Dietitians and Nutritionists

Overview

Dietitians and Nutritionists has a national median salary of $76,400 per year, with +7.7% projected job growth from 2025–2035. The Bureau of Labor Statistics lists a bachelor's degree as the typical education needed to enter this occupation.

Description

Plan and conduct food service or nutritional programs to assist in the promotion of health and control of disease. May supervise activities of a department providing quantity food services, counsel individuals, or conduct nutritional research.

Work Values

• Relationships
• Independence
• Achievement

Work Styles

Responsibilities

Tasks

• Assess nutritional needs, diet restrictions, and current health plans to develop and implement dietary-care plans and provide nutritional counseling.
• Evaluate laboratory tests in preparing nutrition recommendations.
• Counsel individuals and groups on basic rules of good nutrition, healthy eating habits, and nutrition monitoring to improve their quality of life.
• Advise patients and their families on nutritional principles, dietary plans, diet modifications, and food selection and preparation.
• Incorporate patient cultural, ethnic, or religious preferences and needs in the development of nutrition plans.

Work Activities

• Assisting and Caring for Others
• Getting Information
• Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge
• Documenting/Recording Information
• Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others
• Working with Computers
• Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships
• Making Decisions and Solving Problems
• Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work
• Analyzing Data or Information

Detailed Work Activities

• Providing personal assistance, medical attention, emotional support, or other personal care to others such as coworkers, customers, or patients.
• Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
• Keeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge to your job.
• Entering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form.
• Translating or explaining what information means and how it can be used.
• Using computers and computer systems (including hardware and software) to program, write software, set up functions, enter data, or process information.
• Developing constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time.
• Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
• Developing specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish your work.
• Identifying the underlying principles, reasons, or facts of information by breaking down information or data into separate parts.

T-A-S-K

Technology, Abilities, Skills & Knowledge

Education

Education Levels of Current Workers

The Bureau of Labor Statistics lists a bachelor's degree as the typical education needed to enter this occupation. The chart below shows the highest level of education held by people already working in this field, ages 25 and older. It includes workers who earned more education than the job requires and workers who entered the field under earlier requirements, so the largest bar is not the entry requirement. For example, if someone finished a master's degree and then started working in this field, they are counted under “Master's degree” here, but the job itself typically asks for a bachelor's degree.

Certificates

Certifications applicable to Dietitians and Nutritionists:

Video Resources