What is Dietetics?

Introduction

            Do you ever wonder what those individuals are called who are masters of all things diet and nutrition? That would be a dietitian my dear. This is the career I am pursuing right now at UC Blue Ash. If I stay on the path I’m on now, I will have my Registered Dietitian (RD) in two years. “A Registered Dietitian (RD) is a trained nutrition professional who has met the strict educational and experiential standards set forth by the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR) of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND)” (nutritionED). RD’s can work in a variety of settings including hospitals, doctors offices, schools/colleges, nursing homes, community facilities, sports teams, and many more. I’m not 100% on where I want to land a dietitian job, but I do have a big heart for the elderly so I am leaning towards working with them somehow. My latest idea is working at the Veterans hospital On a daily basic Dietitians provide helpful information about food and nutrition, assess individual needs, develop meal plans, explain the effects meal plans will have on their health, speak publicly about the importance of nutrition, and finally dietitians are keeping up to date with the latest research on nutrition. I’ve done a lot of research about this career but I still have a ton of questions. Pay is a huge factor when deciding a future career so I would like to know what dietitians start out at and how high they can go. I am a very family oriented person but I do like to explore and do my own thing so location is a huge factor as well. Having good benefits is really important as well because you never know what could happen health wise so it’s nice to be prepared. I want to have enough background information along with job shadow training to have a better idea on if I’ll enjoy my job. What kind of environment/vibes will I be in? Will I be working the typical 9-5? Weekends? How much vacation time will I have starting out and in the future? Are dietitian jobs high demand? Will there always be a need for dietitians? Why are dietitians important in our daily lives? What personality types thrive in the dietetic field? Are there different types of dietitians? Finally, my main question is what work setting do I want to work in? Throughout this essay, I’m excited to answer all these questions and more!

Source 1 (Website)

The first source I have chosen to work with is the recommended bls government website. I hoping to answer most of my questions, leading me to ask more questions about the Dietetic profession. The first question I was able to answer is how much Dietitians get paid on average. “The median annual wage for dietitians and nutritionists was $60,370 in May 2018” (BLS). The lowest earned was around 38,000 and the highest earned was around 84,000. While reading about pay I was able to answer my question about the hours dietitians work. Most dietitians work full time and some weekends to meet with clients. I already talked a little in my introductory paragraph about the different settings dietitians can work in including hospitals, doctors offices, schools/colleges, nursing homes, community facilities, and for sports teams. Within the hospital category, dietitians can work state, local, or private. Dietitians can also work for the government,  outpatient care centers, or even self-employed. Along with job setting, I talked a little about what dietitians do on a daily basis in my introductory paragraph. “Although many dietitians and nutritionists do similar tasks, there are several specialties within the occupations” (BLS). A few types of dietitians include clinical, community, and management dietitians. “Clinical dietitians and clinical nutritionists provide medical nutrition therapy” (BLS). This type of dietitian typically works in a hospital, clinic, or long term care facility. Community dietitians work more with the community’s health needs. “They work in public health clinics, government and nonprofit agencies, health maintenance organizations (HMOs), and other settings” (BLS). Last but not least, management dietitians. “They work in food service settings such as cafeterias, hospitals, prisons, and schools” (BLS). There are many types of dietitians and nutritionists, these are just a few of them. The last question I was able to answer was the job outlook for dietitians. “Employment of dietitians and nutritionists is projected to grow 11 percent from 2018 to 2028, much faster than the average for all occupations” (BLS). The interest of food and nutrition has escalated in the past few years and will only continue to grow. Obesity is a huge issue in the US and can lead to diabetes and heart disease. “The importance of diet in preventing and treating illnesses is now well known. More dietitians and nutritionists will be needed to provide care for people with these conditions” (BLS). Lots of people are interested in the latest and greatest food trends and since dietitians are experts on these trends, they will always be needed. Wow, I have gained so much knowledge just from this one website. Along with gaining knowledge, I’ve been able to develop more questions regarding the dietetic profession.

Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, Dietitians and Nutritionists,
on the Internet at https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/dietitians-and-nutritionists.htm (visited February 06, 2020).

