Any RN's RD's out there? Need your advice!

montanadanni
montanadanni Posts: 184 Member
in Chit-Chat
I am decided to go back to school next year, after deciding I wanted a job I loved. I first was very seriously looking at become a RD (registered dietitian). I like to help people get healthy, have one-on-ones with patients and problem solve. Then I saw a local RN (registered nurse) program that would get me a Bachelor’s in nursing in only 3 years for half the cost of become an RD. I just don't know if I have what it takes to be a nurse...will I be happy? I have written down the pros and cons to each profession and after looking at both lists… I STILL CANNOT DECIDE! Is there any RD’s or RN’s out there?! Please help with some of your wisdom!

My pro-con list so far:
RN
PROS
Great salary
Job security
Schooling is 20k and only 3 years
Flexibility in different jobs
Benefits

CONS
Burnout
Illness
Hard physical work
Long hours
Mentally stressful
Heartbreak


RD
PROS
Variety of ailments/patients
Workshops
Time off is easier to obtain
Good pay
Less stress
More one-on-ones with patients

CONS
Internships are hard to get into (required to finish school)
Harder to find a job
40k to finish school plus 5 years of school

Replies

  • legs_n_bacon
    legs_n_bacon Posts: 478 Member
    I think you should become a rodeo clown.
  • tipadoo
    tipadoo Posts: 104 Member
    hahaha....made me snort my coffee
  • Espressocycle
    Espressocycle Posts: 2,245 Member
    As an RN, you have a lot more job choices and there are alternatives to working full-time in a crazy hospital.
  • ShaeSweetie
    ShaeSweetie Posts: 156 Member
    Im a little biased in this because i know nurses not dieticians....im in school studying to be a PA now because its what i want to do andd all the job security..plus the awesome pay to boot! Id say go for RN..because its better security..less schooling and you can go anywhere as an RN..nursing homes..hospitals..ect ect..but no one here can tell you what to do! so you have to choosee..
  • mandyw30
    mandyw30 Posts: 73 Member
    I am a RN but in England.
    I love my job!
    Don't know if it is possible but if I was you I'd try and get some work experience in both jobs. I honestly thought I would hate nursing, but I got a job as a health care assistant (HCA) and found that I loved it so went on to do my training and become a registered nurse. If I hadn't worked as a HCA I would never have gone and done my nurse training.
  • krystina_letitia9
    krystina_letitia9 Posts: 697 Member
    You're asking for job advice on MFP? I'm an RN so I'm biased but it's seems pretty silly to me. An RN may tell you to be an RN and a RD may tell you to be a RD... maybe you should go job shadow each position and choose for yourself.
  • manic4titans
    manic4titans Posts: 1,214 Member
    I am a RN. I worked 2 years PRN and quit due to 4 cons you have written down (burnout, long hours, and hard stressful work. My family is my priority and my children were quickly growing.

    Do what you want and the rest will fall in place.
  • kimad
    kimad Posts: 3,010 Member
    As an RN, you have a lot more job choices and there are alternatives to working full-time in a crazy hospital.

    Agreed!

    But only you will know what you want to do, our opinions on here won't make you happy in your career choice.
  • bridgelene
    bridgelene Posts: 358 Member
    I'm an RN. Not currently working due to family issues, but I love it. Absolutely love it. Down to the bodily fluids that sometimes get on you, the smells, stress, and everything else.

    But it seems that people who do it for the money are quicker to burn out. People who do it bc that's where their heart is......not so much :)
  • ObtainingBalance
    ObtainingBalance Posts: 1,446 Member
    Bump
  • ILoveTheBrowns
    ILoveTheBrowns Posts: 661 Member
    im an insurance agent i would be no help to you....you might be asking urself well then why the hell did you respond to the question.....my answer to you...i dont know
  • shewi128
    shewi128 Posts: 1 Member
    I am a Registered Dietitan who has a master's in Nutrition, and I also work in a hospital, so I'm familiar with both careers.

    My experience is RD's jobs are less stressful, more normal work hours (although I still work weekends and holidays), less legal responsibility (people are less likely to sue me than a Nurse), the work is fairly easy, and less time on your feet than a Nurse. RD's sometimes aren't taken seriously (depending on the work setting--sometimes doctors don't care what we recommend), the pay isn't that great for the amount of education we have, you don't have to clean up bodily fluids (heck you hardly even have to touch patients), sometimes it gets tiring telling people the same things over and over (like a heart healthy diet instruction), and people get their nutrition information from anywhere or anyone these days, so you deal with a lot of nutrition misinformation and crazy people out there. There are lots of opportunities out there for Dietitians, like hospitals, nursing homes, community clinics, etc, but not nearly as much as an RN. In our hospital, we have 3 inpatient Dietitians, whereas there are hundreds of nurses.

    RN's get more bang for your buck when it comes to amount of education and pay. However, you sometimes have to work long 12-hour shifts, random work days depending on patient census, and sometimes things get crazy.

    Honestly, unless you have an undying love for nutrition, I wouldn't go for the RD.
  • Onaughmae
    Onaughmae Posts: 873 Member
    Either way....choose what you really love to do. You are the one that is going to have to get up every day to go to that job. I am a nurse...and I love it. I honestly cannot see myself doing anything else. I get some degree of ;personal satisfaction from it besides just a paycheck. The pay is good...I wouldn't say fabulous...but good. You are dealing with people at their worst. Sometimes they take it out on you. Its just part of the job. I always say its the most thankless job you will ever love. I will admit...hospital politics can be pretty awful sometimes...but you find that in any job.
  • MarieRunyon
    MarieRunyon Posts: 10 Member
    i have done many jobs and I would say to do what you love and love what you do .. you only live once ... be happy !!:flowerforyou:
  • Aljos
    Aljos Posts: 63 Member
    i have done many jobs and I would say to do what you love and love what you do .. you only live once ... be happy !!:flowerforyou:
    this lady is right!
  • alleviator
    alleviator Posts: 14
    I am not an RN or an RD, but I am an LPN. I am currently not working because I chose to stay home with my kids to help them get through some difficult years and, now that they are through them, I cannot return to work due to breaking my leg. Two surgeries and almost three years later, I was still using a cane to walk. I gave up on going back to school to get my RN licensure, but after a lot of strength and weight training (and a lot of help from my physical therapist) I have given up the cane and I am even more active now than I was when I was working as an LPN. I am considering going back to school next Autumn if my body will let me.I loved my job as an LPN would love to take it to the next degree.

    As for your choice, you need to follow your heart. Don't do it because it's easy. Don't do it because it pays well. Do it because you like to do it. “Find something you love to do and you'll never have to work a day in your life” ~ Harvey MacKay

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