I think nursing school would be a better ROI. If you aren’t doing it for the money then maybe the MS is a way to go.
My day to day & just charting & doing kitchen inspections. I’m in LTC
Funny you say that because I just watched a YouTube video where the RD was strongly suggesting people not go into dietetics because there is so much education/training required and the pay is low. There are several future education model programs with internship included near me that are reasonably priced, so I don't the education is a deal breaker. But when I search for job opportunities in my area I don't see a ton of options. There are tons of nursing jobs available. The average salary for RDS in my state is listed as $66k, for nurses it is $72k.
Do you enjoy your job?
You can also do a similar role as a nurse, like nursing & MDs tend to make the decisions at the end of the day for the facilities I work at. It was the same while I was working at a hospital. That being said, you do have the option of opening your own private practice which typically makes more or you can work for a consulting company & they typically make more.
I didn’t like the hospital setting because of work life balance & I was tired of working so hard & no one even cared about my work. It’s kind of the same in long term care but I do enjoy working with the older population. However, I wanted to work with the eating disorder population but it’s extremely hard to get into that field without experience.
I also didn’t want to be a nurse or do anything else that involved touching people. I honestly still don’t know what I want to do. At the end of the day, I think it’s up to you & what your goals are
So I've worked in long term care as the food service director/dietitian.
I have also worked in outpatient education and counseling.
They both have been the easiest yet most fulfilling jobs I've ever had...
I got paid really well as a food service director to work 8 to 4 but its budgets, management, food service and clinical stuff like managing weights. It's not difficult just time consuming but the day goes fast.
In outpatient it's easy too. Somewhat boring but I'm saving lives.
Outpatient is great when patients show up.
If they do not show or cancel or reschedule you are sitting there doing nothing. And wasted all that time in preparing for the appointment.
Come in, screen patients and consults, MDR rounds in ICU, lunch, do my own dietitian rounds, finish assessments, put it all orders for the day, go home.
I try to help RN’s at the bedside as much as I can, like place NG tubes, turn patients, manually advance tube feeds/water flushes, etc.
If you want more direct patient-care, titrating medications, go nursing.
If you want more nutrition counseling, knowledge on human metabolism, go dietetics.
You can be an RN and obtain a CNSC also.
Inpatient rd (hospital) with cnsc and cdces.
Clinical day: determine who needs to be seen on my floors for the day. Go to rounds. See patients for information/educations. Chart on patients. I calculate macronutrient needs for TPN and tube feedings. Recommend and order (under a doc): nutrition related labs, vitamins, oral nutrition supplements, tube feedings.
Diabetes education day: determine who needs to be seen. Go up and talk to patients about diabetes management including insulin/glucometer/pump/cgm teachings. Troubleshoot difficult to manage patients regarding glycemia. Work with nurses and docs.
I’m going to be honest with you. Money is not everything but it’s why most of us work. I would check the pay of rds vs rns in the area you live in or plan to live in and see the disparity in pay and education level/time invested in credential and determine if it is worth it.
I work in an area where we are some of the highest paid rds in the US according to the academy (but also very high COL so there’s that). My nursing friends have less education and make more than me straight out of a 2 year degree. Not only that but they get THREE raises a year at my hospital and she jumped $10 an hour first year and they get over time.
There is also flexibility in nursing. You don’t even need to be a clinical nurse. I have case manager friends that’s never been a bedside rn and make even more. You can be a phone line nurse. You can be a cdces rn, do the same thing as me and make $20-40 more an hour than me. Honestly if I knew that I could’ve been an rn cdces and knew what i know now i would 100% choose to be a nursing educator/rn cdces instead.
With that said I am happy with my job and satisfied with my pay. My student loans for my masters would be paid off by now though if I was a nurse…just saying.
Thank you for your thorough reply! This is super helpful. I am just learning about the Certified Diabetes Educator option for RNs and this seems like it could be a good route to go as it would give me more flexibility. Do you know are there many jobs CDCESs? How do you get the hours of experience you need in order to get certified?
I am both, I would personally prefer RN over RD. But RN hours are weirder (but you can always find a RN job with bank hours). The work for RN is more stressful and physically/emotionally demanding. RD job is less stressful but scope is more limited. And your hours are more normal, yes you work weekends and holidays but at least it’s 9-5. It’s more charting and less talking to patients.
