Dietitian vs Nutritionist

I find that many people are not very aware of dietetics in general, and often have questions about what I do and how I got here. So I thought I'd break it down to make it easier to understand.

Dietitians

First of all, dietitian is a term that is regulated by law. To become a dietitian (also known as a registered dietitian or RD), one must complete a bachelor's degree at an accredited institution, and then go on for an accredited internship. The internship process is very competitive, with about a 50% acceptance rate. Out of all the students who complete their bachelor's degree and are eligible to apply to the internships, only half will get a spot. Internships have strict requirements about the hours of supervised practice and the skills that must be learned. Most internships last about a year, sometimes 2 years if they are combined with a master's degree. After completing an internship (if you get one), there is one final step - taking a national registration exam. Since dietitian is a regulated term, you can only use it if you have completed all three of those requirements. 

Dietitians are nutritionists, but they are also much more than that. They have been through rigorous training and have a heavy background in the sciences. They are well-qualified to take scientific information and translate it for the general public. Dietitians can find jobs in many places, doing many different things. Dietetics is generally broken down into three main areas: foodservice, community, and clinical. Some of the many places that a dietitian may work include - hospitals, school foodservice, outpatient clinics, health departments, WIC, nursing homes, grocery stores, corporate wellness, research, and even companies like Monsanto and Kraft Foods. 

Nutritionist

Most people are more familiar with the term nutritionist, probably because it is more common. However, not all nutritionists are created equal. Nutritionist is a term that pretty much anyone can use, because it is not regulated by law. There are some nutritionists that have taken nutrition courses, but these are not regulated and do not have set requirements. Because there is so much confusion between these terms, a new term has been developed to help people realize that dietitians are nutritionists, but nutritionists are not dietitians. Instead of RD (registered dietitian), you may start seeing RDN (registered dietitian nutritionist) more often. These terms essentially mean the same thing and are both regulated by the same laws.