Dietitians

Career summary

Dietitians may also be called nutritionists.

#from 8136 checked 3/18/19 lh

Dietitians assess patients’ and clients’ health and diet needs. They explain nutritional issues and develop meal plans. For example, they might help a patient who has high blood pressure learn how to cook with less salt. They take into consideration costs and clients' preferences. Dietitians evaluate the effects of meal plans and make changes as needed.

Dietitians may specialize in the following areas:

Management dietitians

Management dietitians are in charge of meal planning in large settings such as cafeterias, hospitals, and food corporations. They hire, train, and supervise new workers. Their administrative duties include planning menus, preparing budgets, and purchasing food and supplies. Management dietitians check that all safety and cleanliness rules are followed. They also keep records and prepare reports.

Clinical dietitians

Clinical dietitians work in hospitals and nursing homes. They are in charge of providing foods based on the health needs of patients. Dietitians consult with doctors and other health care workers. They develop group nutritional plans as well as individualized diet plans.

Community dietitians

Community dietitians educate the public on food and nutrition. They teach classes about maintaining good health and preventing disease from a nutritional point of view. Other classes are designed for the elderly, children, or people with special needs. Community dietitians work in public health clinics, home health agencies, and health maintenance organizations (HMOs). Sometimes they work with individual clients.

Related careers

This career is part of the Health Science cluster of careers.

Related careers include:

• Adult and Vocational Education Teachers
• Dietetic Technicians
• Farm and Home Management Advisors
• Medical Scientists
• Naturopathic Physicians
• Public Health Educators
• Speech Pathologists and Audiologists
• University and College Teachers

Military careers

• Dietitians

Job duties

Task list

The following list of tasks is specific to dietitians.

• Talk to doctors or health care workers about patients. Find out the patients' nutrition needs and dietary limits.
• Develop diets for patients based on their nutritional information and health.
• Teach patients and their families about nutrition, diet, and food selection.
• Prepare budgets and purchase food, equipment, and supplies. Prepare records and reports.
• Hire and train new workers. Supervise workers who plan, prepare, and serve meals.
• Inspect meals prepared in restaurants, hospitals, or nursing homes. Check that meals are providing the correct nutrients. Also check the flavor and appearance of the food.
• Purchase food that follows health and safety regulations.
• Manage food service departments or public nutrition services.
• Consult with food service managers about proper sanitation, recipe development, menu planning, and budgeting.
• Teach classes about diet, nutrition, and food service management. Plan, organize, and prepare materials for the classes.
• Write grant proposals to request funding for research or programs.
• Plan and conduct research projects about diet and nutrition. Analyze findings and write reports about results. Make recommendations based on research.
• Test new recipes, food products, and equipment.

Common work activities

Dietitians perform the following tasks. These tasks are common to many careers.

• Get information needed to do the job
• Establish and maintain relationships
• Communicate with supervisors, peers, or subordinates
• Update and use job-related knowledge
• Perform for or work with the public
• Explain the meaning of information to others
• Assist and care for others
• Make decisions and solve problems
• Teach others
• Document and record information
• Organize, plan, and prioritize work
• Identify objects, actions, and events
• Use computers
• Provide advice and consultation to others
• Communicate with people outside the organization
• Monitor events, materials, and surroundings
• Coach others
• Analyze data or information
• Coordinate the work and activities of others
• Evaluate information against standards
• Resolve conflicts and negotiate with others
• Develop and build teams
• Guide, direct, and motivate others
• Process information
• Convince others to buy goods or change their minds or actions
• Perform administrative tasks
• Schedule work and activities
• Develop goals and strategies
• Think creatively
• Monitor and control resources
• Judge the value of objects, services, or people
• Recruit, interview, or hire others

Work requirements

Working conditions

In a typical work setting, dietitians:

Interpersonal relationships

• Have a moderately high level of social contact. They work with patients, clients, doctors, nurses, and other health care workers.
• Work as part of a health care team.
• Have face-to-face discussions with people daily.
• Write letters and memos monthly.
• Use the telephone often to schedule appointments and get information.
• Are on occasion placed in conflict situations in which others may be rude or angry.
• Are somewhat responsible for the health and safety of other people.
• Are somewhat responsible for the work done by others.

Physical work conditions

• Mostly work indoors.
• Are often exposed to the diseases and infections of clients.
• Work somewhat close to other people, such as when sharing office space.
• Sometimes wear protective gear, such as surgical gloves.

Work performance

• Must fully complete and be exact in their work. This is to protect the health of their patients.
• Meet strict deadlines every week.
• Repeat the same physical and mental tasks.
• Rarely consult a supervisor before making a decision.
• Rarely consult a supervisor before setting tasks and goals.
• Make decisions that strongly impact their patients.

