HELP!!! RRT to PA?

[txryan]

I know this question has been asked a thousand times. The only reason I ask again is that I have seen several posts that are really negative towards the RRT profession. Is it really as bad as everyone says? My main reason for choosing RRT is for future PA school entrance. You get good hands - on clinical experience, good pay, emergency experience, etc...

I can do an Associates RT program in my home city and a RRT to BS bridge via internet from a nearby city. Then hopefully go to PA school. I really have no interest in some of the other Allied Health programs such as Nuc Med. Radiology etc.... EMT pays like crap where I live so that pretty much leaves Nursing or Radiation Therapy. Any info would be great. Any current or former RRT's. Also if there are any PAs' that could give some advice that would be great also. I have to make a decision pretty soon. Thanks in advance. Ryan T.

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[deleted6669]

I know this question has been asked a thousand times. The only reason I ask again is that I have seen several posts that are really negative towards the RRT profession. Is it really as bad as everyone says? My main reason for choosing RRT is for future PA school entrance. You get good hands - on clinical experience, good pay, emergency experience, etc...

I can do an Associates RT program in my home city and a RRT to BS bridge via internet from a nearby city. Then hopefully go to PA school. I really have no interest in some of the other Allied Health programs such as Nuc Med. Radiology etc.... EMT pays like crap where I live so that pretty much leaves Nursing or Radiation Therapy. Any info would be great. Any current or former RRT's. Also if there are any PAs' that could give some advice that would be great also. I have to make a decision pretty soon. Thanks in advance. Ryan T.

rt is a great career as prior experience for pa school. we had several rt's in my class and they all did very well. if rt interests you, go for it-e

 

[njbmd]

I know this question has been asked a thousand times. The only reason I ask again is that I have seen several posts that are really negative towards the RRT profession. Is it really as bad as everyone says? My main reason for choosing RRT is for future PA school entrance. You get good hands - on clinical experience, good pay, emergency experience, etc...

I can do an Associates RT program in my home city and a RRT to BS bridge via internet from a nearby city. Then hopefully go to PA school. I really have no interest in some of the other Allied Health programs such as Nuc Med. Radiology etc.... EMT pays like crap where I live so that pretty much leaves Nursing or Radiation Therapy. Any info would be great. Any current or former RRT's. Also if there are any PAs' that could give some advice that would be great also. I have to make a decision pretty soon. Thanks in advance. Ryan T.

Hi there,
I am an RRT certified in Pediatric/Perinatal. I loved my experience in respiratory care. I started out in the adult critical care units and then moved into the Pediatric Intesive Care Unit. My work in respiratory therapy provided a solid foundation for my future job that I am doing now. I am am chief resident in General Surgery going on to fellowship in Vascular Surgery.

I was one of three former respiratory therapists at my medical school. All of us ended up in surgery so go figure? I worked as a contract therapist during holidays and during the summer for some extra money while in medical school. It was sweet!

Good luck! Respiratory therapy is far closer to what you do as a physician than any other allied health profession and the money is great. Not to mention that you will be totally comfortable in critical care.

njbmd 🙂

 

[DropkickMurphy]

I know this question has been asked a thousand times. The only reason I ask again is that I have seen several posts that are really negative towards the RRT profession. Is it really as bad as everyone says? My main reason for choosing RRT is for future PA school entrance. You get good hands - on clinical experience, good pay, emergency experience, etc...

I can do an Associates RT program in my home city and a RRT to BS bridge via internet from a nearby city. Then hopefully go to PA school. I really have no interest in some of the other Allied Health programs such as Nuc Med. Radiology etc.... EMT pays like crap where I live so that pretty much leaves Nursing or Radiation Therapy. Any info would be great. Any current or former RRT's. Also if there are any PAs' that could give some advice that would be great also. I have to make a decision pretty soon. Thanks in advance. Ryan T.

The drawbacks to RT is that it is a stepping stone, not a career because there is really not much room for advancement, the pay scale is rather flat (you peak very early) and most of your coworkers aren't the sharpest tools nor are they the most blessed with work ethics. The ones you see here that are sharp, dedicated and aggressive (like njbmd and myself) tend to burn out quickly in most settings and move on to something else (med or PA school). It's an excellent preparation but, as I said, it's not something anyone with lofty aspirations can do for very long without becoming disillusioned. The money is amazing (for an AS level program), the hours are flexible (most places are so hard up for RT's who are actually willing to do their jobs that they will bend over backwards to arrange the schedule to suit you) and the work isn't that hard. 90+% of what we do is mundane and doens't require much conscious thought (which explains why 90+% of therapists can continue to work despite not being very bright).

Steve, CRT (RRT-NPS as of December)

 

[DropkickMurphy]

By the way, don't worry about the Bachelor's in RT. You won't need it unless you want to move to one of the states that requires it for licensure, and even then a bachelors in anything should satisfy the requirment (and I think there is one or two states that require BS degrees to gain licensure).

 

[txryan]

Thank you all for your replies. I feel a little better about my options now.

To DROPKICKMURPHY: The reason for the BS is only to satisfy the PA school requirements. Otherwise I would not pursue the BS. Would you recommend another route?

Again, thanks for your help. Any other coments are welcomed.

 

[DropkickMurphy]

Yeah, go for a bachelors in something generic (business, chemistry, marketing, etc) so that if you don't get into PA school, and when you get bored with RT you have something to fall back on.

By the way, if you insist on a bachelors in RT, may I suggest the program at University of Missouri. I used to work at the hospital there and some of the clinical staff are the sharpest people you will ever work with (both in and out of the RT department) and if Dave Geiger is still the manager of the RT department he's a great guy to work for.

 

[txryan]

Well I'm starting college kind of late. I'm 28 now. So I am trying to do this as fast as possible. Also I am married with two young kids. The reason for the BS in RT is because I can do it mostly online at Midwestern State in Witchita Falls Tx. I live in Amarillo which is three hours away. The whole purpose is to satisfy the PA requirements, otherwise I will get a BA in something else. Thanks for the advice

 

[guetzow]

We had folks in their 40's/50's in our class. Maturity is an Asset in Medicine🙂

 

[txryan]

That's true. I couldn't have done it in my early twenties.

 

[Jengirl18]

Definitley do RT instead of the generic degrees mentioned...the others wont help you get into PA school...because they are lacking a major factor..health care experience.

 

[txryan]

Definitley do RT instead of the generic degrees mentioned...the others wont help you get into PA school...because they are lacking a major factor..health care experience.

I will definitley do RT. I thought about some other allied health fields but I can't find one that interests me like RT except EMS. However getting an EMS job where I live is like pulling teeth. And the pay sucks. Things like Rad. Tech. or Nuc. Med just don't do anything for me. Too much like an assembly line.

I considerded Nursing but have decided against it. I don't want to take someones spot that really wants to be a nurse for a career just to get into PA school.

 

[DropkickMurphy]

Definitley do RT instead of the generic degrees mentioned...the others wont help you get into PA school...because they are lacking a major factor..health care experience.

Well, if he does the AS in RT, why do the BS in it too?

 

[PharmDr.]

Well, if he does the AS in RT, why do the BS in it too?

Because you are in advanced placement and can get the bachelors done in 2 semesters or 30 credits. This is what im doing and all the courses will be extremely helpful for practice as a PA and while an RRT, not to mention there interesting. Also, in my area of southwest florida the hospitals are switching to higher pay scales for RRT's with bachelors. 😉

 

[nev]

Because you are in advanced placement and can get the bachelors done in 2 semesters or 30 credits. This is what im doing and all the courses will be extremely helpful for practice as a PA and while an RRT, not to mention there interesting. Also, in my area of southwest florida the hospitals are switching to higher pay scales for RRT's with bachelors. 😉

How much do RRTs get paid in Florida?

 

[PharmDr.]

Ive seen 18/hr to start for CRT's all the way up to 25/hr for RRT with minimal exp. Ive seen more ads for around 20/hr fresh out of school. Around 50k is the average in my area.

 

[RAMPA]

agency is where the money is, but mostly boring floor therapy. in SA, TX anywhere from $27/hr-$35hr........doing mostly floor treatments. (some hospitals dont want agency RT's to staff the units or ER)

i think the best kind of RT exp. is at Duke Univ Hosp. check out their website. lots of autonomy for RT's there. dont know bout the pay.

