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Chief dietitian vs research dietitian

The differences between chief dietitians and research dietitians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a chief dietitian and a research dietitian. Additionally, a chief dietitian has an average salary of $65,808, which is higher than the $57,712 average annual salary of a research dietitian.

The top three skills for a chief dietitian include medical nutrition, nutrition education and quality improvement. The most important skills for a research dietitian are patients, data collection, and principal investigators.

Chief dietitian vs research dietitian overview

Chief DietitianResearch Dietitian
Yearly salary$65,808$57,712
Hourly rate$31.64$27.75
Growth rate7%7%
Number of jobs18,74750,771
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 71%Bachelor's Degree, 71%
Average age4242
Years of experience22

Chief dietitian vs research dietitian salary

Chief dietitians and research dietitians have different pay scales, as shown below.

Chief DietitianResearch Dietitian
Average salary$65,808$57,712
Salary rangeBetween $32,000 And $133,000Between $33,000 And $99,000
Highest paying City--
Highest paying state--
Best paying company--
Best paying industry--

Differences between chief dietitian and research dietitian education

There are a few differences between a chief dietitian and a research dietitian in terms of educational background:

Chief DietitianResearch Dietitian
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 71%Bachelor's Degree, 71%
Most common majorDieteticsDietetics
Most common collegeUniversity of Maryland - College ParkUniversity of Maryland - College Park

Chief dietitian vs research dietitian demographics

Here are the differences between chief dietitians' and research dietitians' demographics:

Chief DietitianResearch Dietitian
Average age4242
Gender ratioMale, 15.5% Female, 84.5%Male, 5.4% Female, 94.6%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 7.9% Unknown, 3.6% Hispanic or Latino, 10.7% Asian, 9.7% White, 67.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%Black or African American, 9.1% Unknown, 3.6% Hispanic or Latino, 10.8% Asian, 9.7% White, 65.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%
LGBT Percentage8%8%

Differences between chief dietitian and research dietitian duties and responsibilities

Chief dietitian example responsibilities.

  • Manage the anemia status of patients by reviewing necessary lab data and initiating or adjusting medication doses.
  • Monitor adherence to MDS schedule, care plan completion, and DOH regulations.
  • Provide individual and group nutrition counseling, including interactive nutrition and culinary sessions to low-income multicultural communities.
  • Provide clinical nutrition coverage as needed for medical-surgical, telemetry, intensive care unit, behavioral health and rehabilitative floors.

Research dietitian example responsibilities.

  • Manage all IRB submissions, sponsor communications, participate in monitoring visits, drug reconciliation and dispensing.
  • Assist with testing and QA of new programs, workflows and software systems.
  • Provide dietary counseling to patients enroll in major pharmaceutical trials and in-house studies.
  • Provide nutrition assessment and calculate individualized nutrition prescriptions to ensure patients' nutritional needs are met.
  • Coordinate a high-risk research site for international study focuse on FDA and CE mark approval of implant insulin delivery technology.
  • Provide individualized nutrition consultations for sports nutrition, weight-loss, diabetes, hypertension and hormonal changes.

Chief dietitian vs research dietitian skills

Common chief dietitian skills
  • Medical Nutrition, 22%
  • Nutrition Education, 21%
  • Quality Improvement, 17%
  • Clinical Nutrition, 16%
  • Food Service Operations, 14%
  • Educational Materials, 10%
Common research dietitian skills
  • Patients, 59%
  • Data Collection, 10%
  • Principal Investigators, 5%
  • Informed Consent, 4%
  • Study Protocols, 3%
  • Medical Nutrition Therapy, 3%

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