Hours/travel

• May work full time or part time.
• Work Monday through Friday. However, nutritionists at hospitals or nursing homes may work weekends.

Physical demands

Dietitians frequently:

• Sit for long periods of time.

It is important for dietitians to be able to:

• Speak clearly so listeners can understand.
• Understand the speech of another person.
• See details of objects that are less than a few feet away.

It is not as important, but still necessary, for dietitians to be able to:

• See details of objects that are more than a few feet away.
• See differences between colors, shades, and brightness.
• Focus on one source of sound and ignore others.
• Use fingers to grasp, move, or assemble very small objects.
• Hear sounds and recognize the difference between them.

Skills and abilities

Dietitians need to:

Communicate

• Read and understand work-related materials.
• Speak clearly so listeners can understand.
• Listen to others and ask questions.
• Write clearly so other people can understand.
• Understand spoken information.
• Understand written information.

Reason and problem solve

• Notice when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong.
• Analyze ideas and use logic to determine their strengths and weaknesses.
• Use reasoning to discover answers to problems.
• Follow guidelines to arrange objects or actions in a certain order.
• Develop rules that group items in various ways.
• Judge the costs and benefits of a possible action.
• Think of original, unusual, or creative ways to solve problems.
• Recognize the nature of a problem.
• Combine several pieces of information and draw conclusions.
• Understand new information or materials by studying and working with them.
• Recognize when important changes happen or are likely to happen in a system.
• Think of new ideas about a topic.
• Identify what must be changed to reach goals.
• Concentrate and not be distracted while performing a task.

Use math and science

• Use scientific methods to solve problems.
• Add, subtract, multiply, and divide quickly and correctly.

Manage oneself, people, time, and things

• Check how well one is learning or doing something.
• Motivate, develop, and direct people as they work.
• Manage the time of self and others.

Work with people

• Change behavior in relation to others' actions.
• Teach others how to do something.
• Be aware of others' reactions and understand the possible causes.
• Use several methods to learn or teach new things.
• Look for ways to help people.
• Persuade others to approach things differently.
• Solve problems by bringing others together to discuss differences.

Work with things

• Analyze needs and requirements when designing products.

Education and training

Educational programs

The programs of study listed below will help you prepare for the occupation or career cluster you are exploring.

Programs of study directly related to this occupation

• Dietetics
• Food, Nutrition, and Wellness Studies

Other programs of study to consider

• Pre-Health Services

Training

To work as a dietitian, you typically need to:

• have a high school diploma or equivalent;
• have at least a bachelor's degree;
• complete an internship; and
• pass an exam to become a registered dietitian.

Education after high school

Dietitians need at least a bachelor's degree. Common areas of study are dietetics, foods and nutrition, or food services management. In these programs, you study foods, nutrition, and food service. You also learn about biology, physiology, and chemistry.

On-the-job training

To be a registered dietitian, you must complete a supervised internship. If you work full time, an internship lasts six to 12 months. It takes longer if you work part time. In an internship, you work at a health care facility, an agency, or a food service company. An experienced dietitian supervises your work.

Military training

The military provides internships for dietitians. However, it does not provide the initial training to become a dietitian.

Helpful high school courses

In high school, take classes that prepare you for college. A college preparatory curriculum  may be different from your state's graduation requirements .

You should also consider taking some advanced courses in high school. This includes Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) courses if they are available in your school. If you do well in these courses, you may receive college credit for them. Advanced courses can also strengthen your college application.

Helpful electives to take in high school that prepare you for this career include:

• Communications
• Computer Applications
• Family and Consumer Sciences
• Food and Nutrition
• Food Service
• Health Education

The courses listed above are meant to help you create your high school plan. If you have not already done so, talk to a school counselor or parent about the courses you are considering taking.

You should also check with a teacher or counselor to see if work-based learning opportunities are available in your school and community. These might include field trips, job shadowing, internships, and actual work experience. The goal of these activities is to help you connect your school experiences with real-life work.

Join some groups, try some hobbies, or volunteer with an organization that interests you. By participating in activities you can have fun, make new friends, and learn about yourself. Maybe one of them will help direct you to a future career. Here are examples of activities and groups  that may be available in your high school or community.

Things to know

Employers look for applicants that have strong communication skills and work well with others. Forty-six states require that dietitians be licensed, certified, or registered. In these states, employers can hire only dietitians with the proper state credentials.

Tips

Job shadow before and during training to expose yourself to different positions within the field. The quality as well as the level of education is important. Take graduate-level courses if possible. Knowledge of a second language and experience working with diverse populations is helpful. Valuable experience can be gained through jobs in summer camps, resorts, hospitals, or other food service institutions. Find a dietitian who will serve as a mentor to you.

