Nutritionist vs Registered Dietitian – There’s A Difference.
Often group together with a few other designations and postnominals. Dietitian can be a nutritionist, but a nutritionist is not necessarily a dietitian. It can be confusing and too many people group these two together all the time.
The take away: A dietitian is licensed and has to meet specific standards in education and very rigorous supervised training, as well as pass a national licensing exam. Nutritionist… can call themselves a “nutritionist” and currently does not have any regulatory boards or designation for theory or practical hands-on experience.
A registered dietitian (RD) must have at least a bachelor’s degree from an approved academic institution meeting the criteria set by Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, an agency which oversees professional credentials nationally. Upon successfully completing the required coursework — courses in food science and nutrition, biochemistry, physiology, medical nutrition therapy, and several other nutrition based courses. Following this myriad of nutrition and dietetic coursework students must complete 1200 hours of supervised practice from an accredited dietetic internship program. After the completion of the internship, students are eligible to take the registration exam. Upon successfully passing this licensure exam, you can professionally use the post nominal “RD – Registered Dietitian.” In order to keep this professional credentials, RDs must keep current on continuing education requirements, staying current with the newest nutrition findings.
Why I became an RD:
- To have a complete objective approach to my practice
- Allowing my referring Physicians to have confidence in my skill set
- Have the necessary experience in both theory and hands-on training to provide objective methods for my patients.
Disclosure: Farah Tomlin is a licensed RD – Registered Dietitian with a private practice in Newport Beach, CA specializing in Intuitive Eating, Menopause, Survivorship, and Performance Nutrition.
