Career Field Analysis – Clinical Dietitian
Introduction:
A clinical dietitian is a Registered Dietitian that provides the nutritional support for patient in hospitals, nursing care facilities and other health care institutions. It is their job to assess the patients’ needs and develop nutritional programs for them (Dietitians and Nutritionists, 2005). This covers a wide variety of interventions including dietary choices for those that can eat by mouth and parenteral nutrition for those that are unable to intake food by mouth. There were approximately 50,000 employed dietitians in May of 2004 (Dietitian, 2005).
Typical Career Path:
To pursue a career as a Clinical Dietitian, one must first become a Registered Dietitian. Once the R.D. exam has been passed, the dietitian will start work within a health care facility in the clinical nutrition department (Dietitians and Nutritionists, 2005)
. Often, they will have already concentrated their internship in this field. Within the health care setting, they will work their way in the clinical dietetics department from Clinical Dietitian through Director of Dietetics. However, most dietitians instead move into specific settings to specialize within the field prior to moving up through the department (Careers in Nutrition, 2004).
Trends:
Faster than average growth is expected within this field, especially with the acceptance of billing codes for this field. The CPT codes necessary for billing will allow this field to bill insurance carriers for the type of work performed within the health care setting (Careers in Nutrition, 2004). The increasing emphasis on disease prevention by using improved dietary habits, will likely result in more insurance companies encouraging dietetic counseling for members. As the baby boomer population ages, the number in nursing care facilities will likely grow and will result in an increased need for clinical dietitians within that setting. Finally, as food service companies grow and replace facility based commissary kitchens, these companies will need nutritional consultants to ensure they meet federal guidelines (Dietitian, 2005).
Salary Information:
Work as a clinical dietitian provides a salary that is definitely within the middle class statistics. The median annual earnings for 2004 were $43,630 annually. The middle 50 percent of employed dietitians earned between $35,940 and $53,370. This indicates that pay is varied within the field (Dietitians and Nutritionists, 2005). The lowest 10 percent earned less than $27,500 and were often located in economically depressed locations. Within the hospital setting, the median income was $44,050 annually. Those with the highest income were likely to be located in education and research positions. Those with the lowest incomes were likely to be employed in community outreach facilities (Educational and Professional Requirements, 2005). The income level is dependent upon level of education and location within the United States. Within the United States, dietitians pay varies in direct correlation with the economy of an area. Therefore, dietitians in the Los Angeles region will often make substantially more than those located in a small town in Mississippi. However, based on reviews of dietitians, the salary is competitive with the cost of living in all areas (Careers in Nutrition, 2004).
Skills Used:
The skills used as a dietitian are varied and sometimes unusual. Obviously, the most important skill is the ability to plan healthy and appetizing menus for a diverse clientele. However, there are many other skills that are necessary to succeed in the business. Patience is needed to identify problems, logic and creativity is essential to find new solutions to a new or old problem (Larsen, 2003). The ability to plan and organize numerous patients with minimal reference to chart statistics is often used since calls for menu changes arrive throughout the day. Being able to work with others closely and give them order without making them feel inferior is essential. Working with nurses in a hospital means that often a dietitian will be giving orders to nurses but understanding that they are equal or above your position in the mind of most physicians. This means a very delicate balance of giving orders but not ordering people around. Often it is advisable to have the skill of “selling” so as to demonstrate to the nurse that the diet is in the best interest of the patient and enlist her or his help with the implementation. Working with patients also requires much patience, diligence and counseling resources (Larsen, 2003). Convincing someone to continue an eating plan once discharged from the hospital can be daunting. It is the Clinical Dietitians job to ensure that they see the benefits of the continued diet and will start to live a new lifestyle with it. As demonstrated, people skills are a vital skill for any dietitian that wishes to be successful in any of the settings.
Employing Organizations:
Most of the jobs as a clinical dietitian are located in hospitals, nursing care facilities, outpatient care centers and physician offices. About twenty percent of the positions are within state and local government agencies. This division includes those working in correctional facilities as well as the many that work within the public health departments (Dietitian, 2005). A growing field is the food service division. This division employs dietitians for review of menu choices that are being provided to colleges, university, airlines, or company cafeterias. As more companies embrace food for change, this field will expand. Some dietitians also work within an educational setting, though they likely have a Ph.D. in dietetics or other related field. Some dietitians choose to be self-employed and provide their counseling services to patients among the general public (Dietitians and Nutritionists, 2005). A large field within those self-employed is the sports nutritionist. The benefit of having a dietitian working with a patient who is trying to train their body for competition is just now being recognized. Bally’s gym corporation has now hired registered dietitians that are available for phone consultation to anybody with a Bally’s gym membership.
Women and Minorities:
Within the field of dietetics, women are the majority. The field is estimated to be 70-80% women. As the field is becoming more recognized for its contributions to the health of the nation, this is changing. More men are enrolling in the Food and Nutrition Science programs with colleges throughout the country. There is currently a push by the American Dietetic Association to recruit minorities into the field. It is a long-held belief that people respond best to those that are similar to themselves. This indicates that having dietitians of the same racial makeup as the patient will aid in the counseling of that patient. To encourage this, the American Dietetic Association has instituted a recruitment of Latinos and African-Americans into the field to change the current under representation of those races within the ADA membership (Educational and Professional Requirements, 2005).
