Dietitian or Nutritionist

Overview and Key Facts

What Do They Do?

A dietitian or nutritionist could...

Overview Listen to this section

Ever wondered who plans the school lunch, food for patients at a hospital, or the meals for athletes at the Olympics? The answer is dietitians and nutritionists! A dietitian or nutritionist's job is to supervise the planning and preparation of meals to ensure that people—like students, patients, and athletes—are getting the right foods to make them as healthy and as strong as possible. Some dietitians and nutritionists also work to educate people about good food choices so they can cook and eat their own healthy meals.

Do You Have the Skills and Characteristics of a Dietitian or Nutritionist?

1. Reading Comprehension: ? Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
2. Active Listening: ? Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
3. Monitoring: ? Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
4. Speaking: ? Talking to others to convey information effectively.
5. Critical Thinking: ? Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.

6. Coordination: ? Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
7. Social Perceptiveness: ? Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
8. Writing: ? Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
9. Learning Strategies: ? Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
10. Instructing: ? Teaching others how to do something.

Core Tasks

Think about if you'd like the typical tasks a Dietitian or Nutritionist might do:

• Monitor food service operations to ensure conformance to nutritional, safety, sanitation and quality standards.
• Assess nutritional needs, diet restrictions and current health plans to develop and implement dietary-care plans and provide nutritional counseling.
• Advise patients and their families on nutritional principles, dietary plans, diet modifications, and food selection and preparation.
• Counsel individuals and groups on basic rules of good nutrition, healthy eating habits, and nutrition monitoring to improve their quality of life.
• Consult with physicians and health care personnel to determine nutritional needs and diet restrictions of patient or client.
• Plan, conduct, and evaluate dietary, nutritional, and epidemiological research.
• Write research reports and other publications to document and communicate research findings.
• Manage quantity food service departments or clinical and community nutrition services.
• Purchase food in accordance with health and safety codes.
• Coordinate diet counseling services.
• Make recommendations regarding public policy, such as nutrition labeling, food fortification, or nutrition standards for school programs.
• Inspect meals served for conformance to prescribed diets and standards of palatability and appearance.
• Select, train, and supervise workers who plan, prepare, and serve meals.
• Organize, develop, analyze, test, and prepare special meals, such as low-fat, low-cholesterol, or chemical-free meals.
• Prepare and administer budgets for food, equipment, and supplies.
• Plan and prepare grant proposals to request program funding.
• Develop curriculum and prepare manuals, visual aids, course outlines, and other materials used in teaching.
• Advise food service managers and organizations on sanitation, safety procedures, menu development, budgeting, and planning to assist with establishment, operation, and evaluation of food service facilities and nutrition programs.
• Plan and conduct training programs in dietetics, nutrition, and institutional management and administration for medical students, health-care personnel, and the general public.
• Develop policies for food service or nutritional programs to assist in health promotion and disease control.
• Coordinate recipe development and standardization and develop new menus for independent food service operations.