u/Dannysap7

I’m looking for some opinions because I’m torn between staying in my current position and accepting a Chief Tech role in a busy Cath Lab.

I currently work in a clinical education and support role for an imaging company. I travel throughout the region, support procedures, train hospital staff, and help with Cath Lab and IR workflows. My base salary is $107,000 with a 10% annual bonus. I also receive a company car with insurance, maintenance, tolls, and gas fully covered.
The job is generally less physically demanding than working full time in a lab, and I have a good amount of independence. The biggest downside is the travel. I’m away from home regularly, and my schedule can change
depending on customer needs.

I was offered a Chief Cardiovascular Technologist position at $71 an hour and $10 an hour to be on call. I would be supervising the department, but I would also be working cases, taking call, dealing with emergencies, staffing problems, and the daily stress of a busy Cath Lab.

Another major concern is that I already know the lab and several of the technologists are extremely difficult to work with. Morale and accountability are poor, and I would be walking into a position where I’m expected to manage people who may resist changes or make the job significantly harder.

I’m also recently married, and my wife and I plan to have children within the next year or so. Staying in my current position means continued travel, which could become difficult once we have children. The hospital position would keep me more local, but call, late cases, weekends, staffing shortages, and the overall stress of managing the lab could still interfere with family life.

The Chief Tech position offers considerably more guaranteed income and the possibility of substantial overtime, but I would lose the company car, free gas, and the flexibility of my current role. I would also be returning to the physical and emotional demands of working in the lab.
What would you do in this situation? Stay in the lower paying travel role with better benefits and less daily lab stress, or accept the higher paying leadership position despite the call schedule, difficult staff, and increased responsibility?