sarahj95 Posted March 24, 2014 Share Posted March 24, 2014 I know it does not matter what your major is for PA school as long as you have the prerequisites but I am still having trouble settling on one and need to decide soon so I'm not taking classes that won;t count. I am a freshman in college at Ohio State University and have so many interests and the ones I have considered are nutrition, neuroscience, health science, and biology. I think I am most interested in nutrition with neuroscience as a close second but I do enjoy bio as well and it is very versatile. I know i should do what I love but I also want a major that is worth the money of an undergrad and if PA school doesn't work out opens many other doors for a good career in the health field. I have heard nutrition may not be worth it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lemon Bars Posted March 24, 2014 Share Posted March 24, 2014 I'm not an expert but I will share some of what I have learned over the last couple of years investigating health care professions. When I looked into Nutrition I found it to be surprisingly rigorous academically. Therefore it probably would make a good foundation academically for PA school. Also about 50% of disease today could be prevented if we all would just eat right and not smoke. As I see it the problem with Nutrition would be if you don't get into PA school. Becoming a registered dietician involves (again) a surprising amount of clinical internship hours on top of that rigorous academic program. And I don't think there are that many jobs out there for registered dieticians, because each hospital only needs a couple of them. And if you're not a registered dietician, you may not be able to get paid what you're worth. Anyways when I looked into it it looked like far to much work for too little potential return. I have no idea if there are jobs for people with bachelor's degrees in Neuroscience, so I can't evaluate that as a back up plan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sarahj95 Posted March 24, 2014 Author Share Posted March 24, 2014 What science majors or majors for the health field do you know of that do give a lot in return and are worth it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lemon Bars Posted March 24, 2014 Share Posted March 24, 2014 It's hard to say what's worth it these days. My aunt made good money as a speech therapist. Nursing is viable if you are willing to relocate. There may be specialized training and advancement opportunities for nurses who work in neurology/rehab/surgery//psych. Audiology and optometry are probably not worth it. Stay away from psychology and sociology these are too easy and too many people have these degrees. If you love it Physical Therapist might be worth it even though it's a doctoral degree now. Or Occupational Therapist if you like working with disabled people (some with neurological problems). If I were you I would not get a plain old Biology degree unless you were continuing on to get a teaching credential or graduate degree. You might want to just get a BS in Nursing plus extra science courses then go for PA or NP later. The RN is respected and can get you jobs besides beside hospital nursing. Nothing is for certain, though. The economy is a mess. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NathanLe Posted March 24, 2014 Share Posted March 24, 2014 On the other hand, if you are good at what you do and you're willing to relocate if necessary, you'll find a job doing what you want (whatever that is). I'm getting tired of the doom and gloom attitude pushing people towards what is 'safe'. If you want something safe, get your accounting degree and audit companies for a living. Pick an area of study that you're passionate about and has some career potential if PA school doesn't happen. But don't default to something you're less passionate about because it's the 'safe' route. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taotaox1 Posted March 25, 2014 Share Posted March 25, 2014 There are a couple of nutritionists in our class and they have done very well, fyi. Seems like a fine way to go. Heck, my degree was in english. Just get lots of As and work as some kind of tech while you are in school and you should have little problem getting into PA school. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skyfall Posted March 25, 2014 Share Posted March 25, 2014 We have a nutritionist at in my class. She's doing really well and I know she'll be great when it comes to patient education. There's a limited focus on nutrition in PA school, but it's important to know. Too many patients out there are not eating the right way and we can guide them in the right direction. I agree with Taotaox. Major doesn't matter. Get good grades and have good study habits! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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