Either one is valuable in health care and in helping people get well. Nurses have patient lives in their hands for sure and there is great stress, but great rewards as well, and higher pay for working the same amount of time at the same place. Echo techs might have an easier day, but if one makes a mistake or misses something for the doctor to read on the echo and that makes the doctor not treat a serious condition--well, I'd call that stressful as well, and having a big hand in patents' lives. Either is a good choice. You could try classes in both and see which you like better, or call a hospital and ask if you could shadow a nurse one day and an echo tech one day in order to try to sort out your career aspirations. If you volunteer or work at the hospital so that people already know you, you'd probably get permission more easily. You could talk to both echo techs and nurses about what they like and dislike about their jobs. Good luck in either, or all you do .