What Can Dietitians Do: A to Z

30 Job Ideas for RDs from A to Z

Dietitians do a lot! The specific role of a dietitian is tied to what area they practice in. If you want even more information about RDs, check out "where dietitians work" and "what do dietitians do?".

Since I love a list, here are just some of the specialty areas RDs can work in and some of the different places dietitians can work . . . from A to Z!

• A = Administration, Academia
• B = Business owner (private practice), Blogger
• C = Consultation, Corporate Wellness, Clinical RD (aka hospital RD)
• D = Disease prevention and treatment (think malnutrition, overweight, kidney disease, heart disease)
• E = Enteral nutrition expert (Example: Tube feedings)
• F = Fellow of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (FAND)
• G = Geriatrics, General Pediatricians Office
• H = Health care
• I  = Intensive Care Units (ICU)
• J = Jails and other institutions
• K = Kitchen management (or food service)
• L = Label-reading educator
• M = Media relations (Example: news, radio, television, magazines)
• N = Nutrition consultations (Examples: individual counseling, restaurants, etc)
• O = Outpatient RD, Oncology (cancer) RD
• P = Pediatrics
• Q = Quality Assurance (Example: food service, airlines, food manufacturers)
• R = Recipe development (Example: restaurants, cookbooks)
• S = Supermarket RD (grocery tours, healthy eating on a budget, etc), Sports nutrition (Examples: college or professional sports teams, Olympic athletes. You can earn your CSSD a specialty degree for Certified Specialists in Sports Dietetics).
• T = Teacher (Examples: collegiate, masters, doctorate, or preceptor for dietetic interns)
• U = USDA RD (Examples: agriculture, school breakfast program, school lunch program)
• V = Vegetarian or vegan counseling (Example: protein complementing, adequate micronutrient intake)
• W = Weight management counseling, Wellness or health coach
• X = Examine patient for nutritional issues (ex: tricep skin fold measurements, Subjective Global Assessment, etc.)
• Y = Your personal nutrition coach (ex: weight management, triathlon training, Olympic training, etc.)
• Z = Zoology (Examples: veterinary nutrition, develop and analyze pet foods)

These are only some of the examples of where dietitians can work and watch dietitians can do. Do you work as a RD in another area? Please leave additional job opportunity ideas  in the comment section below.

For more recipes, encouragement, and tips for healthy eating, follow me on Pinterest, Instagram, and Twitter. 

Five Things You Should Know About Becoming a RD

I had the pleasure of meeting with an undergraduate nutrition student, aka a RD to be. I love teaching and mentoring! I wish I could sit down with each of you to hear about your journey and help you navigate life as a RD. This was a great opportunity for me to remember what it was like to be a student pursuing an unknown career. 

Do you remember what it's like to be a student? I remember putting a lot of work and effort into studying and preparing to be a RD. I also wondered if my career choice would be a good fit for me. So, here are some of the questions she asked me about being a RD. I thought you might have some of the same questions too.

What kind of Dietetic Internship should I pursue?
There are many different types of dietetic internships. My advice is to determine the top 3-5 areas of dietetics that you are interested in pursuing. Then, find an internship that has those areas. There are internships that focus on clinical (hospital) practice, pediatrics, geriatrics, or food service. All dietetic internships will have a small component of each sub-specialty of nutrition. You need all the experience and knowledge to prepare and pass the RD exam.
Here is even more information about applying for your dietetic internship and how to be a successful dietetic intern.


Should I obtain my Masters Degree?
Yes. I am a strong proponent for obtaining your Masters Degree. Also, a Masters Degree will be required to be eligible to take the RD exam in 2024. 
You can pursue different degrees that are applicable to your practice as a RD. You may choose to pursue of Masters of Science (MS) if you practice as a clinical RD or professor. You can earn a Masters of Business Administration (MBA) if you plan to open your own practice. You can earn a Masters of Arts in Counseling (MA) if you plan to do a lot of counseling with your patients. You can also earn a Masters of Public Health (MPH) if you plan to work in weight management or like the policies that can improve the public's health.


What does a typical day look like as a RD?
I will answer this question in a separate post because I have worked in a variety of areas as a RD. I am an outpatient (think doctor's office) RD, an adjunct professor, a consultant (think freelance) RD, and I have been a clinical (hospital) RD. My days looked a little different with each of my roles as a RD.

