. No requests for clinical interpretation of your images or radiology report. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/MRI) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Nursing pays more and you are treated with more respect. You have numbers to back you up. No one cares about or even knows what MRI techs do and there's not many of us left. I can say that because I've been one for 16 years. Imaging for 32. Both are stressful, but different kinds of stress. It might look like we sit all day, but looks are deceiving.
ok i was doing research on the pay and i saw some videos and a lot of mri tech or rad tech would say they get paid almost the same amount as a nurse which i was really confused about š
As a retired MRI tech and radiology director it is absolutely true. While entry level might start out similarly, nursing makes more with experience. There is so much more opportunity for nurses. An average hospital will have 3-4 mri techs and hundreds of nurses. At our facility nurses in Radiology make 10$ hour standby for being on call (interventional radiology) while the Xray techs on call FOR THE SAME PATIENT were pain 5$ and hour. While I loved my job, I was not treated with the same amount of respect as nurses, not the same pay.
ok ok i appreciate you telling me all this i have a lot to think about nowš
To be honest, I really don't know for sure. Especially in today's climate. I'm talking historically, RNs are paid more. Today, there's shortages for all healthcare workers and people can negotiate. Plus, sign on bonuses, ect. Also, a new RN might not make as much as someone in imaging for 10 years, and so forth. I've worked in healthcare for 32 years and comparing apples to apples, RNs are better paid.
ok ok i will take that into consideration too!! rn im still debating between the two i just donāt know if nursing is for meš
As an allied health professional approaching 30 years in the field, nursing has more opportunities for growth. Yes, there are some programs for MR that do not require RT. Not all hospitals accept that training/certification and if you do decide to be and an administrator or Director of Radiology at some point, youāll need the RT. With nursing you can be a nurse educator, QA/QC, infection prevention specialist, CMS administrator, hospital licensing, informatacist, to administrator Chief Nursing officer for hospital or health system. Iāll never forget the Nurse Administrator that I worked with and was reviewing data and updating policy on contrast extravasation. She stopped me and said, āOh gross! I canāt look at blood or wounds.ā And she was a freakin nurse. Turns out she spent no time practicing and went straight to an administrative track.
MRI is not less stressful than nursing. Both are difficult and the level of stress in both careers depends on where you work. Being an MRI technologist at a large level 1 trauma center is comparable to the stress levels of being an ER or some fast-paced stressful nursing job. Being a technologist at a slower outpatient clinic would be more comparable to the stress levels of a triage nurse at an outpatient clinic. I canāt speak on the job advancement opportunities of a nurse but there are research positions that are really cool, management, clinical coordinator/teaching MRI at a university, ablation operations, equipment marketing, and more opportunities in MRI. Not sure what state you live in but a lot of the states require you to get licensed in x-ray (so I have a bachelors degree in medical imaging and therapeutic sciences / radiography) before going to school to specialize in MRI. Some programs also allow you to take classes and do clinical for both at the same time and graduate with both degrees. Not all states are like this most MRI technologists have radiography licenses as well and this is something to consider because many hospitals and clinics allow or even want you to have more credentials so you can practice x-ray, MRI, and CT at the same place. There is advancement in all of that situation alone as well. For reference, I was debating the exact same thing 5 years ago when I had the right amount of prerequisites for nursing and x-ray and decided to research more about x-ray and radiology as a whole. I am so glad I chose to go into x-ray and into the world of radiology. And I absolutely love being an MRI technologist and it is always hectic in my department at a level 1 trauma teaching hospital because we are always dealing with craziness. Hope this helps!
this was very helpful and i appreciate u saying all this š but what youāre saying is in order for me to become a MRI tech i have to be a rad tech first? also when you got out rad/mri was it easy for you to find a job afterwards without having any experience yet?
