| Allied Health World Home | Dietitian | |
How to Become a Dietitian
By an allied health world contributing writer
Published: January, 12 2010
Find the right school for you
The most direct steps to become a dietician include:
- Job shadow a variety of dietitians working in the field. Be sure to shadow those in the hospital, community, and food service areas to determine which would be the best fit for you.
- Enroll in a dietitian bachelor’s degree program.
- In your senior year of school apply for the yearlong internship or apply for a master’s degree program. This will entail submitting signed and sealed letters of recommendation and transcripts along with necessary fees.
- Upon completing an internship or the master’s degree program, register for and take the RD board exam.
- After passing the Registered Dietitian exam, submit the appropriate paperwork to become licensed in your state (if available).
- Apply for a job as a registered dietitian.
What kinds of skills do dietitians need to succeed?
Most dietitians are organized and detail oriented. It is important for dietitians to enjoy working with people, and to be compassionate
and sympathetic. Many times patients are ill and a dietitian should want to understand their situation and help them. Being a good motivator is also a positive quality to have in this field because oftentimes patients have a hard time following dietary guidelines. Dietitians must possess both education and counseling skills.
What are good personality traits for a job in this field?
To succeed in this field it is important to be non-judgmental so people respond well to you. Individuals with inquisitive minds who enjoy challenges will also be a good fit since the human body can be complicated. This field involves a lot of science because an understanding of what is happening inside the body as a result of eating certain foods is essential. Having excellent communication skills, both written and orally, are also important in this field. Most dietitians work as a part of a medical team, so being an effective communicator is important so each individual knows the patient’s status. Written communication is also important since dietitians must keep documentation of everything that takes place with a patient. Having patience is also important because typically patients don’t get better immediately. Also, individuals don’t always follow the plan a dietitian outlines the first or even second or third time around. Trying to continue to help them when they keep falling off the wagon can be difficult, but essential.What advice would you give someone who wants to become a dietitian?
If you are someone who is interested in a career as a dietitian, it is helpful to spend some time job shadowing and interviewing people who have been practicing in this field for a number of years. Job shadow them for a day to see the ins and outs of this job. It is also helpful to gain related experience even before beginning a degree program. For instance, working in food service can provide useful experience.What are the main benefits of a career in this field?
For people who want to work with other people, who enjoy educating, and who like the health care field in general, this may be the profession for them. This can be a challenging profession since not every patient is the same. If there are ten people in the hospital needing to see dietitians, chances are all ten will have a different set of dietary needs. It is also very interesting to learn something new almost daily from working with such a wide variety of patients. It can be like solving a mystery to work with patients with unique needs. It can also be rewarding to see patients following the plan you’ve outlined for them and become excited that it is effective and their health has improved.It is also rewarding to help people live healthier lives. Cardiovascular disease and cancer are the big killers of Americans today and a lot of this can be prevented with the proper diet. The more that is prevented the less that has to be treated later on; and sometimes treatment is too late.
In addition to the intrinsic rewards, dietitians typically have a great schedule and are paid well. As our society continues to have a higher number of obese individuals, the need for dietitians continues.
