Dietitians and Nutritionists
Under the title Dietitians and Nutritionists, workers plan and conduct food service or nutritional programs to assist in the promotion of health and control of disease. O*NET rates it as extensive preparation, which usually means graduate school and often five years or more of related experience. It leans on speaking, social perceptiveness, and reading comprehension. The job can ask you to assess nutritional needs, diet restrictions, and current health plans to develop and implement dietary-care plans and provide nutritional counseling. Interest ratings put Social on top at 5.5 out of 7 and Investigative second, so the code is SIE and the day leans toward helping, teaching or caring for people. If you want helping, teaching or caring for people, keep it on your list. If you need creative work with room for original expression, it may feel thin.
What they do
Plan and conduct food service or nutritional programs to assist in the promotion of health and control of disease. May supervise activities of a department providing quantity food services, counsel individuals, or conduct nutritional research.
Main tasks
- Assess nutritional needs, diet restrictions, and current health plans to develop and implement dietary-care plans and provide nutritional counseling.
- Evaluate laboratory tests in preparing nutrition recommendations.
- Counsel individuals and groups on basic rules of good nutrition, healthy eating habits, and nutrition monitoring to improve their quality of life.
- Advise patients and their families on nutritional principles, dietary plans, diet modifications, and food selection and preparation.
- Incorporate patient cultural, ethnic, or religious preferences and needs in the development of nutrition plans.
- Consult with physicians and health care personnel to determine nutritional needs and diet restrictions of patient or client.
Skills
- Speaking
- Social Perceptiveness
- Reading Comprehension
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Critical Thinking
- Active Listening
Who this career fits
May suit you if
- You get energy from helping other people move forward.
- You enjoy working out why something happens, not just what happened.
- You are prepared for graduate-level study and a long training path.
- You are comfortable relying on speaking and social perceptiveness.
May not suit you if
- You find a full day of dealing with people draining.
- You need creative expression to be a big part of your day. Artistic rates 2.4 out of 7 here.
- You want to be working in the field within the next few years.
Interest profile
O*NET rates each occupation from 1 to 7 on six interest types. The code SIE takes the three highest, and Social comes first here.
Preparation
Extensive preparation. Many jobs here need graduate study, and people often spend five years or more building specialist experience.
Most-reported requirement in the O*NET survey: Post-Baccalaureate Certificate. This reflects what workers reported most often and is not a legal minimum. Licensing rules can differ by state or industry, so confirm what applies where you plan to work.
Also called
- Clinical Dietician
- Clinical Dietitian
- Clinical Nutritionist
- Dietitian
- Nutritionist
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This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.