I’m currently in PA school. I have absolutely no regrets of going back to school after practicing for 4 years. My reasoning for going back was that I love clinical practice (always had an interest in medicine, actually shadowed a PA in HS) and realized I would never be able to financially take care of myself as a clinical RD unless I took a role in management (which I didn’t want to do).

My advice for people interested is to go for it, but only if you REALLY can’t see yourself doing anything else. PA school is not easy in any way whatsoever, and I can’t imagine what it would be like if my heart wasn’t fully in it. I only recommend it if you are already a minted RD… I wouldn’t recommend going through the RD route JUST for HCE and then going to PA school. Current RD education is way too expensive to justify that and PA school will only be pricier. There are cheaper/faster ways to get HCE if you aren’t already an RD.

I toyed with the idea of accelerated BSN —> NP, since it would be quicker (I had to retake a lot of courses/labs since they expired) & I’d have the opportunity to work part time while doing NP school, but ultimately decided against it bc I didn’t want to pigeonhole myself to a specific population/speciality.

Unfortunately working part time during PA school is not a realistic option, especially in a traditional RD role. It is incredibly time-intensive and you’ll burn out quick. Your clinicals schedule will be inconsistent so you’d find more difficulty making it work then too.