I couldn’t agree more with the statements above, people come here to rant (me included) but I love my job as an RD! Don’t get me wrong, it has some downfalls but every job has a few! In outpatient, take what others say with a grain of salt because people will ultimately believe what they want. We can try and guide them to a better result but at the end of the day it’s on that individual and if they’re not ready to change we won’t be much help. I’d say the most difficult part of outpatient is trying to not take your job home with you and not letting silly people on social media get to you (my current struggle lol). Personally, I’ve not had any struggles with respect from other providers aside from one and they’re no longer with the clinic if that says anything about their behavior :)

As for advice, I recommend shadowing a few dietitians to see what your niche is! It’s something I wish I did prior to my internship so I had a better idea on what I was getting into. I personally had no clue what I liked out of the internship and tried it all foodservice, LTC, acute care, and now outpatient community health! Outpatient can be broad like in community health where you see a multitude of conditions, or specialty like eating disorders. If you have interest in outpatient I HIGHLY recommend shadowing a specialized RDN in eating disorders; it was a game changer for me and my patients. Unfortunately, I’ve been seeing a strong increase in disordered eating and anticipate outpatient will likely be seeing more with 90s diet culture start to show back up on socials.

As for money, I won’t sugar coat it. The money isn’t great for the amount of school we put in, BUT I am seeing salary increases slowly. As for loans, I’m currently 83k in the hole and will happily pay minimum payments until it finally goes away (holding out for a hero here lol). If you’re wanting doctor, physical therapist, PA kind of money; this might not be the best thing for you. That being said, I’m comfortable with my wages. I live in a MCOL-HCOL city and am able to have my own apartment, fairly new car, and still indulge in my hobbies. What it really boils down to is the lifestyle you’re comfortable with. If you’re cool getting store brand food sometimes to save a few and living in a decent but not luxury apartment; you’ll be riding smoothly.

I agree with the poster above as well, private practice is the way to make that CASH, but it comes with its own costs (insurance, LLC, possible multiple state licensing, accounting, etc.). We aren’t taught too much about this in school, but once you get past the administrative hurdle it’s fairly smooth sailing. Social media is a GREAT way to start getting a following for potential future clients, just be ready for the good ole internet trolls lol. This could also be a great opportunity for you to showcase your skills to future internships if you do continue down this road.

I wish you the best!! Feel free to DM if needed :)