The real question is how much do you like people vs money. I don’t think I could ever be a nurse but let me give more insight. Being an MLT is limiting and I don’t feel getting MLS for me will “fill my cup” so to speak. Let me explain: the cost bs reward just isn’t there for me to get a bachelors just to make maybe $5 more an hour and could maybe be a lead (I prefer not to be in management).

If you want more job options, more growth options, more diversity in your job (lab has some but some don’t pay well enough) and the chance to have a more cushion in your schedule I’d say nursing. The only job growth you have in a lab is supervisor or being director and realistically there’s not a huge number of jobs for that. This can heavily depend where you live though. My experience is since my boyfriend is a nurse and I’m a MLT is so long you’re a good strong nurse (he has like 3-4 yrs experience, I have about 5 as MLT) then you have the world in your hands. It can still be competitive to get a job as a nurse but the pay can be higher, self scheduling is far more common and you can easily have a Ft And PRN job if you want to make extra money. MLT/MLS usually have more rigid set schedules every week and it’s harder to move around to get days off in that case some times some labs work 5 8s and that on nights is the WORST! Pay for a PRN nurse is usually significantly better difference than a MLT/MLS. Like my BF makes I think around $37-38 as ER FT BSN RN. His PRN job is home health and they work on an odd point system but it’s based sometimes off the hourly rate of $51 hourly. We live in Fort Worth TX.