Nutritionist Career
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Nutritionist Job Description
Nutritionists are medical professionals trained to understand the way different foods affect the body. They discover the dietary requirements of patients, and determine the foods they must eat to meet the dietary needs.
Nutritionists encourage healthy and wholesome eating habits in individuals by planning nutrition programs, monitoring preparation and serving of meals, and recommending dietary changes.
They work at various locations, including hospitals, clinics, schools, community centers and non-profit organizations.
Nutritionist Skills/Duties
A nutritionist designs diet plans and menus, evaluates the diet to establish whether they are helping individuals, and advice people to eat healthy foods.
They may focus on preventing and/or treating a particular type of ailment / disorder (cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, diabetic, obesity, thyroid disorders, etc.) or may specialize in a precise type of care (clinical, community, etc.)
They appraise the nutritional requirements, health status and current health plans to create and put into practice dietary care programs.
They consult with other health care professionals to verify nutritional requirements and dietary restrictions of the patient. A nutritionist advises the patients and their families on nutritional principles, diet modifications, menu planning and food selection and cooking.
They also supervise food-service operations to ensure nutritional, dietary, safety, hygiene and quality standards.
They may also co-ordinate recipe development and standardization, and create new menus for independent food-service operations (hospitals, health care centers, factories, etc.).
Developing policies for food-service or nutritional programs to help in health promotion and disease control is an important part of the job. They examine the meals served for conformance with appearance and palatability.
They also develop the curriculum and create visual aids, course outlines, and other materials used for teaching.
They handle food budgets, equipment and supplies. They purchase food in accordance with health and safety guidelines.
They pick, train and manage workers who plan, prepare and serve the meals. Alongside, they manage quantity food-service departments or clinical and community nutrition services.
It is also their duty to plan, perform, and assess nutritional, dietary and epidemiological research. They record the research reports and communicate their research findings.
They design and conduct training programs in nutrition, dietetics and institutional management and administration for health care personnel and the general public.
Nutritionists make recommendations about various public policies, such as, food fortification, nutrition labeling and nutrition standards.
Nutritionist Education and Training
• To become a nutritionist you need a high school diploma or a GED parallel. You must study the following subjects: physics, chemistry, biology, mathematics, health and communication.
• You must earn a 4 year Bachelor's degree; hence, you should appear for SAT or ACT Standardized College Aptitude Examinations.
• Next, you need to acquire a 4 year Bachelor's degree from a University that is recognized by the American Dietetic Association's (ADA) Commission on Accreditation for Dietetics Education.
• Typically, you major in Dietetics, Food and Nutrition, or Food-Service Systems Management. Nutritionists attend 5 years Bachelor's degree courses which consist of classroom training and a directed internship / practice.
• If you wish to carry out research, practice advanced clinical work, or work in the public health sector, you require a Master's degree in addition. They take 2 years to complete.
• Licensing requirements vary from state to state, therefore, you should first understand your state's licensing requirement, and certification / registration requirement, to know precisely what kind of training and education is mandatory.
• To preserve the certification, you must complete a 75 continuing education credits every 5 years.
Nutritionist Job Outlook
As is the case with other health care professionals, the job outlook for nutritionists looks very good.
Nutritionists may become health specialists, counselors, department directors, researchers, food and nutrition professors, researchers or sales representatives for food and/or drug companies.
Nutritionist Salary
Nutritionists earn between $29,000 and $69,000 per year, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The salary greatly depends on their experience, location and employers.
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