RDtoPA Posted January 11, 2016 Share Posted January 11, 2016 Hello All, I have read all of the posts regarding RD's looking to become PA's. I am currently an RD licensed in the state of TX. I have recently changed careers and have two bachelor degrees, the first a BA in psychology and the second a BS in Nutrition. My total GPA is about a 3.1 and the last three years of school is around a 3.6. I am curious to see what schools out there 1. value RD clinical experience for HCE for a PA program 2. programs that do not have time limit restrictions on prerequisites since some of my prerequisites are more than 7 yrs old and 3. schools that prefer or are ok with older students and/or have improved their gpa's from the start of their college coursework. I am 35 yrs old and plan to apply for the next application cycle. I am a TX resident and it seems that several of the TX PA schools have an avg age of 23-24 and have time limits on prerequisites. I am not set on a TX school, although it would be nice to get a break on in state tuition. Any info or recommendations on schools that give preference or are ok with this would be greatly appreciated! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UGoLong Posted January 11, 2016 Share Posted January 11, 2016 I teach for a PA program in Ohio. There are 2 RDs in the class of 2016. I'm sure there are other programs out there who would value your background as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
had1118 Posted January 11, 2016 Share Posted January 11, 2016 Definitely look for schools that value and encourage "non-traditional" applicants. I am an older applicant myself and have found that it's not always appreciated. :-/ UNC has a great program that specifically wants older applicants with more HCE. Check them out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MT2PA Posted January 11, 2016 Share Posted January 11, 2016 Of your 3 issues, your old pre-reqs will be your limiting factor. All of the schools I looked at, applied to, and interviewed at would have accepted RD and, as an older applicant myself, I did not find age to be an issue. Your best bet is to check out programs individually as far as pre-reqs go because they can change from year to year. 5 years is pretty typical, but so is 10. You'll be able to apply to a majority of programs, just don't waste money on the ones where your pre-reqs are too old. There's no magic answer, you've just got to put the leg work into checking out programs. We've all been there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EMF04 Posted January 13, 2016 Share Posted January 13, 2016 I am an RD and I was just accepted to a great program. I know there are many programs that value this experience, and many list it is an example of HCE on their program websites. However, one school I e-mailed said that my experience would not count as HCE despite me describing my job duties and detailing how closely I work with patients. Just reach out to the programs if you are concerned. I have my CNSC, work pre-dominately in the ICU, perform physical assessments, round with the ICU team, and write parenteral nutrition and enteral nutrition orders. I think it's all about how your application showcases your skill set, and how you feel your experience will make you a great candidate. As far as time limits for pre-reqs, there are a few schools that do not have limits, and others that only require they be done in the past 7-10 years - you will have to put in the work to find those schools. I would advise you to start researching since there are so many programs, but feel free to PM if you have specific questions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RDtoPA Posted January 15, 2016 Author Share Posted January 15, 2016 Hi all thank you for taking the time to post! EMF04... yes I have been doing research and there are a lot of programs out there. I was hoping to hear about a few schools that members know about or would recommend that I may have missed in my search that meet the above criteria. It is not always easy to get to know a program from their website. A lot of factors to consider. I am finding that prerequisites can vary quite a bit so I really need to strategize to find right programs to apply to for this application cycle. Thank you very much had1118 for suggesting UNC. I thought that I had looked at the prereqs for UNC and must have overlooked them. I have met the prereqs already and and it doesnt appear that they have a time limit on courses. I will do some more research, but I think that this school could be a great fit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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