How to Become a Dietitian: A Step-by-Step Guide

How to Become a Dietitian – Overview

A healthy lifestyle leads to a healthy and disease-free life. And it starts with a healthy diet—we are what we eat! Most people have adopted a modern lifestyle full of busy schedules, fast food, no workouts, etc. You must adopt a healthy lifestyle by eating proper, nutrition-rich foods and looking after your health.

A dietitian is a profession that helps people live healthy lives. How do you become a dietitian? Let’s find out!

What is a Dietitian?

How to Become a Dietitian – What Is a Dietitian

A dietitian is an expert who looks after the nutritional value of human beings. They are responsible for regulating the number of nutrients in the human body. They advise people about their diet and help them lose weight, balance diabetes, improve their overall health, etc.

According to a recent survey, dietetics offers good career opportunities. Employment in this field is expected to increase by 10% in the coming years. If you are interested in dietetics, this guide will help you learn about this career.

How Does a Dietitian Work?

A dietitian is a registered professional who is an expert in food and nutrition. They help patients manage their diseases and live healthy lives. A dietitian prepares a diet chart based on the patient’s health status. To improve one’s lifestyle, one must follow the diet chart suggested by the dietitian.

Not just diseased people but everyday people also consult dietitians to achieve their health goals. Yes, a registered dietitian certainly helps achieve your health goal. We invite life-threatening diseases by not following a proper diet. When we approach a dietitian, he will guide us about our daily diet.

In the US, registered dietitians are a nationally recognized profession. They are certified by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Registered dietitians are expert professionals who better understand the nutritional values of different types of foods. After getting the certifications and registration, they can start practicing.

How to Become a Dietitian?

Dietitians can work independently or under the hospital, depending on their years of practice. A trained dietitian runs his clinic to counsel patients about diet and nutrition. Before you know about the work area, let’s see how you can become a certified dietitian!

Completing these five steps, which are crucial to earning certification, can lead to becoming a certified dietitian.

How to Become a Dietitian in 5 Steps

Step 1: Bachelor’s Degree

You must complete your education and earn a bachelor’s degree in one of the following fields.

Foods and Nutrition
Dietetics
Public health nutrition
Clinical Nutrition

Students need to learn about the nutritional facts and values of food items from different groups, as well as about food service systems, how modern life affects overall health, and so on. The programs one chooses to earn a bachelor’s degree must be accredited by a government-affiliated organization.

Step 2: Internship

Like any other degree, you must first complete an internship in your field. This will help you understand how fieldwork works in real life. The clinical experience makes you a complete dietitian, as you will meet real people, follow their diets, help them follow proper diets, and more.

A student must complete an internship of 1200 hours under the supervision of a professional and certified dietitian. Every student needs to complete this internship program to earn their license.

Step 3: Registration Process

To become a registered dietitian, one has to complete the registration examination. The registration examination is administered by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Commission. The exam contains 125 to 145 questions based on the dietetics fields, which cover food service systems, management of nutrition programs, basics of nutrition care, dietetic principles, etc.

Step 4: Apply for a State License

Each state follows a different procedure. Even if you have passed the registration examination, you must obtain a state license from the registered department to get a job in the field. The Commission of Dietetic Registration oversees this process, providing and passing a state license to a registered dietitian who has completed and passed the Registration Examination.

Step 5: Final Certification

You can start your fieldwork after obtaining a state license. A completely registered dietitian requires a certification from the Board for Certification of Nutrition Specialists. A candidate must earn certification from this board to become a certified dietitian specialist.

The final certification process requires completing a bachelor’s degree, at least 1,000 hours of internship under a professional dietitian, and completing the final certification examination.

Where do Dietitians Work

Each dietitian’s area of specialty is different. Dietitians are certified professionals who help patients follow a healthy diet program. Depending on their degree of experience, dietitians can work in other fields.

Certified dietitians can initially work in hospitals, counsel independent individuals, set up clinics, partner with schools and universities, work with organizations, and collaborate with big enterprises to help their employees live healthy lives.

Do I have to Complete the Advanced Degree?

To become a Certified Nutrition Specialist, you must obtain a Master’s or Doctoral Degree in the same field. The need for an advanced degree is based on the employer’s needs. Most employers hire dietitians without the Cerfieid Nutrition Specialist tag, which requires a Master’s Degree.

A certified nutrition specialist can run an independent clinic. The value of a Certified Nutrition Specialist is higher than that of normal dietitians who have just completed their Bachelor’s Degree.

The Bottom Line:

The requirements in the dietitian’s field are increasing day by day. Job security in this field is higher than in others, as it depends on your area of interest. If you have a caring nature and want to help others, this field gives you money and peace of mind.

Dietitians are made to improve the lives of others. They also earn blessings from their patients, not just money.