 

[Round2]

Its a definate advantage to have done an EMT-B program, and had some vol. or paid experience in a 911 setting, before doing an RT program. EMT school is only 3 weeks full-time, then you are dealing with patients, and some of the tools are the same. Its a good foundation. In the RT program I was in, those with such experience mostly completed, and those without tended to drop out in large numbers.
Most RT programs either require or encourage A&P, Chen, Bio, Micro, etc. Past that foundation, most programs are only about 1 year.
The clinical experience you will get in school varies from program to program. Once you graduate, you can control your own experience. Yep, you can work doing mainly floor treatments, if that is what you want, but you can also get some incredibly strong and diverse experiences if you go looking for it. Even with floor care, especially at night, when someone starts going south often the first call is to you. The clinical experience is great; but I don't think many people really know the true extent of it.
I agree with those who say its not really much of a career, but if you want to work the money can be very good for what it is; $30-47 hr right now agency & per diem pool in my area. At that level its like working on an auto assembly line. Work long hours and its easy to break $100k.
I also agree with those who say that you will be pluged into what happens throughout a healthcare facility, you probably have more contact with different levels and types of providers than anyone, especially if you work nights and weekends.
Prep for other things; in my area the primary paths seem to be to CRNA, with PA a distant second. RTs in those programs seem to do very well.

 

[Round2]

RTs in medical school, I don't know, I'll let you know if I get in.

 

[jacketwrestler]

I'm just about to graduate in a few months with a bachelor's in RT ('Respiratory Care' as the schools call it) and I think it's a great stepping stone to many other careers. My school (LLU) has the bridge program also, but I went in for the entry-level B.S. program. When I graduate, I'm planning on working for a year or two and see what my likes/dislikes are as far as healthcare goes, and finishing up some pre-reqs. Right now I'm leaning towards Anesthesia Assistant which is a masters program, but I"m also considering PA, pharmacy, and D.O. school if I feel like dedicating a good chunk of my young years to healthcare. So yeah, I think it's great that this Bachelor's gives me a reasonably stable job with good pay while I can check out what the other higher-education-required jobs are like on a much wider scale than just shadowing someone for a day or getting input from a forum. Not saying that forum advice is bad of course, just that you get a much more realistic sense when you're working with them on full-time basis.

 

[nev]

I'm an RT student too and I will graduate in december. I did think about midwestern univ, but when I talked to one of the admissions people who came to my college, they told me it would take around 1.5-2 years. I've heard that UAMS also has an online program which only has 18 hours for their bachelor's degree program.

I'm also planning to go thru the BSR route to get into PA school. Good luck!

 

[RAMPA]

I'm just about to graduate in a few months with a bachelor's in RT ('Respiratory Care' as the schools call it) and I think it's a great stepping stone to many other careers. My school (LLU) has the bridge program also, but I went in for the entry-level B.S. program. When I graduate, I'm planning on working for a year or two and see what my likes/dislikes are as far as healthcare goes, and finishing up some pre-reqs. Right now I'm leaning towards Anesthesia Assistant which is a masters program, but I"m also considering PA, pharmacy, and D.O. school if I feel like dedicating a good chunk of my young years to healthcare. So yeah, I think it's great that this Bachelor's gives me a reasonably stable job with good pay while I can check out what the other higher-education-required jobs are like on a much wider scale than just shadowing someone for a day or getting input from a forum. Not saying that forum advice is bad of course, just that you get a much more realistic sense when you're working with them on full-time basis.

hows the RC dept at Loma Linda Medical Center? whats the scope of practice like? where are you planning on working?
I graduate next summer from UTHSC San Antonio with my BS in RC. Dr Wilkins is our program director, but he doesnt say much about LLU.

 

[jacketwrestler]

LOL, yeah the departing of Dr. Wilkins wasn't very smooth at all and I'll just leave it at that. As for LLUMC, it has the reputation in the area for being the best teaching hospital but also one of the lowest paying. People usually stay for about a year or two and then take off to a higher-paying job so the RC department is always short-staffed, advantage of this is that OT is always available so it kind of makes up for the low starting hourly wage. RTs have the opportunity to go into various specialties such as HBO chambers, Sleep center, assisting bronchs, etc. I do believe our NICU is one of the best in the area since we're always transporting kids from other hospitals and you'll definitely learn alot about using HFOV and NO there. I guess the downside is that since it's a teaching hospital, RTs and RT students especially get the shorter end of the stick. For example, if the chance to do an intubation comes up, chances are you'll never get to do it because of all the residents and med school students who will be ahead of you.

I'm not exactly sure where I'll work but I'm most likely leaning towards LLUMC because the transition will be easy (we do about 80% of our clinical rotations there), and they're willing to work around my school schedule which is a definite must. The housing around LL is pretty cheap in comparison to LA or OC county, but then again the atmosphere is nothing like there also.