There might be a moment when you don’t want to be a dietitian anymore. Here are some ideas to help you make a change.
Don't want to be a dietitian anymore? Start here.
Being a dietitian is like anything else. You can start off with all the excitement in the world, and then realize 10 years later (or 10 months later), you’re actually not as excited about your work as you originally were.
The good news is that this is normal. It happens to a lot of us. And there’s no shame in feeling like you might need to make a change.
Maybe a really big career change, or a smaller refresh to get you engaged in your work again.
The even better news is that with nutrition, you always have options.
And there’s no limit to the kind of work you can do, the way you can practice nutrition as a registered dietitian, or the level of creativity you can bring to your career.
But the question that you’re here to answer is what CAN you do when things get boring?
Let’s talk about it.
Career changes when you don't want to be an RD anymore
When you’ve hit a wall and you just don’t want to be a dietitian anymore, it can take a lot to figure out what comes next.
Luckily, you’re never stuck in what you do right now. You’ve always got choices.
These can be big career changes that can either send you down a completely new path or build on the experience you already have.
If you still need a masters…
For those who are obligated to get a masters degree and already have your RD, this is a perfect chance to find something new that can complement your nutrition experience without tossing all that hard work you’ve already finished.
Instead of getting a Masters in Nutrition and doubling down on the one thing that’s starting to bore you, think about what parts of nutrition you love the most. Or even the kind of work you’d like to do more of.
Here are some things that can complement a registered dietitian credential, depending on your interests:
- Psychology or social work (perfect to start doing more formal counseling in combination with your RD, especially if you’re interested in issues like behavioral health or disordered eating)
- Education (learn to create and craft curriculum, build programs, or get a job as a teacher)
- MBA (great if you want to work in a corporate environment)
- MPH (if non-profit director position is on your radar)
- Health economics (and work with research agencies looking at statistics and trends around epidemiological factors)
If you want to stay in healthcare…
You can also make a complete change while staying inside the healthcare industry as a practitioner.
Many dietitians realize they want to play a bigger or different role in their patient’s care process and that work is outside the scope of clinical nutrition.
If this sounds like you, take a look at becoming either an RN (registered nurse) or a PA (physician’s assistant).
They both can significantly increase your income, give you a lot more opportunities for remote work, and give you ways to specialize in new things (like being a PA for a neurologist, working in dermatology providing nutrition support and botox, or simply getting a better rate when taking insurance).
And bonus! In both of these careers, you not only can maintain your RD credential but can use it to enhance the work you decide to do.
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School-free work changes for dietitians
You’re already a dietitian. Which means you’ve already done a TON of school.
Just because you don’t want to be a dietitian anymore doesn’t mean all that hard work has to go to waste.
There’s absolutely nothing wrong with being strongly against going back to school anytime soon (or ever!).
No worries. You still have options.
Tiny businesses for RDs
Here are a few entrepreneurial things to start doing when boredom hits and you’re looking to get a little more diversity in your day.
Choose the one thing you like about nutrition and build a course teaching the absolute basics.
People will be interested. It’s not too simple. Everyone has to start at the beginning, so why not be the one who shows them how.
Open a private practice and take 2 (or 5 or 11) private pay clients.
There’s no rule that says a private practice has to be a certain size to feel big or thrive or be successful. If taking 3 clients a month is your limit, then set a three-figure rate and dive in.
Build a blog and run ads on it.
Choose any topic even if it’s not nutrition related and start writing. It’s really as easy as it sounds. Will you earn your income in three months? Probably not. But you’ll get the chance to think about something new, work on it on your own time, and get a little extra cash doing it.
Work affiliate links (lots of RDs have programs, run summits, need exposure and offer pretty good kick backs when you sell something on their behalf.
Not looking to do anything nutrition related? Focus on home goods, or your favorite brand of mustard. It doesn’t matter as long as they have an affiliate link and you have a way with sales.
Work as a virtual assistant in your down time.
Don’t sleep on this one. You’d be surprised how many small business owners need help with the boring administrative things that are both essential and time sucks. You can support other RDs (since you already know the space and what they need) in managing anything from their social media accounts to answering emails. Or you can do the same for anyone else looking for some day to day help cleaning up their work lives.
Some of these might sound like too much work or things you simply don’t want to invest time in. That’s fine. This is by no means an exhaustive list. It’s just a place to start and some ideas that are tried and true.
But maybe you don’t want to work for yourself. Maybe you just want to different job that doesn’t include patient or client work. Something that lets you use your RD but doesn’t require any PES statements or charting.
You still have options.
Non-clinical jobs for RDs
Here are a few places to start looking for jobs that require or prefer you having your RD but stay far far away from patient care.
- Product sales for companies like Abbott (they make Ensure), Nestle (the make Boost), or Kate Farms (they make allergen-free all organic formulas and supplements just to name a couple
- City, state, or federal work in departments like education, aging, public health
- Grant writing, cooking or kids programs, nutrition programs for non-profits
- Farmer’s market nutrition educators or program directors
Again, this is just a short list of possibilities. There’s always going to be unique or unusual positions that pop up out of nowhere when you’re keeping. your eyes and ears open for new opportunities.
Just be ready with a solid resume when it’s time to jump!
Ways to work AND give back when you don't want to be an RD anymore
Sometimes it’s not about the money. It’s about how you spend your time.
It’s being able to support those who need it the most, and feeling like you’re actually making a difference for those who need it.
If you’ve been thinking about how you can get involved or begin to work in the community in a way that feels a more personally connected, here are a few places to get you thinking about your options:
- Organize a Nutrition Month health fair for a local gym, YMCA, or school (even if it’s not March)
- Run group nutrition classes for your church, a group of parents at a day care center, or older adults at a senior center
- Set up a booth for nutrition Q+As once a month in a park, inside a local community center, or through a local health food store
Some of these might sound familiar. Others might sound like things you’ve already tried or done.
But the big takeaway is that all of these ideas (and the ones we didn’t talk about) can be adjusted and redesigned based on what you need at the moment. Or what you’d like to be doing.
It’s up to you to decide how you want to organize that health fair, what kind of group you want to offer, how many times you want to show up at the community center to talk to members.
And remember, you never have to stick with anything too long. Consider this list like a series of hobbies. Things you can start, try, and then drop if you’re not feeling it.
And That’s It!
Don’t think you’re the only one who’s ever felt like they don’t want to be a dietitian anymore.
All the hard work you’ve put into getting where you are will never go to waste if you take what you’ve learned and apply it to wherever you want to go next.
Consider this as only a little brainstorm to get you started thinking about the kinds of work you can do as both an RD and as a dietitian who wants to transition out of being an RD.
If you take anything away from this short conversation, hopefully it’s that there are no rules.
This is your life, your work, you career. You can make it into anything you want and mold it into anything you need.
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