Find solution
What is the specific job of an occupational and industrial in nursing fields?

Nursing / mri tech dilemma?

  • Hello everyone, I'm trying to decide between 2 programs - nursing and MRI (CT) tech. I've never thought about becoming a nurse, but while taking prerequisites 90% of my peers were going into nursing and that's when I started to think. I want to be in the field in which there are always possibilities to grow and learn. I don't want to get stuck and not be able to advance. Up till now, I was thinking about going into an x-ray program (AS) -> BSN in mri (ct) -> and then becoming a radiologist assistant but I've never met one and I don't know what are the chances of me becoming one. What I like about nursing is all the different fields you can specialize in, job security and room for advancement. I don't think I'd be good at or enjoy bedside care so I'd have to look into all the other options. Some nurses I've met tried to discourage me saying it's way more demanding than I think, that bedside care is very hard and that patients nowadays behave as if they were in a hotel and not a hospital.. Taking into account that my interest in nursing is pretty recent, I really have a hard time deciding. I need to decide quick so any thoughts / advice will be very appreciated. Thanks!

  • Answer:

    What is it specifically about "bedside nursing" that you feel like you would not enjoy? Regardless of what career you choose, you're going to be working with a wide variety of people, not all of whom are pleasant. Some will be more physically and emotionally needy than others, even when you're within the role as a rad tech - you are performing patient care, not just "being a rad tech". If you're talking about some of those more unpleasant aspects of nursing like cleaning up bodily fluids or dealing with blood, etc., those things are generally a very small component of being a nurse. Yes, nurses are expected to do those unpleasant tasks but we do have the ability to delegate those tasks to CNAs or PCAs or LPNs if they are available. The majority of a nurse's job is about assessment of the patient, administering medications, providing patient education, and documentation in the chart. In a hospital setting, obviously things are a little more complex than that. And hospitals employ the most RNs. You could also work in home care, school nursing, research, education (teach in an LPN or CNA program, for example), out-patient clinics or surgical centers, mental health facilities, employee occupational health, private HMOs or insurance companies doing audits, I mean the possibilities really are endless. If you get into nursing and decide that doing direct patient care is not your thing, that's fine, there are other opportunities available, but you just need to understand that there won't be as much out there in that capacity, unless you want to go on to get your MSN or something to use it in public health or leadership / management capacity. Not all people are cracked up to be nurses who provide direct patient care. And that's ok. You really need to genuinely care for people (even crabby, demanding, manipulative people) and want to do right by them, and you can get through some of the more unpleasant stuff. Because let me tell you - when you have a really positive patient care experience, when you literally save a life or make a significant difference in someone's health and well being, or when someone genuinely appreciates the care you have given and takes the time to recognize what you've done, it makes all that crappy stuff worth it in the end. But if you can bide your time and get through nursing school and maybe get a year or two of patient care experience under your belt, and just view that time as another stepping stone into getting towards your goal of finding the right nursing job for you, then it's all good. I definitely am biased in my opinion, but I do think nursing is a better career choice simply based on the long-term job stability / diversity in opportunities, opportunities to continue education / specialize. And hey - they do employ lots of nurses in radiology. Just sayin'. ;)

Matt H at Yahoo! Answers Visit the source

Was this solution helpful to you?

Other answers

What is it specifically about "bedside nursing" that you feel like you would not enjoy? Regardless of what career you choose, you're going to be working with a wide variety of people, not all of whom are pleasant. Some will be more physically and emotionally needy than others, even when you're within the role as a rad tech - you are performing patient care, not just "being a rad tech". If you're talking about some of those more unpleasant aspects of nursing like cleaning up bodily fluids or dealing with blood, etc., those things are generally a very small component of being a nurse. Yes, nurses are expected to do those unpleasant tasks but we do have the ability to delegate those tasks to CNAs or PCAs or LPNs if they are available. The majority of a nurse's job is about assessment of the patient, administering medications, providing patient education, and documentation in the chart. In a hospital setting, obviously things are a little more complex than that. And hospitals employ the most RNs. You could also work in home care, school nursing, research, education (teach in an LPN or CNA program, for example), out-patient clinics or surgical centers, mental health facilities, employee occupational health, private HMOs or insurance companies doing audits, I mean the possibilities really are endless. If you get into nursing and decide that doing direct patient care is not your thing, that's fine, there are other opportunities available, but you just need to understand that there won't be as much out there in that capacity, unless you want to go on to get your MSN or something to use it in public health or leadership / management capacity. Not all people are cracked up to be nurses who provide direct patient care. And that's ok. You really need to genuinely care for people (even crabby, demanding, manipulative people) and want to do right by them, and you can get through some of the more unpleasant stuff. Because let me tell you - when you have a really positive patient care experience, when you literally save a life or make a significant difference in someone's health and well being, or when someone genuinely appreciates the care you have given and takes the time to recognize what you've done, it makes all that crappy stuff worth it in the end. But if you can bide your time and get through nursing school and maybe get a year or two of patient care experience under your belt, and just view that time as another stepping stone into getting towards your goal of finding the right nursing job for you, then it's all good. I definitely am biased in my opinion, but I do think nursing is a better career choice simply based on the long-term job stability / diversity in opportunities, opportunities to continue education / specialize. And hey - they do employ lots of nurses in radiology. Just sayin'. ;)

Jill

IF you don't like bedside nursing--how do you know you want to be a nurse? You can't decide what you want to do in the unknown future with out knowing & liking what you will be doing in the years it takes to get there and that is bedside nursing in some form or another & certainly in school as well. Too bad you do not have time to think this through better and may be volunteer in a hospital to actually see what nurses do.

Diane A

IF you don't like bedside nursing--how do you know you want to be a nurse? You can't decide what you want to do in the unknown future with out knowing & liking what you will be doing in the years it takes to get there and that is bedside nursing in some form or another & certainly in school as well. Too bad you do not have time to think this through better and may be volunteer in a hospital to actually see what nurses do.

Diane A

I am in the same boat, what did you decide on?

Joe M

Related Q & A:

Just Added Q & A:

Find solution

For every problem there is a solution! Proved by Solucija.

  • Got an issue and looking for advice?

  • Ask Solucija to search every corner of the Web for help.

  • Get workable solutions and helpful tips in a moment.

Just ask Solucija about an issue you face and immediately get a list of ready solutions, answers and tips from other Internet users. We always provide the most suitable and complete answer to your question at the top, along with a few good alternatives below.