Becoming Employed:
Most positions that are available within the field are listed on job websites specific to the field of dietetics. Many jobs are listed on the American Dietetic Association website and are controlled through the website, healthecareers.com. This gives a list of all ADA specific positions open throughout the United States (Educational and Professional Requirements, 2005). There are other, less popular websites such as nutritionjobs.com and dietitiancentral.com. These sites are growing in popularity due their unique search components. Some dietitians rely on the ADA magazine. Every month, the American Dietetic Association publishes a magazine that is distributed to all members. Within this magazine, there are 1-3 pages of current job opportunities throughout the industry (Careers in Nutrition, 2004).
Typical Job Notices:
A typical job notice within the industry looks like most standard job notices. It lists the title, location and company name. It also specifies federal guidelines including whether it is full or part time, regular or temporary, employment or contract and if visa waivers are available. The description within a dietetics job notice will describe not only the position being advertised for, but also the company belief structure (Educational and Professional Requirements, 2005). Since dietitians are now an in-demand career, the companies feel the need to “sell” themselves to potential job applicants. The listing also describes contact information and any necessary education requirements since there are many certifications a dietitian can achieve.
Work Conditions:
The dietitian works in a stress level related to their position in an organization. Those that work in trauma or burn units have high stress, 24 hour a day jobs. However, those that choose to consult or work in a nursing care facility are at a much lower stress level. All dietitians do most of their work within an office setting. Clinical Dietitians are expected to do rounds, much like physician, and visit patients that need assessment or reassessment. Supervision is minimal and normally falls into a category of guidance. Most dietitians work a 40 hour work week unless they choose to make themselves available by pager to their patients (Dietitian, 2005).
Education/Training:
Most of those in the field get their Bachelor of Science in food and nutrition sciences from any accredited college. The ADA reviews all universities and colleges with a food and nutrition science program to ensure that all meet the strict guidelines they have dictated. Once graduated with their B.S., the student completes an internship that provides them with two to three weeks of experience in each major field within the discipline. These internships average ten months and are not paid. The student is required to pay tuition to the internship provider and there is rarely financial aid available (Educational and Professional Requirements, 2005). Some students have completed their degree within another discipline. These students return for the two year didactic program to complete certification to apply for internships. Once an internship is completed in good standing, the student is eligible to sit for the annual Registered Dietitian exam. Once the exam is passed, the person is an official Registered Dietitian.
Certificate/Licensure:
To maintain national licensure, continuing education is expected. For state licensure, continuing education is mandated with a requirement of 6 to 30 hours as stated by state. Besides attending seminars and even reading specific nutritional journal articles, dietitians can also become specialized in various fields. These fields include total parenteral nutrition, breastfeeding, and metabolic syndrome disorders. In California, there is a requirement 30 CPE hours and licensure is renewed on a biennial basis (Educational and Professional Requirements, 2005).
Affiliations:
Most dietitians are members of the American Dietetic Association, which is the national association for dietitians. Within the ADA, dietitians have the option of belonging to dietary practice groups that are specific to occupational situations within the discipline. They often also hold positions in the Dietetic Association of the state they are practicing in. Within the state, there are local associations which meet regularly. The ADA and the state associations each hold one meeting per year. The ADA meeting moves throughout the country and will be in Hawaii this year. The California Dietetic Association conference moves within the state and will be meeting in San Diego. The Inland Empire dietetic association meets on a quarterly basis around the Riverside area (Educational and Professional Requirements, 2005).
Outlook:
The projected job openings within this field are astounding. With an epidemic of obesity and diabetes upon the United States, the necessity of dietitians is becoming apparent. Most governors and the President have made proper nutrition and weight reduction goals for the United States. Due to this call to action, it is likely that positions within governmental agencies will grow substantially. As insurance providers embrace the nutritional support alternative to treatment and prevention of disease, the counseling positions will continue to grow.
Lifestyle Impact:
This occupation affects the family only when the dietitian chooses to be available to their patients around the clock. Dietitians are not regularly on call and so their work schedule is not much different than a regular 40 hour per week office job. Dietitians are rarely in positions that require enormous amounts of overtime and their job rarely has a significant detrimental effect on their family life (Dietitian, 2005).
Conclusion:
It appears that a career as a Registered Dietitian in the Clinical Nutrition setting is a wise choice. As the demand continues to grow, there are not enough graduates to fill all positions. Any career where the demand for employees is greater than the availability will result in higher wages for that career. This indicates that the salaries for dietitians will continue to grow in relation to the growth of the industry. The education seems slightly arduous but necessary to ensure the proper treatment of patients. After reviewing all the information contained within the research, it appears that the field of dietetics is a growing field that is filled with challenges and opportunities for new graduates.
Works Cited
Careers in nutrition. (2004). Retrieved Mar. 28, 2006, from Career Opportunities in Clinical Nutrition Web site: http://www.texashste.com/html/nut_co.htm.
Dietitian. (2005). Retrieved Mar. 28, 2006, from Health Care Occupations Web site: http://www.vacareers.va.gov/Dietitian.html.
Dietitians. (2004). Retrieved Mar. 28, 2006, from Medical Career Info Web site: http://www.medicalcareerinfo.com/dietitians.htm.
Dietitians and nutritionists. (2005). Retrieved Mar. 28, 2006, from Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2006-07 Edition Web site: www.bls.gov/oco/ocos077.htm.
Educational and professional requirements. (2005). Retrieved Mar. 28, 2006, from For Registered Dietitian Web site: http://www.eatright.org/cps/rde/xchg/ada/hs.xsl/career_748_ENU_HTML.htm.
Larsen, J. (2003). Careers in nutrition and dietetics. Retrieved Mar. 28, 2006, from Who are Dietitians? Web site: http://www.dietitian.com/rds.html.
