Dietitian Career / Nutritionist Career
Dietitian Career is for someone who has an interest in knowing what we eat and how to use it for one’s health and fitness and the role it plays in one’s overall health. One should be interactive and should be outspoken and should have a yearning for knowledge about latest diet trends and to research himself / herself and find out more facts about food and nutrition.
A Nutritionist and Dietitian’s role is different from that of a weight loss expert. A weight loss expert would only be concerned about slimming down and weight loss with the minimum effort, diet and exercise, whereas a Dietitian Career & Nutritionist is concerned with one’s overall health.
With people becoming more and more aware of one’s health / fitness and are more concerned about their looks and fitness levels than ever before, A Dietitian Career / Nutritionist’s role has become more important and they have their own reputation and respect in the healthcare and fitness industry.
Job Profile
A Dietitian Career / Nutritionist’s job role can be explained through following points
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A Dietitian Career / Nutritionist’s role is to devise, plan and implement specialized diets for individuals or groups specific to their needs and goals. A dietitian / Nutritionist has to understand the needs and goals of the client. He/ She should acquire complete knowledge about the client’s health, body mass index, body type, his/ her medical conditions (if any) etc.
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A Nutritionist/ Dietitian Career needs to keep himself / herself fully acquainted with the latest trends and research happening in the world of diet, nutrition and fitness. They might need to work with or can themselves be required to take on the role of a weight-loss expert or weight-gain expert, depending on what the client demands.
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Dietitian Career / Nutritionists can either opt to become a full-time weight-loss or weight-gain expert by focusing their skill, knowledge and research in the respective field.
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A Dietitian Career / Nutritionist may find himself/ herself dealing with a wide variety of issues in patients from diabetics to social ostracism.
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In india, There is a lot of cultural and religious stigmas with foods. So a dietitian/ Nutritionist has to devise a diet keeping in mind the cultural and religious aspect of the individual or group.
Skills Required Dietitian Career
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One needs to be patient and be attentive when dealing with clients.
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One must be friendly when dealing with groups of people and to be a good speaker.
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Excellent communication skills.
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One should know his / her way around the computer and internet for resources or to use it as a medium for their research.
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Organization skills are very important since a dietitian / Nutritionist may need to play multiple roles in a given day.
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One should be empathic towards their client and shouldn’t be judgemental.
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One should be following a healthy and fit lifestyle, (practicing what he/ she preaches).
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Good at instructing and coordination.
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Good at complex problem solving.
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Should be good at decision-making and should have a clear mind, without much confusion when dealing with clients.
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Good at persuading others to change their lifestyle, diet and bring about a change in their health and fitness.
Salary Package
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The average pay scale for a dietitian / Nutritionist as a fresher is around 10,000 I NR to 15,000 I NR a month.
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Catering jobs, research work, teaching etc also provides good payment as Food technologists.
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Consultant Dietitians can earn more depending upon their practise, city and years of prior experience (if any).
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The ones working in Government hospitals, Research institutions, academic institutions have a fixed salary package depending upon their work profile and experience.
Job Prospects
A dietitian may see himself/ herself working in one of the following sectors in India.
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Government sector – Government hospitals, Govt.’s health departments, Health institutes, Govt. research institutions, colleges etc. will come under the government sector. These institutes will have fixed number of vacancies and salary for each position. There would be many perks too for those working in such institutions.
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Research & Development – This field will have a dietitian working as a researcher, conducting his/ her research on various foods, beverages, and other eatables and finding more about their nutrition facts. They would be conducting their tests on various confectionary, tinned, canned and other food items to find out their nutrition index. These institutes have lesser vacancies when compared to other institutions but one would get far more exposure in the field and would be a boost for one’s career initially.
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Mass Media – Dietitians/ Nutritionists may also find themselves in various mass communication mediums such as Television, Radio with their own shows, or in Newspapers, writing health and fitness columns, or in Internet websites, writing articles, blogs and online video channels shows.
How do I get there ??
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After completing his / her graduation in the above degree, he / she can go for a diploma in Dietetics or Sports Nutrition.
The following courses are available for someone wanting to be a dietitian / Nutritionist
1. B.Sc in Home Science (3 year course).
2. B.E in Food Technology (duration is 4 years).
3. B.Sc Nutrition (duration is 3 years).
Even without a diploma or graduate degree in home science or nutrition or food technology. One can become a dietitian by going for a Master’s Degree, after any science graduate degree and 12th science, from renowned Universities like Delhi University & Mumbai University.
