Xray tech~ more than RN???

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?
Thanks,
Christy
At our hospital (central Illinois), new grad RN's make $17.35 and new grad x-ray techs make $16.50. So - no I don't think you're wasting your time or effort. Good luck...let Miss Braggart go on and on and on!
I personally know an RN who is one of these "career student" types. She went back to school and became certitified as an x-ray tech. and she said she could not find a job because they told her she was overqualified. In other words, they wouldn't be able to pay her the kind of pay she would get as an RN.You might tell this Braggart woman that you don't consider living beyond your means and in debt a status symbol.If she brags about how much she makes just simply tell her she's full of it...be confrontational with her, because she is certainly being snobby to you.
Oh my gosh, 17.35 hr for a new grad? That just floors me! I guess I've been a nurse for too long. At a hosp in Atlanta, I left making 33.00 hr. Granted, that's with experience but nurses work too hard for that pay!!! Am I just out of touch? Also, don't believe the x-ray tech. People brag when they feel inferior. Kind of feel sorry for her.
New grad x-ray techs here start at $18.00/hr. RN's around $21. Don't get the rationale behind that but I still wouldn't trade careers either way.
Quote from SoulShine75Hi 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? Thanks,Christy
Quote from sabradieOh my gosh, 17.35 hr for a new grad? That just floors me! I guess I've been a nurse for too long. At a hosp in Atlanta, I left making 33.00 hr. Granted, that's with experience but nurses work too hard for that pay!!! Am I just out of touch? Also, don't believe the x-ray tech. People brag when they feel inferior. Kind of feel sorry for her.
This doesn't pertain to X-ray techs exactly, but at the hospital I work at MRI techs make $18.25/hr. I have one year experience as an RN, have my BSN, and ACLS and I make $17. Talk about insulting!
Quote from INtoFL_RNThis doesn't pertain to X-ray techs exactly, but at the hospital I work at MRI techs make $18.25/hr. I have one year experience as an RN, have my BSN, and ACLS and I make $17. Talk about insulting!
MRI techs make as much as I do and I have been a nurse for 18 years! Their pay scale is very similar to ours. Reg. techs make lower, but not much. There is a big shortage of techs, so hospitals are making more attractive to be one.
Quote from INtoFL_RNThis doesn't pertain to X-ray techs exactly, but at the hospital I work at MRI techs make $18.25/hr. I have one year experience as an RN, have my BSN, and ACLS and I make $17. Talk about insulting!
are you going for your BSN? RT programs are 2 years long, not including the pre-reqs. Are you going to be insulted that you are making the same amount of $$ as ADN nurses because they don't have as much education? I'm not trying to be catty, I really want to know. I just don't understand why someone would get insulted that another medical specialty gets paid more than you do. Diagnostic imaging and nursing are 2 very different fields and require different types of people to do them. And yes, RT school is very difficult! We have physics, radiation protection, radiation biology, patient care, and on and on. I can't compare it to a nursing program because I've never been there, but it is hard none the less.A
Quote from angelac1978are you going for your BSN? RT programs are 2 years long, not including the pre-reqs. Are you going to be insulted that you are making the same amount of $$ as ADN nurses because they don't have as much education? I'm not trying to be catty, I really want to know. I just don't understand why someone would get insulted that another medical specialty gets paid more than you do. Diagnostic imaging and nursing are 2 very different fields and require different types of people to do them. And yes, RT school is very difficult! We have physics, radiation protection, radiation biology, patient care, and on and on. I can't compare it to a nursing program because I've never been there, but it is hard none the less.A