Dietitian Career Guide
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A dietitian is a licensed and registered medical professional who provides nutritional counseling and medical nutrition therapy to their patients. The food choices we make can drastically impact our health and overall well-being! Dietitians are expert healthcare providers who offer their patients a wide range of invaluable advice, treatment, and resources.
A professional dietitian is also called a registered dietitian (RD), or registered dietitian nutritionist (RDN). Are you interested in an engaging and rewarding career as a dietitian? This profession is expected to grow faster than average! Keep reading for a closer look at what life is like as a registered dietitian and what steps you need to take to get there.
The daily general job description of a dietitian includes:
In addition to the above, dietitians specialize in how food choices impact current or future health conditions. Diet has a significant effect on the management and development of certain diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, and more.
While dietitians often lead the nutrition care process, dietetic technicians provide vital support, applying their knowledge of food and nutrition to assist in developing and implementing dietary plans and evaluations. Working closely under the supervision of registered dietitians, dietetic technicians contribute by gathering patient information, preparing and serving meals according to dietary plans, and providing basic nutrition education under the guidance of dietitians.
Both dietitians and dietetic technicians can help people make impactful and sustainable changes to their lifestyles that allow them to stay off prescription medications and live happier and healthier lives!
To become a dietitian, you must start with a high school diploma. After that, here are your next steps:
To become a dietetic technician, you must also begin with a high school diploma. Here’s what to do next:
Dietitians and dietetic technicians each require a unique set of skills tailored to their roles.
For Dietitians:
For Dietetic Technicians:
Both roles require dedication to continuous learning and professional development to stay abreast of the latest in nutrition science and healthcare practices. By fostering these skills, dietitians and dietetic technicians significantly contribute to the health and well-being of their patients, promoting healthier lifestyles and nutritional understanding.
Dietitians and dietetic technicians can choose from various work settings, hours, and locations. They are needed in all 50 states and cities large and small! Some dietitians can even work remotely from the comfort of their own homes. Some common dietitian work settings are:
Some dietitians even open up their own private dietary practices or consulting businesses. Dietitians and dietetic technicians tend to enjoy traditional working hours, but evening or weekend hours may be needed depending on your work settings.
People need the expertise and recommendations of a professional dietitian for a wide range of reasons. Here are some of the most common cases you will see as a dietitian:
The dietary counseling you do will vary drastically depending on the environment in which you choose to work. Outpatient dietitians and dietetic technicians tend to focus on a wide range of education and lifestyle modifications. In contrast, hospital dietitians and dietetic technicians provide nutritional therapy recommendations to premature infants and patients of all ages recovering from surgery, burns, trauma, or other critical or life-threatening conditions.
While it is not necessary to have a master’s degree to become a dietitian or advance within the field, many choose to obtain a master’s to broaden their options. Here are some options:
Dietitian technicians have plenty of opportunities for advancement, too! Many dietitians begin their careers and gain valuable work experience as technicians before continuing their education to become dietitians. Dietitian technicians can also train new technicians, become lead technicians, specialize in a specific area, and supervise other dietetic technicians.
To become a dietitian, you need either a bachelor’s or master’s degree from an accredited program. After that, you must take and pass the national CDR exam to begin using the titles of RD or RDN. Additional state licensure may be required depending on where you wish to practice.
Dietetic technicians must complete an accredited NDTR program, which often includes an associate degree. Following that, you must take and pass the national NDTR exam to begin working as a dietetic technician.
For most dietitian and dietetic technician jobs, you must also achieve and maintain your Basic Life Support (BLS) CPR certification.
After obtaining their RD or RDN credential, dietitians can specialize further and become board-certified in a specific dietary and nutrition practice area. Here are some additional certification options available through the Commission on Dietetic Registration or CDR:
Board Certification in Advanced Practice
Board Certified Specialist in Sports Dietetics
Board Certified Specialist in Pediatric Nutrition
Board Certified Specialist in Obesity and Weight Management