Other RDtips:

• Pursue volunteer experiences.
• You get to learn more about being a RD. Find out what fits you best and what areas are not a good fit.
• Pursue what you enjoy!
• There are a variety of jobs that you can work in as a RD. Here's my list of RD jobs from A to Z.
• Never stop learning.
• RDs and other health care professionals are required to complete Continuing Education Units (CPUs) to maintain your state and national license and credentialing. I think continual learning is impressive to those in a nutrition-related profession. Nutritional science is a relatively new science, when compared to astronomy, geology, and traditional medicine. It is vital to keep up with new information about nutrition and how it relates to your practice. So, never stop learning.

Do you want to be a RD? Stay tuned as I give you a look at the variety of areas you can work in as a RD. If you have questions, comment below or ask on Instagram or Twitter. You can also follow me on  on Pinterest, 

If you enjoyed this post, you might enjoy:

5 Steps to Becoming a RD

Finding Your Niche as a RD

Being a Collegiate Professor Roundup

There are many job opportunities in the field of nutrition and dietetics. We recently finished a series on being a collegiate professor. Thank you for your questions and interest in this series. In case you missed anything, here is a round up of the series.

Check out an update on the courses I will be teaching in the Fall in Being a College Professor.

Check out the basis of what I teach as an undergraduate nutrition professor in Being a College Professor: 10 Basic Principles of Nutrition.

Do you want to know why I became a RD and college professor?

Do you want to know how I became a RD and college nutrition professor?

If you have any additional questions, feel free to ask them in the comments below, on Instagram, or Twitter. I would love to hear your questions about being a RD, being a college professor, or any nutrition-related questions. Also, feel free to leave any tips or tricks you've learned about being a great mentor or teacher. #NeverStopLearning

How I became a RD and College Nutrition Professor

Being A College Professor

Since my last posts about being a college professor and why I became a college professor,  many of you have asked questions about how to become a collegiate professor, what does it look like be an online professor? How do I come up with coursework? These were the same questions that I had when I started teaching. So, I'll address some of these topics today and in future posts, since you had questions. So, stay tuned.

I have always loved teaching, and I knew I wanted to teach eventually. But, I took a slightly different approach to becoming a teacher. I became a registered dietitian (RD) first. To become a RD, you must complete an undergraduate degree with prerequisites for entrance into a dietetic internship. You apply and match to an internship program. Once you complete your dietetic internship, you are eligible to take the RD exam. . Once you pass the RD exam, you can practices as a dietitian. 

Master of Science
After I passed my RD exam, I began working as a clinical RD. I worked full-time at a pediatric hospital and worked to complete my my Master of Science (MS) part time. 

I earned 12 graduate level credits during my dietetic internship. I was fortunate enough to find a Dietetic and Nutrition MS program that was mostly online. Having online courses was great for me since I was working full-time, I am self-motivated, and I had a good base understanding of the subject matter from my undergraduate degree. Also, it provided me with personal experience taking online courses as a student. This has been very valuable since I'm now on the "other side" teaching online courses. 

My MS degree did require some face-to-face classes, which I enjoyed. It was nice to have classes with people. I love meeting new people, so this was a nice change of pace from the online courses.

CSP or specialty certification

I earned a specialty degree in pediatric nutrition. I did this because I am a clinical pediatric RD, but I was offered the Lifecycle Nutrition course because of this degree. The Lifecycle Nutrition course is the only course I had as an undergraduate student that had a pediatric portion. So, it never hurts to specialize. And, keep learning.

Sending out your resume
When I decided to pursue teaching as an RD, I sent out resumes to local universities, community colleges, dietetic internship programs, and cooking schools. All of these institutions provide courses on food, nutrition, health, and food safety, which an RD can teach. I met several people through this, but ultimately there were no jobs available.

Networking
I actually got my first job through networking. I reached out to my dietetic internship program director to see if she knew of any jobs in her institution or at another institution. There were none at the time. But, she gave my contact information to a Undergraduate Director

Volunteering
If you are interested in teaching or any other aspect of being a RD, I would recommend volunteering. It may take some time and effort to find a RD that has the time to have a volunteer, but it will be worth it! Also, some dietetic internships have "alternate" or "staffing" weeks where you can request to shadow a RD in a specific setting. Take advantage of this opportunity and explore some different job opportunities for RDs.

I now have the pleasure of teaching several online courses, Basic Human Nutrition and a Lifecycle Nutrition. So, wish me luck as I work to finish reading 19 chapters of Lifecycle Nutrition. 

