So you want to work with a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist
A Registered Dietitian (RD) or a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN) is a healthcare professional licensed by the Commission on Dietetic Registration in the field of nutrition and dietetics.
We focus on helping clients with preventative healthcare.
Primarily providing nutrition therapy for people with health conditions like diabetes, kidney disease, eating disorders.
Provide an understanding of how food benefits the body, how much to eat, and what to eat. In addition, RDNs help with weight loss, gain, or maintenance.
According to the Commission on Dietetic Registration,
“Registered Dietitian Nutritionists (RD) or (RDN) are food and nutrition experts who have met the Commission on Dietetic Registration’s (CDR) criteria to earn the RD credential. RDs work in a wide variety settings, health care, business and industry, community/public health, education, research, government agencies and private practice.
Simply put, a Dietitian can be considered a Nutritionist, but a Nutritionist without an RD/RDN license cannot be a Dietitian.*
What qualifies a person to be a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist?
Minimum Qualifications:
- Completed the minimum of a Baccalaureate degree granted by a U.S. regionally accredited college or university, or foreign equivalent.
- The completion of a Supervised Practice program (also known as a Dietetic Internship)
- Successfully completed the Registration Examination for Dietitians
In Addition, some states have an additional license that allows exclusive practice in that state. This link gives a detailed map overview
Lastly, to check the license of a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, You can request an on-line credential verification through http://www.cdrnet.org
So there you have it, Registered Dietitians in a nutshell.
Until Next Time ~Blanca
*This statement only applies to the United States of America
