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Nutritional consultant vs outpatient dietitian

The differences between nutritional consultants 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 nutritional consultant and an outpatient dietitian. Additionally, an outpatient dietitian has an average salary of $62,717, which is higher than the $62,346 average annual salary of a nutritional consultant.

The top three skills for a nutritional consultant include diabetes, weight loss and nutrition assessments. The most important skills for an outpatient dietitian are patients, medical nutrition therapy, and patient care.

Nutritional consultant vs outpatient dietitian overview

Nutritional ConsultantOutpatient Dietitian
Yearly salary$62,346$62,717
Hourly rate$29.97$30.15
Growth rate7%7%
Number of jobs15,58110,972
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 64%Bachelor's Degree, 69%
Average age4242
Years of experience22

What does a nutritional consultant do?

A Nutritional Consultant provides assistance regarding food service and nutritional programs. They help patients improve their health and control of disease.

What does an outpatient dietitian do?

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.

Nutritional consultant vs outpatient dietitian salary

Nutritional consultants and outpatient dietitians have different pay scales, as shown below.

Nutritional ConsultantOutpatient Dietitian
Average salary$62,346$62,717
Salary rangeBetween $30,000 And $125,000Between $38,000 And $102,000
Highest paying CitySan Jose, CA-
Highest paying stateAlaska-
Best paying companyWayne County, Michigan-
Best paying industryAgriculture-

Differences between nutritional consultant and outpatient dietitian education

There are a few differences between a nutritional consultant and an outpatient dietitian in terms of educational background:

Nutritional ConsultantOutpatient Dietitian
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 64%Bachelor's Degree, 69%
Most common majorFood And NutritionDietetics
Most common collegeUniversity of Maryland - College ParkUniversity of Maryland - College Park

Nutritional consultant vs outpatient dietitian demographics

Here are the differences between nutritional consultants' and outpatient dietitians' demographics:

Nutritional ConsultantOutpatient Dietitian
Average age4242
Gender ratioMale, 22.6% Female, 77.4%Male, 7.5% Female, 92.5%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 8.1% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 11.2% Asian, 9.1% White, 67.1% 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 Percentage8%8%

Differences between nutritional consultant and outpatient dietitian duties and responsibilities

Nutritional consultant example responsibilities.

  • Manage the in-store dietitian program providing nutrition education, culinary workshops, food demonstrations, and nutritional assessments.
  • Specialize in weight loss, diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and lactose intolerance
  • Provide nutrition assessments, counseling and diabetes education to visually impair population individually and in group setting.
  • Ensure compliance to USDA requirements.
  • Conduct BMI and weigh-ins for insurance members during health insurance out reach events.
  • Help clients with food allergies and auto immune disorders to construct a healing diet.
  • Show more

Outpatient dietitian example responsibilities.

  • Manage the anemia status of patients by reviewing necessary lab data and initiating or adjusting medication doses.
  • Perform nutritional education, complete comprehensive assessments, calculate patient needs for nutrition support and determine patients at risk for malnutrition.
  • Create educational lesson discussing hypertension prevention, risk factors, MNT.
  • Monitor patients' nutrition status, laboratory values, diet tolerance, and motivate them to adhere to dietary/medications recommendations.
  • Provide clinical nutrition coverage as needed for medical-surgical, telemetry, intensive care unit, behavioral health and rehabilitative floors.

Nutritional consultant vs outpatient dietitian skills

Common nutritional consultant skills
  • Diabetes, 9%
  • Weight Loss, 7%
  • Nutrition Assessments, 6%
  • Food Service, 6%
  • Menu Planning, 5%
  • Medical Nutrition Therapy, 4%
Common outpatient dietitian skills
  • Patients, 30%
  • Medical Nutrition Therapy, 11%
  • Patient Care, 6%
  • Nutrition Services, 5%
  • Home Health, 4%
  • Healthcare Professionals, 4%

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