Are you a college teacher? Do you have any advice for those wishing to become professors? Do you have any questions about becoming a RD or professor? 
If so, comment below with your questions or advice about being a RD or professor.

For more recipes, encouragement, and tips for healthy eating, follow me on Pinterest, Instagram, and Twitter.

Why I Became a RD and College Professor

Being A College Professor

Since my last post about being a college professor, many of you have asked questions about how to become a collegiate professors, what does it look like be an online professor, and how do I come up with coursework. These were the same questions that I had when I started teaching. So, I'll address these topic in a few different posts. So, stay tuned.

I have always loved teaching. Most of the people in my family are teachers. I enjoyed school  and wanted to be an elementary or science teacher for most of my life. This was until my 12th grade English teacher (Hey Mrs. Malone!) had us do a project to prep us for college. She had us compare at least 2 professions. We had to look at the schooling required, collegiate coursework, areas of employment, rate of growth of the profession, and of course salary. While most of these things were comparable for teachers and dietitians, I like the idea of more 1:1 teaching, the variety of RD (registered dietitian) workplaces, and the flexibility of being a RD (read part-time, PRN, or as-needed employment).

I also knew I wanted to teach college eventually. But, I wanted to have a few years of clinical practice under my belt before teaching. Practicing as a RD before becoming a teacher was also encouraged by many of my mentors. 

Also, one of my favorite undergraduate teachers, Brandi Milioto, took this path. Brandi practiced as a RD before teaching college courses. I really enjoyed her classes because she is a fantastic teacher, great mentor, and she had real-life examples to add to the textbook information. I remember always being engaged in her classes and her real-life medical nutrition therapy (MNT) examples added so much to the lectures. (Don't worry; no HIPPA-protected information was shared.)

I have the pleasure of teaching a Lifecycle Nutrition class next Fall and Spring for undergraduate dietetics and nutrition students. I am so excited for this opportunity! It is the only course that includes pediatric nutrition. Since I also practice as a pediatric RD and have my CSP (Certified Specialist in Pediatric Nutrition), I am so excited to share what I've learned about pediatric nutrition. So, wish me luck as I work to finish reading 19 chapters of Lifecycle Nutrition. 

For more recipes, encouragement, and tips for healthy eating, follow me on Pinterest, Instagram, and Twitter.

Being a College Professor: 10 Basic Principles of Nutrition

10 Basic Principles of the Science of Human Nutrition
These are the 10 basic principles of the science behind human nutrition. As a RD, this is what I work to promote. I hope to increase the public's knowledge and awareness of these basic principles along with a healthy view of nutrition, body image, and health. I couldn't have said these any better. 

"1. Food is a basic need of humans

2. Foods provide energy (calories or kcal), nutrients, and other substances needed for growth and health.

3. Health problems related to nutrition originate within cells

4. Poor nutrition can result from both inadequate and excessive levels of nutrient intake

5. Humans have adaptive mechanisms for managing fluctuations in food intake.

6. Malnutrition can result from poor diets and from disease states, genetic factors, or combinations of these causes.

7. Some groups of people are at higher risk of becoming inadequately nourished than others. Poor nutrition can influence the development of certain chronic diseases.

8. Adequacy, variety, and balance are key characteristics of a healthy diet.

9. There are no “good” or “bad” foods."

Quoted from:
Brown JE. Nutrition Through the Life Cycle. Stamford: Cengage Learning; 2014.

For more recipes, encouragement, and tips for healthy eating, follow me on Pinterest, Instagram, and Twitter.

Being a College Professor

I hope many of you are enjoying wrapping up school or enjoying summer vacation. You may remember that I am a college professor. So, the end of the school year is actual a busy time for me. After grades are posted, I start working on next semester's classes. 

I have the pleasure of teaching a Lifecycle Nutrition class next Fall and Spring for undergraduate dietetics and nutrition students. I am so excited for this opportunity! It is the only course that includes pediatric nutrition. Since I also practice as a pediatric Registered Dietitian and have my CSP (Certified Specialist in Pediatric Nutrition), I am so excited to share what I've learned about pediatric nutrition from our textbook along with real world examples (without disclosing any HIPPA information). I am also excited to have the same group of students for 2 semesters; I hope the feeling will be mutual for the students :)

So, wish me luck as I dive into 19 chapters of Lifecycle Nutrition. 

For more recipes, encouragement, and tips for healthy eating, follow me on Pinterest, Instagram, and Twitter.