Thinking about a career in dietetics? Let’s talk about how to make your career something you’ll love for a long time.
Thinking about a career in dietetics? Start here.
It’s hard work to become a dietitian. And most RDs you speak to will likely talk about the time, energy, and passion needed to drive this career.
But no matter how hard you work to both become a dietitian and do the work as an RD. There are always some things that can make your work easier. While other things that might make life harder. And a lot of unexpected realities that will mold most dietitians’ career paths.
Let’s look at each one.
What makes a career in dietetics good?
What’s the best part of having a career in dietetics? There’s a lot of great answers. And being a dietitian will likely mean something completely different to every RD you speak to.
Because it’s such a lengthy and difficult process of entry, most people don’t get into dietetics. That is, unless they have a passion for the work. And that means many dietitians are strongly connected to the work they do.
There are a couple of things that most dietitians can agree make this profession special.
- The ability to do work you’re passionate about
- Diversity in work opportunities
- Flexibility to change and grow
Unlimited work opportunities
Whatever the reason you decide to become an RD, you’ll be able to find a niche that combines your passions with your new skills as a nutrition professional.
For some, it’s being able to work in healthcare without directly managing life and death situations. For others, it’s being able to give patients the kind of support that will help them make specific and intentional improvements to their health with significant lifestyle changes.
And for others, it’s knowing there’s no limit to the kind of work they can do from working in a clinical care center to teaching graduate-level courses to running their own business.
For many RDs, these are just some of the things that drive us into the profession in the first place.
But it’s the diversity of opportunities that is one of the more rare and valuable parts of a career in nutrition.
Career diversity
Things like patient-centered clinical nutrition, running a non-profit nutrition program, and working in a school as a teacher. Or managing the cafeteria, working in the government supporting older adults in senior centers, and organizing nutrition education opportunities at rehab centers. Are all included in the kinds of potential jobs you can find as a registered dietitian.
No matter your passion or your personal focus. There’s a good chance that you can combine it with a career in nutrition.
Interested in quantitative analytics? That can be folded into nutrition through healthcare administration, pharmaceutical or insurance work, and supporting small RD business owners better interpret their company data.
Love working with kids who have special needs? Find your place in the non-profit world doing nutrition education programs for parents who struggle with their picky eaters who have developmental challenges.
Miss your days as a D1 athlete? Build your private practice around helping high school kids get a better handle on their nutrition before they get to college.
The flexibility to make changes
And as you grow in your career, there’s always a new opportunities for you to grow and shift with your changing interests.
Unlike many other professions, dietetics permits you to change and adjust your work at any moment without having to justify your change in direction.
Hospital work no longer inspires you? Take the leap into private practice.
Interested in a more of a challenge from the non-profit work you’ve been doing? Explore pharmaceutical sales for oral nutritional supplements and other nutrition-related medical supplies.
Wondering why there aren’t enough nutrition programs for the parents of the kids you work with? Start a side hustle providing an after-school health education programs for your local schools and fill that gap.
There’s no limit to what you can do with your RD credential.
What makes a career in dietetics hard?
For most new RDs, the hardest side of a career in dietetics comes down to two things:
- The average pay
- The perceived clinical nutrition expectation
Let’s look at both.
The Pay in Dietetics
Pay for most entry-level RD positions can show up like a range of sub-par to insulting.
From hourly rates that can start as low as $25/hour. To standard full-time pay with benefits for a dietitian who are not in management around the $70-80k range. This can make getting to a six-figure income hard to do, even as a fully employed RD with a master’s degree.
Of course, there are a lot of exceptions to this very general registered dietitian pay scale.
It depends on where you live and how in-demand dietitians are. The more limited the access to RDs are, the more leverage you have in setting your own wage expectations.
Dietitians who go into any type of management can be expected to make 6-figures. So are RDs who work in sales or corporate programs. Those who invest in building a private practice or building their own business can also substantially increase their earning potential.
Additionally, many dietitians choose to do more than one type of work. And it’s not uncommon for dietitians to choose to work more than one job at any given time.
For some, it’s out of necessity to meet specific income goals. For others, it’s to keep engaged and continue doing the kind of work they’re most passionate about while keeping the job that provides their benefits.
The Clinical Nutrition Expectation
Most new dietitians somehow develop an understanding that you’re expected to do at least one year of clinical nutrition before you can even consider doing another kind of work in nutrition.
And if you’re just not interested in being a clinical dietitian, this assumption can make getting started in your career feel limiting and a whole lot more frustrating.
This is a bit of a controversial question. And there are passionate dietitians on both sides of the issue who will argue their case persuasively.
But there’s a better way to think about this.
Instead of asking if a year in clinical is mandatory to start your career (it’s not a requirement to becoming a dietitian, at all)…
A better question would be to ask yourself how useful a year in clinical could be for your personal career goals.
You might not like the idea of spending all that time in clinical nutrition. But if you’re looking to explore any kind of patient or client-facing work (and that includes private practice work) there’s a good chance you’ll want to be well-versed in medical nutrition therapy basics.
On the other hand, the reality is you can do anything you want when you’re a registered dietitian, at any time. The only true requirement to being an RD is passing the exam.
And the more creative you get with what you want your career in dietetics to look like, the more likely you’ll be to find work that you not only love but that pays higher than average.
Is there anything else you should know?
No matter how much you love the work, and no matter how little the pay matters to you, becoming a registered dietitian (and maintaining your RD status) will require dedication.
And money.
The entire process for becoming an RD is not just time-consuming, and academically challenging, but also comes with a price tag that can be hard to reconcile with your ultimate pay expectations.
From needing a master’s degree to the cost of being a part of the dietetic internship to the cost of passing the RD exam…
Becoming a dietitian is tough. And expensive.
Once you’re an RD, you’ll also be maintaining your credentials with CEUs (continuing education units) every five years and possibly paying for state licenses.
And while it’s possible to rack up CEUs for free and often employers provide a continuing education budget. Most RDs find it easier and more time-efficient to pay for courses, programs, and conferences that can help you accrue them in bulk.
Are you suddenly wondering if you’re making the right decision with a career in dietetics?
Only you can decide that. But the truth is that a career in dietetics is a labor of love.
Those who have a passion for sharing information and supporting people who are struggling with their health will have a career that constantly grows with them.
And That’s It!
Consider that every career has things that are hard and things that are amazing. But dietetics takes it a step further where you can combine multiple passions into one amazing career.
If you feel like you’ve got to start one place, make it the Acute Care Starter Guide. You’ll get your feet wet with a solid roadmap to clinical nutrition — and you can move forward with everything on this list as you need it.
Want even more to help in clinical?
Check out The Nutrition Cheat Sheets Shop for all the nutrition education and clinical resources that will make your life easier.
