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The differences between clinical dietitians and registered 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 a registered dietitian. Additionally, a clinical dietitian has an average salary of $59,133, which is higher than the $58,227 average annual salary of a registered dietitian.
The top three skills for a clinical dietitian include patients, patient care and medical nutrition therapy. The most important skills for a registered dietitian are patients, patient care, and home health.
| Clinical Dietitian | Registered Dietitian | |
| Yearly salary | $59,133 | $58,227 |
| Hourly rate | $28.43 | $27.99 |
| Growth rate | 7% | 7% |
| Number of jobs | 57,500 | 6,144 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| 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.
A Registered Dietitian assesses the health of individual patients with medical conditions such as diabetes or renal failure. They work in hospitals, doctors' offices, nursing homes, or other care facilities.
Clinical dietitians and registered dietitians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Clinical Dietitian | Registered Dietitian | |
| Average salary | $59,133 | $58,227 |
| Salary range | Between $43,000 And $80,000 | Between $43,000 And $78,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Richmond, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | Alaska |
| Best paying company | University of California | CVS Health |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a clinical dietitian and a registered dietitian in terms of educational background:
| Clinical Dietitian | Registered Dietitian | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| 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 registered dietitians' demographics:
| Clinical Dietitian | Registered Dietitian | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 8.7% Female, 91.3% | Male, 7.9% Female, 92.1% |
| 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, 8.1% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 11.1% Asian, 9.3% White, 66.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |