Medical Lab Technologist vs. Respiratory Therapist?

it really depends on what you like. if you like science and working in a lab mt is great, if you really like working with patients and respiratory related things (breathing treatments, doing vents, ect) then rt would work for you. burnout rates are subjective, if you don't like what you are doing then you are more likely to get burned out.

i'm a mt and i love it, but i really like the lab and i don't like working with patients so much.

even though they are both medical fields, each is a very different job. try and contact you local university and see if you can maybe shadown each position for a day and get a feel of what would suit you better

I would think a MT would not get burned out or bored as quickly as a RT. I know that with MT, things are constantly changing and there are so many different areas to either specialize in at a large lab or do everything at a smaller lab. They are both great careers but I think that with a MT you have more room to move around with different types or work or by furthering your education. It will be a lot easier to find a job as a MT, while you could always get your own business as a RT. You probably should also consider whether you want to work more with patients or behind the scenes.

I've worked as respiratory therapist for four years now. Currently I work mainly in the newborn and pediatric intensive care units. The main point I would make is as an rt, you will be involved in any emergency involving cpr. Your skills have to be sharp and you must be able to perform your job well under a great deal of stress. There are other areas you can work in as an rt though. I know a few guys who do home health and they love it. They drive a company car to visit 8-10 patients a day in their homes and check their oxygen equipment, etc. Also, sleep studies are performed mainly by respiratory therapists.

It probably depends more on how much you want to work with people or would you rather be in a lab? I think a RT has more patient contact. To me dealing with people makes me drained by the end of the day so I'd make a better MLT, but everyone is different. Good luck :-)

mt is stuck working at same lab every day..whereas the rt can contract out to several facilities and make lots more money...less likely to become bored.

for me RT is more hazardous rather than MT so for me I'll go with MT

RTs make more money, but go with what u want to go with.

Both are OK.......I would choose MT

i owuld rather do the medical lab tech.

RT