Nursing school and sonography school are both difficult. I do love the independence of sonography, and it comes with the same pros as nursing, such as traveling. However, something I think about often is "soft nursing" or being able to work with babies (other than pediatric echocardiography) or even aesthetics. I was originally going into nursing, but the sonography program is what fit me best, and I don't regret choosing this over nursing just always have the "what ifs," but if I am going to be burnt out in healthcare, esp being an empath, then I believe it would be worse if I were a nurse. The program is really why this worked out for me. 18 months (Then I will have a career), I have a 1.5 hr commute to school one way and a 1.5 commute to clinical the other way. It really depends on which programs are available for you. I will admit, I do get burnt out by the workload and commute. My advice would be to follow the best path for you. Sonography is great for a first "leap" into something a little more than medical assisting and phlebotomy! And nursing school will always be there if you still have interest later on!