Certification for Nutritionists & Dietitians

Nutrionists guide with food selection for achieving greater health.

Nutritionists and dietitians develop nutrition programs, oversee food preparation, and supervise the way food is served. They aim at promoting health by controlling the type of food their clients ingest. They operate in schools, hospitals and food service organizations. This profession can be divided into several specializations. Clinical dietitians work in hospitals, community dietitians serve the needs of groups or private clients, and management dietitians supervise the kitchens of large institutions such as schools, companies or prisons. Consultants also operate in this field and tend to work in organizations focused on weight loss and cholesterol reduction.

Education

Nutritionists and dietitians have at least a bachelor's degree in dietetics, food service systems management or other food-related programs. Employers prefer students who graduated from one of the 279 bachelor's degree programs accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Dietetics Education (CADE). This commission also recognizes 18 master's degree programs that provide supervisory or specialized education for the nutrition management of conditions such as pediatric, renal, diabetic or cardiovascular health problems.

State Requirements

A license is mandatory to practice as a nutritionist or dietitianin in 35 states. In 12 other states, professionals who want to use the title of nutritionist or dietitian must obtain statuary certification but can operate without their title in absence of certification. California has the least restrictive requirement and requests a registration. The Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR) provides a central website from which an applicant can identify her state's requirements.

States License, Statuary Certification and Registration

Among the states that call for a license or a certification, requirements vary. Frequently, the state asks for a degree from a CADE-accredited school with a certain number of practice hours. Some require passing a test. The legal consequences may be significant. The license defines a specific scope of work and must be obtained before the person can practice in the field. A person providing nutritional consultation without the license can be prosecuted. The statuary certification allows using the denomination of nutritionist or dietitian. Without certification, a person can practice but without title.

CDR Registered Dietitian Certification

Separate from states' requirements, the Commission on Dietetic Registration of the American Dietetic Association offers to grant the Registered Dietitian title to any professional who graduated from a CADE-accredited program, performed an internship and passed an exam. This RD certification can be maintained with continuation registration.

Employment and Earnings

This profession attracted 60,300 professionals in 2008, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). In excess of 50 percent of nutritionists and dietitians work in hospitals or other medical settings. BLS expects a 9 percent increase in the number of jobs between 2008 and 2018. This organization also reports an annual median wage of $53,220 and top salaries above $74,690 in 2009.

References

• Commission on Accreditation for Dietetics Education: Accredited Programs
• Commission on Dietetic Registration: Laws that Regulate Dietitians and Nutritionists
• Commission on Dietetic Registration: Registered Registration Certification
• BLS: Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2010-11 Edition: Dietitians and ...

Resources

• "The Entrepreneurial Nutritionist"; Kathy King; 2009