Dietitian or Dietician

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dietitian ordietician (dietitian is the correct spelling within the dietetics profession) is an expertin food and nutrition. Dietitians help promote good health through proper eating. They supervise

the preparation and service of food, develop modified diets, participate in research, and educateindividuals and groups on good nutritional habits. In a medical setting, a dietitian may provide

specific artificial nutritional needs to patients unable to consume food normally. Dietary

modification to address medical issues involving dietary intake is also a major part of dietetics.The goals of the dietary department are to provide medical nutritional intervention, obtain,prepare, and serve flavorsome, attractive, and nutritious food to patients, family members, and

health care providers.

In many countries only people who have specified educational credentials can call themselves"dietitians" the title is legally protected. The term "nutritionist" is also widely used; however,

the term nutritionist is notregulated as dietitian is and is not an accurate term to give to adietitian. People may call themselves nutritionists without the educational and professional

requirements of registered dietitians. A nutritionist is not a dietitian, as a dietitian is registered toa national board and accredited and a nutritionist is neither.

Different professional terms are used in different countries. Dietitians are valuable members of

the medical multi-disciplinary team providing nutritional knowledge and acting as consultants toother health care professionals.

Types of dietitians

The majority of dietitians are clinical, ortherapeutic, dietitians. Clinical dietitians review

medical charts and talk with patients' families. They work with other health care professionalsand community groups to provide nourishment, nutritional programs and instructional

presentations to benefit people of all ages, and with a variety of health conditions. This is

accomplished by developing individual plans to meet nutritional needs. These plans includenourishment, tube feedings (called enteral nutrition), intravenous feedings (called parenteralnutrition) such as total parenteral nutrition (TPN) or peripheral parenteral nutrition (PPN), diets,

and education. Clinical dietitians provide individual and group educational programs for patientsand family members about their nutrition and health.

[edit] Dietitians in practice

[edit] Clinical dietitians

Clinical dietitians work in hospitals and other health care facilities to provide nutrition therapy topatients according to the disease processes, provide individual dietary consultations to patients

and their family members and also conduct group educations for other health workers, patientsand the public. They coordinate both medical records and nutritional needs to assess the patients

and make a plan based on their findings. Some clinical dietitians have dual responsibilities withmedical nutrition therapy and in foodservice, described below. In addition, clinical dietitians in

smaller facilities will also provide or create outpatient education programs. They work as a teamwith thephysicians,physician assistants,physical therapists, occupational therapists,


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pharmacists, speech therapists, social workers, nurses, Dietetic Technicians, and Volunteers toprovide care to thepatients.

[edit] Community dietitians

Community dietitians work with wellness programs and international health organizations. Thesedietitians apply and distribute knowledge about food and nutrition to specific life-styles andgeographic areas. They coordinate nutritional programs in public health agencies, daycare

centers, health clubs, and recreational camps and resorts. Some community dietitians carry outclinical based patient care in the form of home visits for patients who are too physically ill to

attend consultation in health facilities.

[edit] Foodservice dietitians

Foodservice dietitians or managers are responsible for large-scale food planning and service.They coordinate, assess and plan foodservice processes in health care facilities, school food

service programs,prisons, cafeterias and restaurants. These dietitians will also perform audits oftheir departments, train other food service workers and use marketing skills to launch new menus

and various programs within their institution. They direct and manage the operational andnutrition services staffs such as kitchen staffs, delivery staffs and dietary assistants or diet aides.

[edit] Gerontological dietitians

Gerontological dietitians are specialist in nutrition and aging. They are Board certified inGerontological Nutrition with the American Dietetic Association. They work in government

agencies in aging policy, and in a regulatory capacity in the oversight of nursing homes andcommunity-based care facilities. They work as Consultants in Nursing Homes, and in higher

education in the field of Gerontology (the study of Aging.)

[edit] Pediatric dietitians

Pediatric dietitians provide health advice for persons under the age of 18.

[edit] Research dietitians

Research dietitians are mostly involved with dietary related research in the clinical aspect ofnutrition in disease states, public aspect on primary, secondary and sometimes tertiary health

prevention and foodservice aspect in issues involving the food prepared for patients. Many

registered dietitians also work with the biochemical aspects of nutrient interaction within thebody. Research Dietitians normally work in a hospital or university research facilities. It shouldbe noted that some Clinical dietitian's roles also involve research other than the normal clinical

workload. Quality improvement in dietetics services is also one area of research.