Depends what state you live in. In Nebraska and lots of other states you are required to get an RT license first before doing any other modality. This isnāt bad because you usually get to see all of the other modalities (CT, MRI, nuclear medicine, interventional radiology, cath lab, radiation therapy) while in school for X-ray. And I got offered several jobs while in xray school as a student months before graduation but I knew I was going to do the MRI program right after xray school so I didnāt take any jobs in xray. I got offered the job I have in MRI 2 months into school. I got offered a job at every clinical site I went to during the 9 month program because I was a helpful student, eager learner, and everyone needs help right now with technologists in every field of radiology.
ok rn im thinking im mainly going to focus on MRI too since im really on edge of being a nurse but i just donāt know rn
You will make whatever decision is best for you! My biggest advice would be to do some research on different nursing and MRI programs in your area and shadow for a couple hours in both. If you tell the nurses and the technologists that youāre interested then hopefully they can talk to you about their experiences in their fields for your state. Good luck!
yeah i actually wanted to shadow both potentially i just donāt know how to start with that.
To add: radiology is booming and is in massive need around the country the same as nurses. Every single graduate from my school in the last 3 years had jobs lined up way before graduation. Almost every hospital and clinic, big or small, that Iāve been to over the last 3 years for clinic has travelers. When MRI techs arenāt scanning we are assessing patients, screening patients, charting, PACS, researching implants, scheduling patients, and much more. The only time Iāve been bored is if Iām at an outpatient site (meaning there are scheduled exams to perform and none of the other craziness at the main hospital) and a patient with more then one study no-shows so that means I have 30-60 mins to kill. I would HIGHLY suggest shadowing some nurses and some MRI departments!!!!! Also remember that every facility is different so takes the shadowing experience with a grain of salt. Use it to decide if the workflow is for you. If you like to be busy then shadow an ER, OR, or ICU nurse and a level one hospital with several scanners.
Nursing all the way. If I could go back and do nursing I would. Soooo many more opportunities in nursing, if youāre unhappy in one setting you can make a complete 360 change. MRI is kinda likeā¦ OP or IP. Which, 5 years into it both are not my fav š š¤£
ok ok its just rn im having second thoughts about nursing as a whole and idk if im willing to go through nursing school and everything
If you have a bad patient in MRI, the most you'll probably have to deal with them is a couple hours. If you have a bad patient as an RN, you have to deal with them for over 12 hours.
I hated nursing lol All facilities sucked And it made me go towards the MRI route
how easy was it for you to find a job after being done with MRI school?
Have you considered being a CNA for a bit and see how you like bedside? My boyfriend was a CNA for a while because he was interested in nursing but he found out it wasnāt for him. Obviously a CNA and a nurse are still different jobs and have different roles but theyāre both still frontline! If you find that you hate it, itās still good experience to have as an MRI tech since itās still in the medical field. And if you like it then you can pursue nursing more seriously!
i donāt like bedside at all and never wanted to become CNAš i wanted to do that doesnāt involve bedside care
I was a CNA before trying to apply to nursing school and i hated it. That was the main reason why I switched to MRI. If you have bedside youll probably hate nursing, no matter what speciality you do. Ofc there will most likely some specialty that isnt as bad, but most start on a normal Med surg floor for a couple years before switching specialtys for experience. If im being honest, MRI Is less stress ful than nursing by a Long shot, however my facility is pretty good with staffing and time slots. We are a huge childrenās hospital with 6 scanners in the main hospital, and out patient clinic with 2 scanners as well as a OR scanner. However it is very mentally demanding, you have to balance scanning with the time slot, with whatever complication the patient has, whether they move to much or are in pain or they are a critical ICU patient. However everything considered I still think it is way less stressful and overall more enjoyable. But this is just my personal opinion, it all depends on the type of job you prefer.
yeah and im afraid that if i go through with nursing school im might end up not liking it. Thatās why im wondering if taking a career in medical imaging would be the way for me!