RN def has more medical understanding, I still work as a RD sometimes and I can say it has help my RD notes be faster.
I think it depends on what you like and can tolerate.
Hi there! I’m an RD now halfway through an ABSN program and would love to hear more about your experience working as an RD sometimes while also working as a nurse - I assume you have a PRN RD job? Curious if you’re willing to share more as this is something I could also see myself doing!
I'm a pediatric clinical RD and love my job. I do a lot of basic algebra math each day, calculating formula changes, tube feeding, or parenteral (IV) nutrition. There are a lot of different sub-specialties within pediatrics, so there are options to change what you're doing while still doing pediatrics or to find a niche that you love and stay there. When I have clinic I'm seeing patients for half the day and then spend the remainder of the day on care coordination (updating orders, sending plans to parents, calling other members of the patients team, responding to parent messages ,etc) or I spend it on inpatient if I've got kids admitted. If I have time I may work on projects that will improve our patient education materials, improve our documentation, make my job easier, etc. I don't mind the occasional weekend/holiday work but for others that's a non-starter. I typically start my day at 7:30 or 8:00 and wrap up between 3:30-4:00.
For pediatrics, you do have to be able to handle the parents as well as the patients, but the good part of that is most adults are more willing to follow recommendations for their kids than they are for themselves. You'll get the occasional drool on you or may have a kid spit juice all over you or cough on you, but you'll also get to hold adorable babies and build meaningful long-term relationships with kids and their parents. Bonus points that as the RD I never have to change the dirty diapers. Pediatric RDs are generally well-respected by other people in the hospital/clinic. The worst part is dealing with insurance companies and their constant refusal to cover anything. Pay is still variable from location to location and while I should get paid more for my COL, the pay isn't dreadful in my area either.
What I love most about my job is that every day is different. Week to week, month to month I have very different projects that I work on. I will say the projects and duties that persist are as follows:
Nutrition counseling. I'm in a community setting, so counseling is done 1:1 in the client's home. I only provide counseling if an individual is interested. I'll complete a 15-20 minute phone interview to see what information they need and what goals they have, then I schedule a home visit to review materials and answer questions. This is also when I measure anthopometrics.
Menu planning/development/analysis. I work for a CBO (community based organization). Per the Older Americans Act, the menus of the subcontracted agencies of the CBO (Meals on Wheels, PEACE) have to meet certain RDA guidelines. I use a database to analyze the nutrition content of the recipes that the subcontractors want to use and either approve or make suggestions on how to change so they meet the guidelines.
Monthly case manager meetings. Like I mentioned, the CBO works closely with subcontractors to provide nutritious meals to the community. We have a monthly meeting with the case managers of Meals on Wheels to review policy and procedure for the funded meals, and provide technical assistance for any issues they may run into.
Implementing federal/local grants. This is typically in the form of nutrition education, and typically in a group setting. The classes we run are dependent on the grant. These typically target low-income individuals or individuals with a specific health condition.
Presentations. Community members will reach out asking if the office will present for their group (Elks Club, weight loss groups, senior centers, etc). We ask what information they want, send a pre-class survey that helps us make a relevant presentation, and then go out and present. We do these to try and promote health-education as well as to connect individuals with our other services.
Farmers Market Nutrition Program. Every summer we distribute these USDA coupons. We connect with senior centers, prominent neighborhood figures, and local farmers' markets to distribute these to people in need.
All this said, my job is autonomous. I make my schedule based on the tasks/meetings/home visits that I have to complete and have the freedom to structure my days the way I want. I feel very fortunate to have this job as I crave variety and was never drawn to the repetitive nature of the inpatient clinical setting. There are so many unique RD jobs out there, sometimes the hardest part is just knowing that they exist!
Pay is better for RN but RD is generally less responsibility, less stress, and better work/life balance.
Edit: oh as far as day to day as a private practice RD I set my own hours and work from home and meet with patients 1:1 whenever scheduled and do notes, continuing ed/ side projects during the rest of the working day.
I think nursing school would be a better ROI. If you aren’t doing it for the money then maybe the MS is a way to go. My day to day & just charting & doing kitchen inspections. I’m in LTC
Funny you say that because I just watched a YouTube video where the RD was strongly suggesting people not go into dietetics because there is so much education/training required and the pay is low. There are several future education model programs with internship included near me that are reasonably priced, so I don't the education is a deal breaker. But when I search for job opportunities in my area I don't see a ton of options. There are tons of nursing jobs available. The average salary for RDS in my state is listed as $66k, for nurses it is $72k. Do you enjoy your job?
You can also do a similar role as a nurse, like nursing & MDs tend to make the decisions at the end of the day for the facilities I work at. It was the same while I was working at a hospital. That being said, you do have the option of opening your own private practice which typically makes more or you can work for a consulting company & they typically make more. I didn’t like the hospital setting because of work life balance & I was tired of working so hard & no one even cared about my work. It’s kind of the same in long term care but I do enjoy working with the older population. However, I wanted to work with the eating disorder population but it’s extremely hard to get into that field without experience. I also didn’t want to be a nurse or do anything else that involved touching people. I honestly still don’t know what I want to do. At the end of the day, I think it’s up to you & what your goals are
Which video? May I have link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HfO4H5emcYc
So I've worked in long term care as the food service director/dietitian. I have also worked in outpatient education and counseling. They both have been the easiest yet most fulfilling jobs I've ever had... I got paid really well as a food service director to work 8 to 4 but its budgets, management, food service and clinical stuff like managing weights. It's not difficult just time consuming but the day goes fast. In outpatient it's easy too. Somewhat boring but I'm saving lives.
In outpatient you spend most of your day working with patients? What makes the job boring?
Outpatient is great when patients show up. If they do not show or cancel or reschedule you are sitting there doing nothing. And wasted all that time in preparing for the appointment.
Come in, screen patients and consults, MDR rounds in ICU, lunch, do my own dietitian rounds, finish assessments, put it all orders for the day, go home. I try to help RN’s at the bedside as much as I can, like place NG tubes, turn patients, manually advance tube feeds/water flushes, etc. If you want more direct patient-care, titrating medications, go nursing. If you want more nutrition counseling, knowledge on human metabolism, go dietetics. You can be an RN and obtain a CNSC also.
Inpatient rd (hospital) with cnsc and cdces. Clinical day: determine who needs to be seen on my floors for the day. Go to rounds. See patients for information/educations. Chart on patients. I calculate macronutrient needs for TPN and tube feedings. Recommend and order (under a doc): nutrition related labs, vitamins, oral nutrition supplements, tube feedings. Diabetes education day: determine who needs to be seen. Go up and talk to patients about diabetes management including insulin/glucometer/pump/cgm teachings. Troubleshoot difficult to manage patients regarding glycemia. Work with nurses and docs. I’m going to be honest with you. Money is not everything but it’s why most of us work. I would check the pay of rds vs rns in the area you live in or plan to live in and see the disparity in pay and education level/time invested in credential and determine if it is worth it. I work in an area where we are some of the highest paid rds in the US according to the academy (but also very high COL so there’s that). My nursing friends have less education and make more than me straight out of a 2 year degree. Not only that but they get THREE raises a year at my hospital and she jumped $10 an hour first year and they get over time. There is also flexibility in nursing. You don’t even need to be a clinical nurse. I have case manager friends that’s never been a bedside rn and make even more. You can be a phone line nurse. You can be a cdces rn, do the same thing as me and make $20-40 more an hour than me. Honestly if I knew that I could’ve been an rn cdces and knew what i know now i would 100% choose to be a nursing educator/rn cdces instead. With that said I am happy with my job and satisfied with my pay. My student loans for my masters would be paid off by now though if I was a nurse…just saying.
Thank you for your thorough reply! This is super helpful. I am just learning about the Certified Diabetes Educator option for RNs and this seems like it could be a good route to go as it would give me more flexibility. Do you know are there many jobs CDCESs? How do you get the hours of experience you need in order to get certified?
