Registered Dietitian – Here I Come!

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Posted on 2nd February 2010 by Jiggly in Getting Personal

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Its been decided.  I’m going to pursue that career as a Registered Dietitian!  You might remember my doubts about this, but after attending Loma Linda’s Open House on Sunday… my hubby and I both agreed it was a feat that could be done.

This post is gonna be a headache for you.  Bear with me.

Prior to attending the Open House, I was confused about what track I should apply for.  Loma Linda offers two Nutrition tracks – one through their School of Allied Sciences and the other through their School of Public Health.  The School of Allied Sciences gives you a Master’s of Science (M.S.) in Nutrition.  The School of Public Health leads you to a Master’s in Public Health (M.P.H.) with an emphasis in Nutrition & Dietetics.  Both can get me that desired R.D. title.  After the info session, I decided that I want to apply for Loma Linda’s M.P.H. program.

Some things I learned about it…

  • Makes me eligible for the Registered Dietitian exam.
  • Allows  for concurrent completion of the MPH degree in 2 years + 1 qtr (58 units + 34 corequisites).
  • Bachelor’s degree can be non-nutrition related.
  • Career options: hospitals, community & public health settings, food & nutrition industry, and sports nutrition & corporate wellness.
  • Includes supervised practice opportunities throughout the span of the program.

What I liked about Loma Linda was their desire to be hands on with their students.  They don’t just let you loose to sink or swim once you enter their program.  After a useless liberal arts education at UC Irvine, I knew this was what I wanted.  Loma Linda also does a lot of missions trips around the world to help nations without good medical resources.  Did I also tell you that if I become a student, all my medical and dental expenses will be free of charge??  What a perk.

Now comes the tough part of doing well in my prereqs and actually getting accepted into the program.  My 2nd choice school would be Cal State LA’s M.S. in Nutrition.  Loma Linda and CalStateLA are the only 2 schools in California that offers a CADE-accredited Nutrition program that also includes supervised practice.

Why do I want to stay in-state?  Tuition costs for out of state students are DOUBLE those in-state.  Yikes!!  I don’t have that kind of money to burn.