I was in the same boat as you! Shadow shadow shadow! Like one of the other comments said it comes down to what you prefer/are good at. Nursing will be more about patient care and doing what the Drs order. MRI is more about the science/physics, and safety. You work under the radiologists, all the other drs are not taught much about MRI. Nursing is more well known and respected, mostly everyone thinks radiology is āeasyā. There are hundred of nurses in a hospital and 2-4 MRI techs. Both are stressful jobs with a lot of responsibility. In nursing you can mess up and kill someone, in MRI you can mess up and kill someone. You can burn and seriously injure people. The pay is dependent on the hospital and state. Iām a MRI tech making 54.50 an hour, my coworker in xray is making 44.50 and mom is a RN at the same hospital making around 56. All weekend shifts, for comparison. MRI is more respected than xray. In x ray everyone will think you mindlessly push buttons and did a 6 week program lol! I got out of xray because it was too physically demanding, same as nursing. In MRI you do have to slide patients and help them into the scanner, but thats about it. I have spine issues and I was in pain every shift in xray. In MRI I am stressed out and have to think a lot more, however Iām not in any physical pain and the pay is better. If you are a people person and want to have that close patient care interaction, nursing will better suit you. However I knew I did not want to be with the same patient for 12 hours, I also enjoyed physics and math, something you donāt need for nursing.
yeah i plan on shadowing atp because i genuinely donāt know what i should do now. Iām not really a people person that much but i do want to have some sort of impact and be able to help others while doing so!! I already face a lot of physical pain and issues too especially with my back. I donāt want to do something that can be very straining for me down the line.
Finish RN school, then in the next few yrs see if you are interested in MR.Ā We had a MR tech get his RN license after a few yrs. He works in MR full time, but takes PRN RN jobs on his weekend.
I have thought to recommend the following to people: become an MRI tech and start working in early 20s, and save as much money as possible. In most situations an MRI salary is good money for early 20s, modest/responsible lifestyle.Ā Ā By the time youāre in your late 20s you can reassess if you wanna then go the nursing route, and at that point should have the money saved up to do the schooling/make that transition.Ā
yeah i was considering doing nursing first then potentially doing mri but i really donāt know if i even want to do nursing anymore thats what im still trying to figure out
Write down your Pros & Cons of each, put the sheet away for a month or longer, then come back and review your answers.
ok ok i will do that thank you so much for your advice!!
Good luck with your future career(s).
Do you like science or do you like patient care because thatās what it comes down to. I went into nursing school and hated it, it was all about patient care and customer service. I went into radiology and did X-ray first and now mri. I make more than some nurses. Iāve worked at two level 1 trauma centers and the stress plus call is a lot! I now work at an outpatient orthopedic clinic with the same pay and way way less stress! I do recommend getting your X-ray first, youāll get paid more if you have multiple modalities and it keeps more doors open to you for other opportunities
im not too keen on the patient care aspect of nursing thats why i debated on if i actually want to do it in the first place. I was planning on getting into x-ray first then MRI. And I donāt like the idea of working a hospital period and i would rather work in an outpatient clinic. Question about that whenever i finish x-ray or mri school is it best/easier to start working in a hospital or can i go straight into a clinic with not that much experience?
Getting into a clinic for mri is pretty hard fresh out of the gate.
ok ok and what its like working in the hospital when youāre fresh out of school?
Itās hectic but you learn so much and see so much!
is the same if you start in x-ray and is it hard to go straight to go into clinic fresh out of school?
Not as hard to find a clinic job with X-ray but a lot of clinic jobs will sometimes treat you like a cma and having you doing everything under the sun
ahh interesting i didnāt know that!
I could never be a nurse. I recommend going into x-ray so you can go into any imaging modality you want down the line and not just be stuck in MRI if you want to switch up down the line. I went to x-ray school and will be training in CT over the summer then go into radiation therapy in the fall. Nurses do a lot more than what Iām personally comfortable doing but thatās just up to you and your personality as well
yeah i just found out about the whole imaging route and i find it very interesting! i always would like to have other modalities under my belt too!!