Costs to workers

Many dietitians join professional associations and pay annual dues. Other expenses include reference books and continuing education to keep up with changes in the field, and an examination application fee for those who choose to become registered with the Commission on Dietetic Registration.

Licensing/certification

Employers require dietitians to have either a bachelor's or master's degree with courses in foods and nutrition or institutional management. Most look for applicants who have earned the title, Registered Dietitian from the Commission on Dietetic Registration.

Registration applicants must:

• have a bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited university or college;
• meet minimum dietetic academic program requirements;
• complete an approved internship or pre-professional practice program;
• pass an examination;
• comply with Professional Development Portfolio recertification requirements; and
• complete 50 hours of continuing education every five years.

For more information, contact:

Commission on Dietetic Registration 
120 South Riverside Plaza, Suite 2190
Chicago, IL 60606-6995
312.899.0040, ext. 5500

#Checked info above & removed info on associate degree ok for RD as doesn't appear to be the case now. Verified CDR contact info. 3/4/14/ & 3/26/18 cj

In Washington, dietitians who wish to use the title "certified dietician" are required to receive state certification. Requirements include:

• being at least 18 years old;
• completion of a major course of study in nutrition at the bachelor's level from an accredited college or university;
• 900 hours supervised pre-professional experience;
• passing the Commission on Dietetic Registration exam; and
• four clock hours HIV/AIDS education.

Certified nutritionists must meet the following requirements:

• having all the requirements for certified dietitians;
• a master's or doctorate degree in dietetics; and
• four-clock hours HIV/AIDS education.

The application fee is $81 and the annual renewal fee is $61.

For more information, contact:

Washington State Department of Health
Dietitian/Nutritionist Program 
PO Box 47877
Olympia, WA 98504
360.236.4700

#Updated  urls 3/18/19 lh

Job listings

Listed below are links to job categories from the National Labor Exchange that relate to this career. Once you get a list of jobs, you can view information about individual jobs and find out how to apply. If your job search finds too many openings, or if you wish to search for jobs outside of Washington, you will need to refine your search.

• Dietitians and Nutritionists 

To get a listing of current jobs from the WorkSource system, go to the WorkSource website .

Wages

Wages vary by the dietitian's years of practice and educational level. The area of the country and the size of the community also affect wages.

Dietitians who work full time generally receive benefits. Common benefits are sick leave, vacation time, and health insurance. 

Employment and outlook

Washington outlook

The table below provides information about the number of workers in this career in various regions. It also provides information about the expected growth rate and future job openings.

National employment

Major employers:

• Hospitals
• Nursing homes
• Outpatient care centers
• Doctors' offices

National outlook

The need for dietitians is expected to increase since people are paying more attention to their eating habits. In addition, the growing population of elderly people will create more demand. Hospitals, home health agencies, and other groups that work with the elderly will all need dietitians. Job openings will also result from replacing workers who leave the field.

Job prospects are best for people with advanced degrees and certifications.

Other resources

Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics 

American Society for Nutrition 
9211 Corporate Boulevard, Suite 300
Rockville, MD 20850
240.428.3650

Association of Nutrition & Foodservice Professionals 
406 Surrey Woods Drive
St. Charles, IL 60174
800.323.1908
630.587.6336

Becoming an RDN or DTR (from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics) 

Career Planner 
(from the Association of Nutrition & Foodservice Professionals)

Foodservice Consultants Society International 

Institute of Food Technologists 
525 West Van Buren, Suite 1000
Chicago, IL 60607
312.782.8424

National Restaurant Association 
2055 L Street NW, Suite 700
Washington, DC 20036
800.424.5156
202.331.5900

Nutrition.gov 

Washington State Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics 
PO Box 46998
Seattle, WA 98146
206.935.5104

References

Career cluster

• Health Science

Career path

• Investigative (Science)

O*Net  occupation

• Dietitians and Nutritionists (29-1031.00) 

O*Net job zone 

• Job Zone 5 - Extensive preparation needed. Extensive skill, knowledge, and experience are needed for these occupations. Many require more than five years of experience.

DOT occupations

• Community Dietitian (077.127-010) 
• Dietitian, Chief (077.117-010) 
• Dietitian, Clinical (077.127-014) 
• Dietitian, Consultant (077.127-018) 
• Dietitian, Research (077.061-010) 
• Dietitian, Teaching (077.127-022) 

Strong Interest Inventory

• Dietitian

Holland occupational cluster

• Investigative/Social/Enterprising

COPSystem

• Service Professional