[edit] Administrative dietitians


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The Administrator, manager, ordirectorof a dietetics department or nutrition services programacts as head of the dietitians. They also hire, train, direct and supervise employees and manage

dietary departments. Administrative dietitians may also apply procedure and policy as part oftheir management job.

[edit] Business dietitians

Business dietitians serve as resource people for the media. Dietitians' expertise in nutrition is

often taped for TV, radio, and newspaperseither as an expert guest opinion, regular columnistor guest, or for resource, restaurant, or recipe development and critique. Dietitians have served as

show hosts on major television stations and as drive-time radio news anchors. Dietitians writebooks, appear on television cooking channels, and author corporate newsletters on nutrition and

wellness. They also work as sales representatives for food manufacturing companies that providenutritional supplements and tube feeding supplies.

[edit] Consultant dietitians

Consultant dietitians work underprivate practice. The title 'consultant' in this case should not be

confused with the identical title given to certain medical doctors in countries such as the UnitedKingdom and Ireland. The term consultant in this instance is synonymous with the title attending

as used in countries such as the United States. Consultant dietitians contract independently toprovide nutrition services and educational programs to individuals, nursing homes, and in health

care facilities. As recent studies have shown the importance of diet in both preventing andmanaging disease, many US states have moved towards covering medical nutrition therapy under

the Medicaid/Medicare making consulting a much more lucrative option for dietitians due toinsurance reimbursement.

[edit] Other nutrition workers

These designations applyprincipally to the USalthough the genericclassifications are likely tobe applicable elsewhere.

[edit] Registered Dietetic Technicians

Dietetic Technicians, Registered (DTR), also commonly known as "Diet Techs", possess aspecialized Associate Degree from Community College programs which are accredited by the

Commission on Accreditation of Dietetics Education (CADE) of the American DieteticAssociation. In many settings they work alongside Registered Dietitians, and like Registered

Dietitians, they have in-depth knowledge of nutrition. They must complete a dietetic internshipwith a minimum of 450 supervised practice hours in the areas of Food Service Theory and

Management, Community Dietetics, and Clinical Dietetics. They must also complete a nationalregistration examination administered by the Commission on Dietetics Registration (CDR) of the

ADA. Although the DTR is an independently credentialed nutrition practitioner, whenperforming clinical dietetics, they must work under the supervision of a Registered Dietitian. In

addition, some states have current legislation specifying the scope of practice for the DTR.


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Effective June 1, 2009, a new pathway to becoming a Registered Dietetic Technician has beenmade available by the Commission on Dietetic Registration. Students may take the DTR

licensing examination without attending an internship after completion of a Baccalaureate degreegranted by a US regionally accredited college/university, or foreign equivalent, and completion

of a Commission on Accreditation of Dietetics Education (CADE) Didactic Program in Dietetics

(DPD) or Coordinated Program in Dietetics (CP).

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[edit] Dietetic Technicians (Unregistered)

Dietetic Technicians are not required to be registered and have the same job duties as DTRs.

Many employers do not require their Dietetic Technicians (DT) to be registered. DieteticTechnicians are nutrition professionals that may have a significant range in education level. The

minimum requirement for a DT is obtaining an AAS degree in Human Nutrition from anaccredited college. Many DTs have a Bachelors or even Masters Degree in Human Nutrition.

Some working DTs are awaiting entry into dietetic internship programs on their career path tobecome dietitians, benefiting from valuable work experience as Diet Techs.

[edit] Dietary assistants or dietary aides

Are responsible for assisting and carrying out the medical nutrition therapy prescribed by the

Dietitians and to ensure that food for the patients as instructed by the Dietitians are carried outcorrectly by checking menus against recent diet orders before tray assembly begins and being

physically present in the kitchen plating-lines at meal hours. Dietary aides in some countriesmight also carry out a simple initial health screening for newly admitted patients and only inform

the Dietitians if any screened patients requires a dietitian's expertise for further assessments orinterventions.

[edit] Dietary clerks

Dietaryclerks perform clerical tasks such as entry and maintenance of dietary requirements to adatabase. They also track financial information, such as the number of meals served each day.

[edit] Dietary managers

Dietary managers are responsible forretail, catering and tray lines. If an operation is large, there

may be one or more managers to help in directing the dietary workers.

[edit] Dietary workers

Dietary workers prepare the food and meal trays in the kitchen. They check for accuracy andcompleteness. They also maintain the storage area for food supplies and ensure practice of

sanitary procedures. Dietary workers are trained on the job and can work in any commercialkitchen.