Source 2 (Newspaper)

            As I was searching through UC libraries database source, I couldn’t find an article that answered any of my questions. This lead me to a broad search of dietetics, and also allowed me to ask and answer a new question. The new question I discovered is, why are dietitians important in our daily lives? The answer I found is simple, dietitians have been proven to be an effective part of one’s weight loss. There was a study discussed within this article that was conducted on Medicare patients at a family medicine clinic in North Carolina. “Patients undergoing intensive behavioral therapy for obesity met with a registered dietitian once every week for the first month, and once every other week for the next six months, and then (if the patient lost weight) once a month for an additional six months to discuss challenges and lifestyle changes” (Newstex). The dietitians discussed the health risks to their patients that could take place due to changing their lifestyle and habits. Follow up meetings took place to discuss the patients’ goals and how to achieve them. These patients lost an average of 2.66lbs, and about 1.22lbs per each visit with the dietitian. “This study suggests that the advantages of dietitian-provided intensive behavioral therapy extend beyond weight loss to include associated benefits for Medicare patients” (Newstex). I’m glad I was able to find this article with such an interesting case study. I hoping to find more answers to my questions soon!

Newstex. “Study shows dietitians are an effective part of weight loss”. Newstex Blogs Medical Xpress, February 20, 2020 Thursday. https://advance.lexis.com/api/document?collection=news&id=urn:contentItem:5Y7Y-RRW1-F03R-N3SC-00000-00&context=1516831.

Source 3 (Trade Publication)

            Within this trade publication, I was able to answer the question of how one becomes a dietitian. A registered dietitian must obtain a minimum of a bachelor’s degree, complete a supervised internship of at least 1,200 hours, and pass the Registered Dietitian exam. For me personally, I am on track to obtain my master’s degree. I will be completing my masters within four years through a coordinated health program offered through UC. “After becoming registered dietitian nutritionists, they must complete continuing education in order to maintain their credentials” (Reese). This means Dietitians must stay up to date with the latest health trends and research. “According to the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics (U.S. DOL BLS) (2019), most states require registered dietitian nutritionists to be licensed in order to practice, but the requirements for state licensure and certification vary” (Reese). To receive the credential of “RDN”, Dietitians must secure the certification from either the Commission on Dietetic Registration or the credentialing agency for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. There is an additional certification offered called the Certified Nutrition Specialist. This credential is, “…administered by the Board for Certification of Nutrition Specialists and requires a master’s or doctoral degree; 1,000 hours of supervised experience; and passing an exam” (Reese). As you can see, obtaining and maintaining a career as a dietitian takes a lot of work, time, and dedication. I’m hoping to learn more about this interesting career as we continue our research.

Reese, Susan. “REGISTERED DIETITIAN NUTRITIONIST.” Techniques, vol. 94, no. 8, 2019, pp. 56-57. ProQuest, https://search-proquest-com.proxy.libraries.uc.edu/docview/2309269630?accountid=2909.

Source 4 (Academic Journal)

            While looking for an academic journal, I was unable to find answers to any of my questions. I decided to do a broad search of dietetics and found a journal about a dietitians personality. This led me to think of the question, what personality traits thrive in the field of dietetics? “Personality traits refer to habitual patterns of behavior, thought and emotions, and have been shown to influence health professionals’ career decisions, career development, job satisfaction and retention” (Ball). There are two aspects of personality, temperament traits and character traits. There was a study taken on 346 Australian Dietitians to compare their personality to their career decisions and pathways. “In comparison to the general population, the dietitians displayed average levels of Novelty Seeking; high levels of Harm Avoidance, Reward Dependence, Persistence, Self‐Directedness and Cooperativeness; and low levels of Self‐Transcendence” (Ball). These personality traits are similar to other professionals in the healthcare world. Dietitians must ambitious, reliable, tolerant, empathetic, and avoid risk taking with their patients. I think that I exhibit some of these personality traits, but I still have lots to work on before I become a dietitian!

Ball, L., et al. “A Cross‐sectional Exploration of the Personality Traits of Dietitians.” Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics, vol. 28, no. 5, 2015, pp. 502-509.

