The Registered Dietitian’s Scope of Practice

A nutritionist is anyone who is interested in applying the science of nutrition to the food chosen by a consumer. The nutritionist may be an individual who has read widely on the subject of nutrition but has no academic preparation, or a nutritionist may be a PhD biochemist who is conducting research on the role of vitamin D in the elderly. The definition of a nutritionist is not standardized and may be subject to many misinterpretations. The registered dietitian is a nutritionist who has graduated from an accredited educational program in nutrition and passed a quality examination assuring competence in the field.

Registered dietitians serve in diverse practice areas. These include:

Participating as a member of the health-care team in a health-care setting.
Meeting the nutritional needs of groups of people in the community setting. The Women, Infant, and Children (WIC) Program of the US Department of Agriculture hires many registered dietitians to train low-income women in food selection, meal planning, and infant feeding.
Serving as the manager of a food production center for school food services and overseeing multi-million dollar budgets to provide the highest quality and most nutritious food possible to school children.
Managing a private practice of nutrition where your entrepreneurial skills are put to the test.
Teaching in one or all of the areas discussed above.

The scope of practice of the registered dietitian is limited only by your creativity.

Job Outlook

Employment of dietitians is expected to grow faster than the average for all occupations through 2014 as a result of increasing emphasis on disease prevention through improved dietary habits. A growing and aging population will boost the demand for meals and nutritional counseling in hospitals, residential care facilities, schools, prisons, community health programs, and home health care agencies. Public interest in nutrition and increased emphasis on health education and prudent lifestyles also will spur demand, especially in management. In addition to employment growth, job openings will result from the need to replace experienced workers who leave the occupation.

The number of dietitian positions in nursing care facilities and in state government hospitals 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 centers, and in offices of physicians and other health practitioners. With increased public awareness of obesity and diabetes, Medicare coverage may be expanded to include medical nutrition therapy for renal and diabetic patients. As a result, dietitians that have specialized training in renal or diabetic diets or have a master’s degree should experience good employment opportunities.

Bureau of Labor Statistics for Dietitians and Nutritionists

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