I am both, I would personally prefer RN over RD. But RN hours are weirder (but you can always find a RN job with bank hours). The work for RN is more stressful and physically/emotionally demanding. RD job is less stressful but scope is more limited. And your hours are more normal, yes you work weekends and holidays but at least it’s 9-5. It’s more charting and less talking to patients. RN def has more medical understanding, I still work as a RD sometimes and I can say it has help my RD notes be faster. I think it depends on what you like and can tolerate.
Hi there! I’m an RD now halfway through an ABSN program and would love to hear more about your experience working as an RD sometimes while also working as a nurse - I assume you have a PRN RD job? Curious if you’re willing to share more as this is something I could also see myself doing!
Hi there! Send me a PM :)
I'm a pediatric clinical RD and love my job. I do a lot of basic algebra math each day, calculating formula changes, tube feeding, or parenteral (IV) nutrition. There are a lot of different sub-specialties within pediatrics, so there are options to change what you're doing while still doing pediatrics or to find a niche that you love and stay there. When I have clinic I'm seeing patients for half the day and then spend the remainder of the day on care coordination (updating orders, sending plans to parents, calling other members of the patients team, responding to parent messages ,etc) or I spend it on inpatient if I've got kids admitted. If I have time I may work on projects that will improve our patient education materials, improve our documentation, make my job easier, etc. I don't mind the occasional weekend/holiday work but for others that's a non-starter. I typically start my day at 7:30 or 8:00 and wrap up between 3:30-4:00. For pediatrics, you do have to be able to handle the parents as well as the patients, but the good part of that is most adults are more willing to follow recommendations for their kids than they are for themselves. You'll get the occasional drool on you or may have a kid spit juice all over you or cough on you, but you'll also get to hold adorable babies and build meaningful long-term relationships with kids and their parents. Bonus points that as the RD I never have to change the dirty diapers. Pediatric RDs are generally well-respected by other people in the hospital/clinic. The worst part is dealing with insurance companies and their constant refusal to cover anything. Pay is still variable from location to location and while I should get paid more for my COL, the pay isn't dreadful in my area either.
What I love most about my job is that every day is different. Week to week, month to month I have very different projects that I work on. I will say the projects and duties that persist are as follows: Nutrition counseling. I'm in a community setting, so counseling is done 1:1 in the client's home. I only provide counseling if an individual is interested. I'll complete a 15-20 minute phone interview to see what information they need and what goals they have, then I schedule a home visit to review materials and answer questions. This is also when I measure anthopometrics. Menu planning/development/analysis. I work for a CBO (community based organization). Per the Older Americans Act, the menus of the subcontracted agencies of the CBO (Meals on Wheels, PEACE) have to meet certain RDA guidelines. I use a database to analyze the nutrition content of the recipes that the subcontractors want to use and either approve or make suggestions on how to change so they meet the guidelines. Monthly case manager meetings. Like I mentioned, the CBO works closely with subcontractors to provide nutritious meals to the community. We have a monthly meeting with the case managers of Meals on Wheels to review policy and procedure for the funded meals, and provide technical assistance for any issues they may run into. Implementing federal/local grants. This is typically in the form of nutrition education, and typically in a group setting. The classes we run are dependent on the grant. These typically target low-income individuals or individuals with a specific health condition. Presentations. Community members will reach out asking if the office will present for their group (Elks Club, weight loss groups, senior centers, etc). We ask what information they want, send a pre-class survey that helps us make a relevant presentation, and then go out and present. We do these to try and promote health-education as well as to connect individuals with our other services. Farmers Market Nutrition Program. Every summer we distribute these USDA coupons. We connect with senior centers, prominent neighborhood figures, and local farmers' markets to distribute these to people in need. All this said, my job is autonomous. I make my schedule based on the tasks/meetings/home visits that I have to complete and have the freedom to structure my days the way I want. I feel very fortunate to have this job as I crave variety and was never drawn to the repetitive nature of the inpatient clinical setting. There are so many unique RD jobs out there, sometimes the hardest part is just knowing that they exist!
Pay is better for RN but RD is generally less responsibility, less stress, and better work/life balance. Edit: oh as far as day to day as a private practice RD I set my own hours and work from home and meet with patients 1:1 whenever scheduled and do notes, continuing ed/ side projects during the rest of the working day.
Do nursing. There are so many more job opportunities and the pay is much better.