How hard is it to become a dietitian?

It is pretty hard to become a dietitian. To become a dietitian it takes anywhere between four to eight years, depending on the state's requirements. While a bachelor's degree is enough to become registered, however. a master's in Public Health and Nutrition is a strong path if you wish to enter the public health sector and focus on population-level nutrition and health.

What are the pros and cons of being a dietician?

The pros of being a dietician are that you can help people and have varied days, while the cons are working with sick patients and keeping up with changing regulations. Here is a more detailed look at the pros and cons of being a dietician:

What is the career path for a dietician?

The career path for a dietician includes jobs as a clinical dietician, public health dietician, and sports dietitian jobs. Before beginning work, a dietician must hold a bachelor's degree in dietetics, food and nutrition, or a related field. In many cases, a master's degree may be useful as well.

What should I study to become a dietitian?

You should study and obtain a bachelor's degree in nutrition to become a dietitian. A great deal of additional education and training are required to become a practicing dietitian. While nutrition is the most popular field of study for aspiring dietitians, you may also get a bachelor's degree in dietetics or public health nutrition. Today you are able to work as a registered dietitian with a bachelor's degree in one of these fields. In January of 2024 that will change. The current regulations state that dietitian candidates must hold a bachelor's degree, have 1,200 hours of supervised internship, and pass the CDR exam. By 2024, a master's degree in nutrition or a related field will be required.

What is a dietitian and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

5 min read

Quoted Experts

Dr. Carmen Shanks Ph.D.,

Ellen Shanley

A dietitian specializes in food and nutrition science. They use their expertise to help people make healthy food choices and manage medical conditions related to diet. Dietitians work with individuals, families, and communities to develop personalized nutrition plans for health goals, lifestyle, and preferences. They also educate their clients on the role of nutrition in disease prevention and management. Dietitians may work in hospitals, clinics, schools, or private practice and collaborate with other healthcare providers.

What general advice would you give to a Dietitian?

Dr. Carmen Shanks Ph.D.

Associate Professor, Montana State University

Entering the food and nutrition workforce during 2021 will be different than any other time in history given. Remain committed to your career path and clear about the types of positions that you apply and interview for. The real key is to remain open and flexible to how employers are addressing issues related to COVID-19, such as being willing to work from home, follow COVID-19 safety protocols, or work different hours than typical.

ScoreDietitianUS Average

Salary

4.6

Avg. Salary $58,480

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

7.2

Growth Rate 7%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

6.7

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.86%

Asian 9.81%

Black or African American 8.41%

Hispanic or Latino 10.86%

Unknown 3.64%

White 66.42%

Gender

female 88.30%

male 11.70%

Age - 40

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 40

Stress Level

7.2

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

9.8

Complexity Level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

6.9

Work Life balance is good

6.4 - fair

What are the pros and cons of being a Dietitian?

Pros

Varied career paths, including clinical, community, and industry settings
Growing demand for nutrition services due to increasing awareness of the importance of healthy eating
Potential for flexible scheduling and work-life balance
Possibility for entrepreneurship and private practice ownership
Opportunities for research and publication in the field

Cons

Ongoing continuing education requirements to maintain certification and licensure
Limited insurance coverage for nutrition services, leading to financial challenges for patients and dietitians alike
Limited availability of full-time positions in some areas, leading to competition for jobs
Potential conflicts of interest when working with food or supplement companies
Emotional toll of working with patients who may struggle with chronic illness or disordered eating behaviors

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Key steps to become a dietitian

Explore dietitian education requirements

Most common dietitian degrees

Bachelor's

66.4 %

Master's

22.1 %

Associate

4.3 %

Start to develop specific dietitian skills

Skills	Percentages
Patients	38.90%
Medical Nutrition Therapy	9.38%
Rehabilitation	6.06%
Patient Education	6.03%
Nutrition Services	5.48%

Complete relevant dietitian training and internships

Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New dietitians learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a dietitian based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real dietitian resumes.

Research dietitian duties and responsibilities

Manage the anemia status of patients by reviewing necessary lab data and initiating or adjusting medication doses.
Prioritize initial/quarterly/consult assessments, interventions and progress monitoring for long-term care, rehabilitation and post acute patients.
Design and provide individualize nutrition counseling to promote healthy behavior modifications for a variety of home health care patients.
Counsele post-op patients to ensure dietary compliance, nutritional adequacy and formulation of weight management goals throughout their post-operative course.

Prepare your dietitian resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your dietitian resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a dietitian resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Dietitian Resume templates

Build a professional Dietitian resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Dietitian resume.

Apply for dietitian jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a dietitian job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do dietitians rate their job?

2.5/5

Based On 2 Ratings

5 Stars

4 Stars

3 Stars

2 Stars

1 Star

Dietitian reviews

1.0

A zippia user wrote a review on Mar 2022

Cons

No room for upward mobility in most healthcare areas. Pay is bad. Still the lowest paid healthcare professionals for the amount of education required to become a RDN. For that much education better off becoming a PA or RN that becomes a NP.

4.0

A zippia user wrote a review on Jun 2019

Pros

I love the daytime work hours and having the weekends off most of the time. I love it when a client is interested in diet and ready to learn.