[edit] Dietary hosts


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Dietary hosts orhostesses deliver and bring back the meal trays to patients. They distribute andcollect menus and help the pat ients to make complete selections.

[edit] Required qualifications and professional associations

A dietitian's education in health science involves significant scientific based knowledge inanatomy, chemistry,biochemistry,biology,physiology, nutrition, and medical science. In

addition to this scientific instruction, dietitians must undergo an internship to learn counselingskills and aspects ofpsychology.

There are a few different academic routes to becoming a fully qualified registrable dietitian:

y A professionalbachelor degree in Dietetics which requires four years of studiesor

y A bachelor of science degree and apostgraduatediploma in Dieteticsor

y A bachelor of science degree and a master's degree in DieteticsInternship is also essential to become a fully qualified Dietitian. The internship process differ in

different countries.

What is the Difference Between a Dietitian and a Nutritionist?

y The title "Registered Dietitian", "Professional Dietitian", and "Dietitian" are protected by law --through provincial legislation -- so that only qualified practitioners who have met education

qualifications can use that title.

y Dietitians who have met national standards for education and training and who are members ofthe provincial regulatory bodies can use one of the following designations -- RD, PDt or RDt (or

the French equivalent Dt.P.).

y A dietitian is a health professional who has a Bachelor's degree, specializing in foods andnutrition, as well as a period of practical training in a hospital or community setting. Many

dietitians further their knowledge by pursuing a Master's or Doctoral degree.

y Dietitians are members of a provincially regulated profession that has Public Protection as theirmandate. Dietitians are held accountable for their conduct and the care they provide.

y The term Nutritionist is not protected by law in all provinces so people with different levels oftraining and knowledge can all themselves a "Nutritionist". The title "Nutritionist" is protected

for Dietitians in some provinces and dietitians do use the title "nutritionists". As the term

"nutritionist' is not a protected title in some provinces, you should contact your provincial

regulatory body to ensure that you are receiving services from a dietitian.


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y A variety of titles have been used by unqualified people to describe their involvement innutrition related practice. Many use the term "registered" with a variation of "nutrition" as a

title. You should be careful to ensure that the person is a qualified nutrition professional. If you

are seeking the services of a consulting dietitian, use the Find a Dietitian database on the DC

public web site to obtain a list of private practice Dietitians in your area.

y Typically dietitians working in a hospital or health care institution will have a job title that usesthe term "dietitian" and will focus on clinical care of the patient or manage the food service.

Dietitians working in community settings will typically have a job title that uses "nutritionist"

and focus on healthy eating and wellness at various stages of the lifecycle.

y y Study biology, chemistry, mathematics, home economics and health in high school.y y 2y Ask your guidance counselor for a list of colleges in your geographical area that offer

bachelor's degrees in dietetics, food and nutrition, or food service systems management.There are 235 programs approved by the Commission on Accreditation/Approval for

Dietetics Education (CAADE) of the American Dietetics Association (ADA).

y y 3y Send for college catalogs and applications. Compare their programs, including the

required supervised practice experience, an integral part of the degree work. Dependingon the school, you can either combine academic and supervised practice experience in a

four-year program or complete 900 hours of supervised practice experience in an ADA-accredited internship.

y y 4y Be prepared to take courses in nutrition, biology, microbiology, psychology, sociology,

mathematics, institutional management and computer science.

y y 5y Polish your writing skills.y y 6y

Take a certification exam to become credentialed as a registered dietitian after youcomplete your bachelor's degree and the supervised practice experience. If you pass theexam, the Commission on Dietetic Registration of the ADA will grant you the credential,which most dietitians in medical and health care settings are required to have.

y y 7y Get a master's degree if you want to work in research, an advanced clinical position or

public health. You can do this part-time while you are working.y

Read more: How to Become a Dietitian | eHow.com

http://www.ehow.com/how_7989_become-dietitian.html#ixzz13CjTEobQ

yThankyou foryour time. First off, what made you decide to become a Dietitian, and

when did you make this decision?

y


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y

y

y I first developed an interest in healthy eating when I was in high school. I used to gothrough my mother's recipes and figure out how many calories were in each ingredient

and then determine how many calories were in each serving. I also read many health

magazines and sought out ways to eat healthy without dieting.

y What do you feel is the most common misconception about nutrition in today's society?The most common misconception is that carbohydrates are bad for you. It doesn't matter where

the calorie comes from, whether it's a fat, protein or carbohydrate, it all boils down to this:Excessive calorie intake will lead to weight gain.

Queen Margaret University

University of Nottingham

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Dietitian or Dietician