Being a Registered Dietitian
RD: Your Link to Nutrition and Health- Watch a short video about dietitians' views on the field of nutrition.
Pathway to Becoming an RD- American Dietetic Association’s flowchart for a career in dietitics.
A Registered Dietitian (RD) is considered the top nutrition expert who will link good nutrition to better health. The RD credential is the only credential nationally recognized in foods and nutrition. This credential is necessary for most employment in the health care industry as well as for many other opportunities in foods and nutrition. For this reason, it is expected in the future that the RD credential will be a greater requirement in this growing field.
The RD credential is earned following completion of academic training, supervised practice experience, and the successful passage of the nationally administered board exam.
The RD exam is a computer based board exam, similar to that of other health professionals board exams. It is reflective of all the major areas in dietetics including: foodservice, clinical, management and community.
There are two different pathways you can take to become a dietitian.
Pathway 1:
You can enroll in ADA—accredited Coordinated Program, which is a Bachelor's or Master's degree program combining classroom and supervised practical experience. This pathway is available at the University of Illinois, Chicago.
Pathway 2:
You can enroll in an ADA—Bachelor's degree program. This is a four year plan at a university which will fulfill the educational requirements for the application for a dietetic internship. This type of program is called a DPD (Didactic Program in Dietetics). After you receive your degree, you will then need supervised practical experience by completing either an approved Pre-professional Practice Program or an accredited Dietetic Internship. This pathway is available at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.
After you complete either pathway, you're eligible to take the Registration Examination for Dietetics. When you pass, you become a Registered Dietitian, and can use the initials "RD" after your name, signifying that you're an expert in food and nutrition.
"Nutritionist" vs. Registered Dietitian
The difference between a "nutritionist" and a RD is that there are no requirements to use the title of "nutritionist". This term has no standard of education or training. This means that anyone could use the title "nutritionist" even if they have no background in this field. For this reason, you need to verify their qualifications in order to be a reputable source. In contrast, the RD is a nationally recognized title for nutrition expert. It reflects a high level of training and experience in the nutrition and health field. To maintain this status, the RD is required to complete continuing education units to remain knowledgeable in current practices in the field.
Licensed Dietitian
A licensed dietitian (LD) is one who has been licensed by a state to ensure that only qualified, trained professionals provide nutrition services or advice to individuals requiring or seeking nutrition care or information. Only state licensed dietetics professionals can provide nutrition counseling. Non-licensed practitioners may be subject to prosecution for practicing without a license.