What Are Some Skills Needed to Be a Nutrition Consultant?
Nutrition consultants provide people with advice about proper eating habits. Thirty three states require nutritionists to be licensed and 46 states have laws governing their work, reports the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The median salary for nutrition consultants was $52,150, according to 2009 BLS data. A bachelor's degree is typically required to work in this field. Skills needed to work in this field are obtained through education and additional hands-on training.
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Communication Skills
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A nutrition consultant's primary job is to listen to his clients so that he can determine what the client's dietary goals are and provide instructions on how to meet those goals. Nutrition consultants need to use active listening skills by asking the right questions to elicit responses that can help the consultant shape the nutrition plan. The instruction that nutritionists provide clients should be clear, concise and broken down into language that the client can easily understand.
Problem Solving
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Nutrition consultants must take the information they receive from clients and create a plan of action. Consultants generally attempt to meet a client's specific need. For instance, some clients may need to lose weight, while others may need to lower cholesterol levels. Nutritionists use problem solving skills to develop the right course of action.
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Technological Skills
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Nutrition consultants have access to large amounts of nutrition information through the Internet. Having this information available makes their job easier, but it can also complicate things because nutritionists must sort through competing opinions on proper nutritional care. Nutrition consultants should be able to search data and research using analytical and scientific software programs such as Axxya Systems Nutritionist Pro, Compu-Cal Nutrition Assistant and PICS DietMate Professional. Nutrition consultants should be familiar with medical software such as BioEx Systems Nutrition Maker Plus and databases such as CyberSoft NutriBase.
Management and Administration Skills
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Nutrition consultants need administration and management skills. Some may serve as supervisors over other nutritionists and others are self-employed consultants who must manage their own businesses. Nutrition consultants need to allocate resources and coordinate other's activities. This requires some basic knowledge of human resources and strategic planning. It also requires leadership skills.
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References
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