Role and Responsibilities of a Dietitian
- Identifying and treating disease-related malnutrition
- Conducting medical nutrition therapy
- Designing enteral tube feeding regimens
- Mitigating the effects of cancer cachexia
- Working in hospitals and seeing specific patients
- Assessing patients' medical and surgical history for treatment plans
- Providing nutrition therapy and dietary consultations
- Collaborating with other healthcare professionals
- Engaging in outpatient education programs
- Providing nutrition advice and support for older adults
- Developing and implementing treatment plans for children with eating disorders
- Addressing conditions where a child's diet factors into the equation
- Providing individualized medical nutrition therapy for premature newborns
- Overseeing management of infection prevention in nutritional products
- Working closely with doctors, schools, clinics, and hospitals
- Focus on early nutritional needs and childhood obesity prevention
- Focus on social sciences or health services research
- Investigating the impact of health policies and behavior change
- Evaluating program effectiveness and guiding quality improvement
- Studying biochemical aspects of nutrient interaction within the body
- Working in hospitals, clinics, and nursing facilities
- Working with individuals and groups in the community
Education and Training of Dietitians
- Meeting special academic and professional requirements
- Completing a degree in nutrition and dietetics
- Undertaking internships or clinical placements
- Holding graduate degrees and certifications in specialized fields
- Obtaining a 4-year integrated undergraduate degree in Dietetics (with proof of internship training)
- Obtaining an integrated postgraduate degree or master's degree in Dietetics (with proof of internship training)
- Obtaining a Postgraduate Diploma (with proof of internship training)
- Being regulated under the Allied Health Professional Act in Malaysia
- Registering with the Malaysian Allied Health Professionals Council
- Being registered with the Health Professions Council of South Africa
- Having a recognized bachelor's degree in dietetics or nutrition
- Being registered with the Health and Care Professions Council in the United Kingdom
Work Settings of Dietitians
- Working in hospitals, health organizations, and private practices
- Providing medical nutrition therapy as part of medical teams
- Working in community and public health settings
- Contributing to academia and research
- Engaging in non-traditional dietetics settings, such as the food industry
- Working in facilities such as hospitals, nursing homes, and schools
- Working in nursing homes, aged care agencies, and government agencies
- Working in higher education in the field of gerontology
- Working in various foodservice settings
- Assisting in planning, implementing, and monitoring nutritional programs
- Assisting in maintaining nutritional care for patients and groups
- Preparing dietary information for kitchen personnel
- Supervising the production and distribution of meals
- Assisting in patient tray services in healthcare settings
Spelling and Terminology of Dietitians
- The spelling with -tian is an irregular alteration of -cian
- The spelling with -tian is preferred internationally
- The spelling with -cian is considered a valid variant
- American dictionaries list the spelling with -t first
- British dictionaries list the spelling with -c first
- Titles of nutrition personnel vary across countries and jurisdictions
- In some countries, the title nutritionist is unregulated
- Specific titles may vary across employment settings
- Anyone may claim to be a nutritionist in some countries
- Designations of nutrition personnel are general
Dietitians in Different Countries
- Hospital dietetic services began in Malaysia in 1953
- Dietetics services began in university hospitals in Malaysia in 1965
- Dietetics services began in private hospitals in Malaysia in 1982
- The first dietetics program in Malaysia started in 1988
- There are eight universities in Malaysia offering dietetics programs
- Dietitians in South Africa must be registered with the Health Professions Council of South Africa
- There is a high demand for dietitians in South Africa due to the HIV/AIDS epidemic
- Dietetics is a low-profession in most other African countries
- Dietitians in the United Kingdom must be registered with the Health and Care Professions Council
- Education requirements include a BSc in dietetics or an approved postgraduate qualification
- Dietitians in the UK work for the National Health Service
A dietitian, medical dietitian, or dietician is an expert in identifying and treating disease-related malnutrition and in conducting medical nutrition therapy, for example designing an enteral tube feeding regimen or mitigating the effects of cancer cachexia. Many dietitians work in hospitals and usually see specific patients where a nutritional assessment and intervention has been requested by a doctor or nurse, for example if a patient has lost their ability to swallow or requires artificial nutrition due to intestinal failure. Dietitians are regulated healthcare professionals licensed to assess, diagnose, and treat such problems. In the United Kingdom, dietitian is a 'protected title', meaning identifying yourself as a dietitian without appropriate education and registration is prohibited by law.
| Focus | Diet, human nutrition |
|---|---|
| Significant diseases | Malnutrition |
| Specialist | Registered dietitian (RD) |
A registered dietitian (RD) (UK/USA) or registered dietitian nutritionist (RDN) (USA) meets all of a set of special academic and professional requirements, including the completion of a bachelor's and/or master's degree in nutrition and dietetics (or equivalent). One or more internships (USA) or clinical placements (UK) must also be completed. These may be allocated and monitored by the university as part of the structured degree programme (UK) or may be applied for separately (USA).
Roughly half of all RD(N)s hold graduate degrees and many have certifications in specialized fields such as nutrition support, sports, paediatrics, renal, oncological, food-allergy, or gerontological nutrition. Although assessment priorities differ depending on the specialist area, a patient's medical and surgical history, biochemistry, diet history, eating and exercise habits usually form the basis of assessment. The RD(N) negotiates a treatment plan with the patient which may include prescriptions, and follow-up visits often focus on maintenance and monitoring progress.
Most RDs work in the treatment and prevention of disease (administering medical nutrition therapy, as part of medical teams), often in hospitals, health-maintenance organizations, private practices, or other health-care facilities. In addition, many registered dietitians work in community and public-health settings, and/or in academia and research. A growing number of dietitians work in the food industry, journalism, sports nutrition, corporate wellness programs, and other non-traditional dietetics settings.[citation needed]
