Learn About Dietitian, Nutritionists Schools, Training, Jobs, and Careers

What is a Dietitian?
If only we can eat and enjoy all our favorite foods all the time. Unfortunately we can’t. This is primarily due to health reasons. These health reasons limit the things we can put in our body.

Dietitians or nutritionists help us accomplish this, especially when we are in a healthcare facility. Their job is to plan food and nutrition programs to help us prevent disease. In a typical work day, the nutritionist will do things like:

1. Educate people on healthy diet

2. Develop and plan dietary program

3. Supervise the preparation and serving of meal in hospitals, schools, and restaurants

4. Advise doctors, nurses, and other healthcare personnel the patients’ nutritional needs and habits

5. Train food service personnel

6. Develop and teach new trends in dietary therapy

7. Maintain quality control and safety guidelines

8. Teach communities good dietary habits

9. Consult with hospital, school, and restaurant management

10. Prepare reports and budget for hospitals, schools, and restaurants

11. Etc.

The nutritionist plays an important role in the control of diseases like, high blood pressure, diabetes, cholesterol, etc. Physicians have come to know them as important members in the medical assisting field.

How to Become a Dietitian:
To be a dietitian, you need to start off by getting your high school diploma or equivalent. While in high school, study things like physical education, home economics, social studies, and biology to name a few.

You then need to proceed to a four year college to get a bachelor’s degree. You should major in dietetics, food and nutrition, food service management, or nutritional science. Example of courses you will take are:

a. Fundamentals of Dietetic
b. Food Microbiology
c. Food Preparation
d. Introduction to Nutrition
e. Nutrition and Human Development
f. Biochemistry
g. Energy and Nutrients
h. Etc.

After graduation, the dietitian must go through a supervised internship. This internship will last from 6 to 12 months. This is part of your getting certified.

Then after the internship, you can sit for the certification examination. If you pass the exam, you will have the title of Registered Dietitian. It is awarded by the Commission of Dietetic Registration of the American Dietetic Association.

Dietitian Salary:
Nutritionists make excellent salary. The national average pay is $54,000 per year. The salary can go as high as $75,000 per year. This depends on your location, education, and level of responsibility. Usually those that make $75,000 per year are in supervisory position.

Dietitian School:
We have uncovered a good school that offers the dietetics degree program. The school is University of Cincinnati. It offers a bachelors degree in dietetics. You need to check them out. Click this link to go there

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