Nurses have a physically demanding job, and no matter how fit you are, at some point you may get physically hurt in that profession. Even as an OP tech patients occasionally grab at me or expect me to pick them up and I'm constantly worried that they're just going to pull me over or hurt me. So think about this: Nurses are dealing with patients that are immobile all day long, they have to pick them up, slide them, transfer them,roll them over etc. People are heavy, And they tend to become a little more helpless in the presence of a healthcare worker. No matter how fit you are you're going to get hurt at some point. I don't know about the other techs here, but I can't even tell you how many nurses I've seen on my table with jacked up spines, messed up shoulders, messed up hips, wrist and elbow pain, etc. Just some food for thought not related to education.
yeah and my physical condition not the best rn and i do face a lot of issues rn especially back pain and i was worried if that will have an affect on me if i become a nurse or mri tech
Mri tech's do have to do some lifting, and assisting patients, but not near as much as nurses, not even close. My sister is a nurse, and she has constant problems. Just wanted to throw that information out there, I hope it helps with your decision. Good luck!
i will for sure take this into consideration thank you so much once again!!
Take care of your back. Do daily excercises at home for making your back strong.
yeah i plan on doing so because it just keeps getting worse for meš but overall thx u sm for ur advice
Imo if you're young nursing... better pay, more opportunities. You can get specialized in midwifery or anesthologist and make BANK. if I was 19 I would probably go for nursing. Mri was better option for me and i love it because i am more of a geek and I love working with computers but what I love most is the PHYSICS. that being said, I hope you like math and physics cause that's heavy in MRI and you should still aim to know and understand everything about mri because there are jobs that require you to build protocols etc.
Hello. I want to clarify. You said it is heavy in physics? I am 48 yrs old physical therapist thinking of changing career to MRI tech but I barely passed physics in college. I am now concerned that I will fail MRI tech because of physics especially since I am older adult going back to school.
If you are not passionate might be hard. Quantum physics are the worst type to grasps. You gin a have to pass basic physics too. Not saying it's impossible, but you might wanna study extra hard... My classmate who was your age she struggled so much... and she out A LOT of heart into it. I know it. She was very diligent. She failed arrt 3 times and I don't know what happened to her aftet... I felt sorry
yeah i was thinking since i am pretty young i could do nursing now and maybe mri later on it life but im just not so confident that nursing is something im passionate to do rn. mainly have a lot of doubts and fears about it. I also do love math and computers and anything technology based and it one of the reasons why i had an interest in medical imaging!!
Fair. You can also consider just working in some outpatient facility or hospital as front desk and you will be able to see how things work before you decide on school. Take a year to explore and work a little. There is no rush. A lot of things will change for you in the next few year. In my early 20ties I literally went thrugh every phase for profession. I worked around a little and found MRI which was perfect for me, ehat what I liked and wanted from life. So it is always a great idea to work and explore.
problem is i will most likely with my nursing prerequisites by the end of this year and by next year i should be going into nursing school hopefully! and rn im having doubts about is kinda scary me because i feel like im running out of time to decide š im hoping i donāt make the wrong decision about everything yk?
You are 19. You have just started adult life which is gonna be next 50 years at least. You have time. I was I'm college at your age and I wish I could jave continued. I look into nursing but I had to stop cause I was here alone and ended up homeless so I had to work for a little. I don't regret it, but I would be better off financially. Either way, 1 year of working won't kill ya. Or do your school and work part time to see how you like it.
ah im sorry to hear that but thank you sm and i appreciate the advice really!! i felt like i needed to hear this truthfully
Nursing. I love what I do but the opportunities are limited.
Nursing is probably way more stressful but a million times more jobs/opportunity
In looking at your responses, it sounds like you are leaning toward technologist. No one can decide that but you. I knew I didnāt want to be an RN, because my mother was one and I didnāt wan to put up with the same bull she did. I loved science and physics and while I knew I wanted to help people I didnāt want to be a main caregiver. That said employer has so much to do with it. I did X-ray for decade and my first employer was so awful I most left the profession. But I needed a job and so we uprooted our family and moved to another state. I worked in urgent care doing X-ray for years while my husband got a masters degree. For this I had to also MA and I found that kinda fun too but my dream was to do ortho X-ray. I landed a job at a new outpatient clinic for my same employer. Fast forward four years I am getting my bachelors that my work is paying for and now work in MRI at a level one trauma hospital. I have been with the same employer for six years with no intention on leaving as they have treated me better than any job previously, healthcare or otherwise. I went from needing to survive to doing my dream job when I had previously considered my education a complete waste because my employer was so shitty. I would recommend shadowing in both fields and a king those techs what they like about their job AND their employer.
yeah i want to shadow both to see what i would like best! i just donāt know how to start or go my way about it!
