- Dietitians and nutritionists plan food and nutrition programs, supervise meal preparation, and oversee the serving of meals.
- They prevent and treat illnesses by promoting healthy eating habits and recommending dietary modifications.
- For example, dietitians might teach a patient with high blood pressure how to use less salt when preparing meals, or create a diet reduced in fat and sugar for an overweight patient.
- Dietitians manage food service systems for institutions such as hospitals and schools, promote sound eating habits through education, and conduct research.
- Many dietitians specialize, becoming a clinical dietitian, community dietitian, management dietitian, or consultant.
- Clinical dietitians provide nutritional services to patients in hospitals, nursing care facilities, and other institutions.
- They assess patients' nutritional needs, develop and implement nutrition programs, and evaluate and report the results.
- They also confer with doctors and other healthcare professionals to coordinate medical and nutritional needs.
- Some clinical dietitians specialize in managing the weight of overweight patients or in the care of renal (kidney), diabetic, or critically ill patients.
- In addition, clinical dietitians in nursing care facilities, small hospitals, or correctional facilities may manage the food service department.
- Community dietitians counsel individuals and groups on nutritional practices designed to prevent disease and promote health.
- Working in places such as public health clinics, home health agencies, and health maintenance organizations, community dietitians evaluate individual needs, develop nutritional care plans, and instruct individuals and their families.
- Dietitians working in home health agencies provide instruction on grocery shopping and food preparation to the elderly, children, and individuals with special needs.
- Increased public interest in nutrition has led to job opportunities in food manufacturing, advertising, and marketing.
- In these areas, dietitians analyze foods, prepare literature for distribution, or report on issues such as dietary fiber, vitamin supplements, or the nutritional content of recipes.
- Management dietitians oversee large-scale meal planning and preparation in healthcare facilities, company cafeterias, prisons, and schools.
- They hire, train, and direct other dietitians and food service workers; budget for and purchase food, equipment, and supplies; enforce sanitary and safety regulations; and prepare records and reports.
- Consultant dietitians work under contract with healthcare facilities or in their own private practice.
- They perform nutrition screenings for their clients and offer advice on diet-related concerns such as weight loss and cholesterol reduction.
- Some work for wellness programs, sports teams, supermarkets, and other nutrition-related businesses.
- They may consult with food service managers, providing expertise in sanitation, safety procedures, menu development, budgeting, and planning.
- Applicants with specialized training, or an advanced degree, should enjoy the best job opportunities.
- Job growth will result from an increasing emphasis on disease prevention through improved dietary habits.
- A growing and aging population will boost demand for nutritional counselling and treatment in hospitals, residential care facilities, schools, prisons, community health programs, and home healthcare agencies.
- Public interest in nutrition and increased emphasis on health education and prudent lifestyles also will spur demand, especially in food service management.
- Also, with increased public awareness of obesity and diabetes, Medicare coverage has been expanded to include medical nutrition therapy for renal and diabetic patients, creating job growth for dietitians and nutritionists specializing in those diseases.
- Employment growth, however, may be constrained if some employers substitute other workers, such as health educators, food service managers, and dietetic technicians, to do work related to nutrition.
- Also, demand for nutritional therapy services is related to the ability of patients to pay, either out-of-pocket or through health insurance, and although more insurance plans now cover nutritional therapy services, the extent of such coverage varies among plans.
- Growth may be curbed by limitations on insurance reimbursement for dietetic services.
- Hospitals will continue to employ a large number of dietitians and nutritionists to provide medical nutritional therapy and plan meals.
- But hospitals also will continue to contract with outside agencies for food service and move medical nutritional therapy to outpatient care facilities, slowing job growth in hospitals relative to food service, outpatient facilities, and other employers.
- Finally, the number of dietitian positions in nursing care facilities is expected to decline, as these establishments continue to contract with outside agencies for food services.
- However, employment is expected to grow rapidly in contract providers of food services, in outpatient care centres, and in offices of physicians and other health practitioners.
- Applicants with specialized training, an advanced degree, or certifications should enjoy the best job opportunities.
- Demand for dietitians should be particularly strong in outpatient care facilities, offices of physicians, and food service management.
- Dietitians specializing in renal and diabetic nutrition or gerontological nutrition will benefit from the growing number of diabetics and the aging of the population.
Other workers who may apply the principles of dietetics include Dietetic technicians; Food service managers; Health educators; Registered nurses;
- Bachelor’s Degree in Nutrition
This career information is drawn from data provided by the U.S. Department of Labor.