Source 5 (Website)

            I was unable to answer a handful of my questions due to them being more personal and dependent on what job setting I end up in. I came up with a new question, are there different types of dietitians? I discovered 5 different types. “Clinical dietitians provide medical nutrition therapy for patients in institutions such as hospitals and nursing care facilities” (Dietitian). They tend to interact with doctors and other health care professors to meet the patients dietary and medical needs. Some clinical dietitians only work with critically ill or morbidly obese patients. The next type are community dietitians and they’re job is to prevent disease and promote health to various groups in the community. “Dietitians in this practice area may work in settings such as public health clinics, fitness centers, corporate wellness programs or home health agencies” (Dietitian). Corporate dietitians would be the next type. These type of dietitians work in food manufacturing, advertising, and marketing. “In these areas, dietitians analyze foods, prepare literature for distribution, or report on issues such as the nutritional content of recipes, dietary fiber or vitamin supplements” (Dietitian). The next type of dietitians would be management dietitians and they do exactly what you think, manage. They, “…oversee large-scale meal planning and preparation in health care facilities, company cafeterias, prisons and schools” (Dietitian). They hire and train other dietitians and food service workers, budget for food/supplies, and write reports. Last but not least, consultant dietitians. They either work at a health care facility or for themselves. This type has more one on one action with the client. “Some work for wellness programs, sports teams, supermarkets and other nutrition-related businesses” (Dietitian). They use their expertise in food safety and menu development with the help of food service managers. This pretty much sums what the five types of dietitians are and how they are similar and different based on their duties and work settings.

“Dietitian Nutritionist.” ExploreHealthCareers.org, explorehealthcareers.org/career/nutrition-dietetics/dietitian-nutritionist/.

Conclusion

            I really enjoyed writing this paper and learning more about my future profession. If I were to give advice to others in the dietetic field, I would tell them that it’s incredibly important to network with other health care professionals. This will set you apart and put you ahead of the game. I would also tell them that becoming a Registered Dietitian takes a lot of hard work and effort. The courses can get pretty tough but I urge you to keep pushing through because it will all be worth it in the long run. Dietetics involves taking lots of different science courses, so be prepared for that. You also want to get involved, volunteer, job shadow, anything you can do to gain experience. Lastly, if you don’t know exactly what type of dietitian you want to be or what setting you’d like to work in, don’t worry! There are so many different paths you can take, so just do your research, job shadow, talk to other dietitians, and you’ll figure it out soon enough! Some of the challenges I faced writing this essay were answering all of my questions. Part of the reason was due to the limited number of sources we were able to use. I also had trouble finding answers within the trade publication, academic journal, and newspaper sources. My unanswered questions were more personal and dependent upon what work setting/company I end up at. Overall, this was a fun and fairly easy essay to write and I would definitely do it again!

Works Cited

Ball, L., et al. “A Cross‐sectional Exploration of the Personality Traits of Dietitians.” Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics, vol. 28, no. 5, 2015, pp. 502-509.

“Dietitians and Nutritionists : Occupational Outlook Handbook.” U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 4 Sept. 2019, www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/dietitians-and-nutritionists.htm.

“Dietitian Nutritionist.” ExploreHealthCareers.org, explorehealthcareers.org/career/nutrition-dietetics/dietitian-nutritionist/.

Newstex. “Study shows dietitians are an effective part of weight loss”. Newstex Blogs Medical Xpress, February 20, 2020 Thursday. https://advance.lexis.com/api/document?collection=news&id=urn:contentItem:5Y7Y-RRW1-F03R-N3SC-00000-00&context=1516831.

Reese, Susan. “REGISTERED DIETITIAN NUTRITIONIST.” Techniques, vol. 94, no. 8, 2019, pp. 56-57. ProQuest, https://search-proquest-com.proxy.libraries.uc.edu/docview/2309269630?accountid=2909.

“Registered Dietitian Career Overview.” Registered Dietitian Job Description – Salary, www.nutritioned.org/registered-dietitian.html.