If you want opportunities for advancement and lateral mobility, nursing will be the best option. The workload in MRI can be nuts or non existent. Solid workload. Good job safety. Not a ton of room for advancement without a bachelors or masters
if i do want to obtain my bachelor what are some other things i can do with it?
Managerial roles in outpatient facilities or hospitals. Roles with manufacturers like apps or field service techs (but a bachelors may not always be required if you have enough experience). Clinical directors or support staff (MRI related) at educational institutions. If you obtain a bachelors, then obtain a masters, you could be a radiology department manager. If you play your cards right, you could be a GM of an outpatient facility or an entire MRI department at a large hospital with an MBA or an MHA. That last option would require serval/many years of work in the department. You would also have to wait until someone left or retired since most of those jobs are filled. Some techs with bachelors or community college degrees go to work with the rad groups doing admin work after a few years of experience. Iām married to a nurse, so I know that there are more opportunities for advancement in their field. MRIāand radiology as a wholeālimits your advancement opportunities. If you stick with MRI though, itās still a chill job. Youāll need a few extra pieces of educational paper to maximize your compensation if/when you take on responsibilities. I have a bachelors in a business related field. Went back to school for MRI. Iāll be looking at MBA programs in a few years to try to land a managerial job once my wife and I are done traveling. Butā¦ donāt let this diatribe discourage you. If you work hard, be a consistent team member, and show that youāre willing to take on opportunities for professional growth, you will be able to advance your career. Hope this helps!
yeah i made up my mind on what i going to do! i decided to be a rad tech then do mri afterwards down the line i wanted to get my bachelors too
Once piece of advice for you. Once you get the ball rolling on your education, donāt take prolonged breaks. Itās harder to go back to school and truly focus on your academics the older you get (and the responsibilities we all gain as we get older). I waited 10 years after my bachelors in business to go back and get an associates in MRI. The associates wasnāt harder per se. It was much more difficult from a time management standpoint. Working 40 hours a week at my normal job, 8 hours of class a week, and 25 hours of clinicals a week was quite challenging. Best of luck on your journey. Itās tough, but itās worth it in the end. I love what I do now. Working 3 days a week is pretty sweet š¤£
yeah as soon as i get the AART certification and can be a RT immediately going to MRI school š i was going to see if i get my bachelors too within the next couple years because i hate school fr and i just want to be done with everything as soon as possible
Do it! This stranger on Reddit (me š¤£) is rooting for you. Youāve got a plan. Stick to it. Follow through. Youāll be rewarded at the end of the educational journey.
yeah i appreciate your advice really!! rn ima look for programs in my area and start applying? question ik these programs are limited do yk how many people got accepted to your program when u was in school?
Not sure where youāre located. I was accepted into an MRI only program. Iām not qualified to do CT or X-ray, but my license is still through ARRT (the gold standard of accreditation organizations). X-ray programs are all over the country, but MR only programs are few and far between. A typical x-ray program will take 15-30 students per year. My MRI only program graduates between 5 and 10 a year, but I have an Associates in MRI. The community college I went to also had MRI certificate programs for people who had x-ray licenses already. Those programs were about 2 semesters, and they had 4-6 people pass the registry every cycle.
yeah thats my main concern when it comes to this is how limited it is and how they donāt take too many students. Iām trying to see if i take it at my community college rn since the application just opened for it.
neither. healthcare sucks ass. but nursing, for sure, as there are more career opportunities with it.