Newb in need of help with the "Big 3"

[marianne202]

Hi and welcome! Jennifer does bring up some good points. You really need to zero in on what you would like to do long term. I'm currently in the EC BS in Health Sciences program and would be happy to answer any questions you may have, providing I know the answers myself!

As someone who has been in and around the medical field in various allied health arenas for almost 28 years I know how hard it can be to decide if you are new to the medical field. I will say that if you really want to pursue a degree in radiology or ultrasound technology I would recommend that you research the local programs and find out if it something you can realistically accomplish given your experience, time for school and finanical situation. Most of these programs are full-time so you would be in school almost every day. Most also have a waiting list, so I would recommend finding out these things. Then you can start working on your pre-reqs, which will be the general education type credits Jennifer was talking about. Most programs that have a waiting list, will only take you after you have all the pre-reqs out of the way, because they can be that picky. These programs also have pre-admission testing that must be done including usually, math, reading and usually a general science aptitude test. You should take these and see if your scores are where they need to be for these programs. If not you may want to consider another avenue. If your employer wants you to advance your degree status you may want to start out with an associates degree in an area of your interest then see where that takes you. A BS in Health Sciences is usually good for those that have years of experience in an allied health area in clinical care and are wanting to advance into management. If you are still trying to decide what you want to be when you grow up I would start there then once you obtain that goal, then you can target your further education to advance you down the right path. You don't want to spend time and money on a degree or just classes to find out it won't help you obtain the goal you really want otherwise the degree just becomes another piece of paper and you have to start all over. By all means start working on the general education classes as everyone will require those so you will be that much further ahead, but I would recommend you talk with the local schools to find out where your interests and aptitude lie. Most college career centers have assessments you can take to point you in some direction. Also I would say go talk to people in the radiology dept at your local hospital and find out what they really do, do they like it, what is the salary, what are the hours etc. You may find the pay and shift requirements don't work with your family schedule or you may find out there are other requirements you didn't know about. Also look at job ads to see what the requirements are of jobs in your area. That will allow you to see the certifications, training and education you would need to be employable in the jobs you like. Just some suggestions! This can all be overwhelming when you are just starting out. Congrats on making the decision to continue your education! You have found a great resource of helpful people here. Good luck and let me know if you have any specific EC BSHS questions. I look forward to hearing about your successes!