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The differences between clinical dietitians and outpatient 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 clinical dietitian and an outpatient dietitian. Additionally, an outpatient dietitian has an average salary of $62,717, which is higher than the $59,133 average annual salary of a clinical dietitian.
The top three skills for a clinical dietitian include patients, patient care and medical nutrition therapy. The most important skills for an outpatient dietitian are patients, medical nutrition therapy, and patient care.
| Clinical Dietitian | Outpatient Dietitian | |
| Yearly salary | $59,133 | $62,717 |
| Hourly rate | $28.43 | $30.15 |
| Growth rate | 7% | 7% |
| Number of jobs | 57,500 | 10,972 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 69% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
A clinical dietitian is responsible for providing quality nutritional care for patients by monitoring their current health conditions, advising nutritional and dietary supplements to maintain their healthy lifestyle, and speed up their recovery process. Clinical dietitians often coordinate with other medical professionals to assess food choices and develop nutrition programs for the patients. A clinical dietitian must have excellent knowledge of the medical industry to offer the best services to the patients and accurately handle their inquiries and concerns.
An Outpatient Dietitian is responsible for providing medical nutrition therapy, such as nutrition assessment, nutrition support, patient intervention, and education. They also identify the educational needs of others, develop formal educational training programs or classes, and teach or instruct others.
Clinical dietitians and outpatient dietitians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Clinical Dietitian | Outpatient Dietitian | |
| Average salary | $59,133 | $62,717 |
| Salary range | Between $43,000 And $80,000 | Between $38,000 And $102,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | - |
| Highest paying state | California | - |
| Best paying company | University of California | - |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | - |
There are a few differences between a clinical dietitian and an outpatient dietitian in terms of educational background:
| Clinical Dietitian | Outpatient Dietitian | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 69% |
| Most common major | Dietetics | Dietetics |
| Most common college | University of Maryland - College Park | University of Maryland - College Park |
Here are the differences between clinical dietitians' and outpatient dietitians' demographics:
| Clinical Dietitian | Outpatient Dietitian | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 8.7% Female, 91.3% | Male, 7.5% Female, 92.5% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 8.6% Unknown, 3.6% Hispanic or Latino, 11.1% Asian, 10.0% White, 65.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9% | Black or African American, 9.1% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 12.1% Asian, 8.5% White, 65.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |