Dietician Career

Hospital Dieticians

who choose to work in a hospital environment are generally good at working well with others. When patients come, either to long term or outpatient facilities, dietitians consult with doctors, nurses and administrative staff to provide the best nutritional care. Dieticians can prescribe food and nutritional supplements to those who have come in for surgery, illness or injury, as well as assist patients with physical rehabilitation. Hospital dietitians must have a solid understanding of a hospital’s operation structure, as well as the duties of many others working in the same environment.

Public Health/Community Dietician

Public health dietitians work in a variety of public and community settings, many times for either government run agencies or non-governmental agencies (NGOs). Government agencies include the likes of the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), US Department of Health & Human Services (HHS), the US Department of Public Health, state Women, Infant & Children Programs (WIC) and the Centers For Disease Control (CDC). Typical NGO’s and public agencies include the American Dietetic Association, Community nutrition clinics, schools districts, food banks, the US Dairy Council, farmers market organizations and numerous other state nutrition organizations.

Food Service Administration/Management

Those involved in food service administrations work in a variety of settings including restaurants, spas and resorts, heath clubs, food processing corporations, hospitals, public and private schools, prisons, rehabilitation clinics, and nursing facilities. Food service dietitians are in charge of the design, monitoring and organizing large scale preparation and service of food and beverages throughout these types of settings, to a wide variety of people. Many times there are multiple areas of focus related to the specific needs of those being served. The health of these people is in the hands of the monitoring dietitians.

Weight Loss Clinics/Bariatric Clinics

Working with doctors, nurses, physical and mental therapists and fitness experts, dietitians working in weight loss clinics recommend specific diets and nutritional supplements that meet the specific needs of each patient. Often times the dietitians working in weight loss clinics have advanced degrees in nutrition and dietetics, as the aspects of the job require a thorough knowledge of the physiology and practice methods concerning weight loss and weight loss patients.

Retail Food Industry

The demand for dietitians within the corporate world has grown significantly over the past decade. As retail food corporations begin to acknowledge that the public is increasingly demanding healthier foods, the role of dietitians within these corporations has grown significantly. Moreover, there are dietitians working on both sides of this industry. Either with the corporations themselves, such as food industry giants Kellogg, Kraft, Nabisco, Frito Lay, General Mills, Tyson, Heinz and Post. Areas of employment for dietitians within these companies can range from research and development, quality control and new product marketing to advertising and business development.

Alternatively, many dieticians choose to work in many of the monitoring agencies such as the FDA, USDA and various consumer advocacy groups, to ensure that our corporations are providing safe products.

Education & Research

With an advanced degree in dietetics and nutrition, many dieticians choose to pursue a career in research or education. Many times these professions will go together, as many professors of nutrition and dietetics will often teach while they are carrying out their research. Many also work in hospitals, clinics and research institutes, yet the vast majority of dietetic researchers work in academia, whether it be a university, college or high school. A research or teaching position usually requires an advanced degree in nutrition or dietetics, such as a masters or PhD.

Dietetic Consulting

Those who choose to join or open a private practice are usually professionals with at least 3 to 5 years experience, often times more. A private practice creates a quality of life that is better than other areas of dietetics as they can work as much or as little as they’d like. Private consultants can also choose the types of patients they would like to see, and they are thus able to specialize in whatever areas of dietetics and nutrition that they would like.