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Registered dietitian vs community dietitian

The differences between registered dietitians and community 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 registered dietitian and a community dietitian. Additionally, a community dietitian has an average salary of $61,786, which is higher than the $58,227 average annual salary of a registered dietitian.

The top three skills for a registered dietitian include patients, patient care and home health. The most important skills for a community dietitian are medical nutrition, health education, and heart disease.

Registered dietitian vs community dietitian overview

Registered DietitianCommunity Dietitian
Yearly salary$58,227$61,786
Hourly rate$27.99$29.70
Growth rate7%7%
Number of jobs6,14416,585
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 70%Bachelor's Degree, 76%
Average age4242
Years of experience22

Registered dietitian vs community dietitian salary

Registered dietitians and community dietitians have different pay scales, as shown below.

Registered DietitianCommunity Dietitian
Average salary$58,227$61,786
Salary rangeBetween $43,000 And $78,000Between $30,000 And $123,000
Highest paying CityRichmond, CA-
Highest paying stateAlaska-
Best paying companyCVS Health-
Best paying industryHealth Care-

Differences between registered dietitian and community dietitian education

There are a few differences between a registered dietitian and a community dietitian in terms of educational background:

Registered DietitianCommunity Dietitian
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 70%Bachelor's Degree, 76%
Most common majorDieteticsDietetics
Most common collegeUniversity of Maryland - College ParkUniversity of Maryland - College Park

Registered dietitian vs community dietitian demographics

Here are the differences between registered dietitians' and community dietitians' demographics:

Registered DietitianCommunity Dietitian
Average age4242
Gender ratioMale, 7.9% Female, 92.1%Male, 4.1% Female, 95.9%
Race ratioBlack 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%Black or African American, 9.1% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 11.3% Asian, 9.0% White, 66.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%
LGBT Percentage8%8%

Differences between registered dietitian and community dietitian duties and responsibilities

Registered dietitian example responsibilities.

  • Help patients maintain nutritional adequacy while managing food allergies.
  • Manage the anemia status of patients by reviewing necessary lab data and initiating or adjusting medication doses.
  • Manage the in-store dietitian program providing nutrition education, culinary workshops, food demonstrations, and nutritional assessments.
  • Develop and conduct weight loss programs; provide nutritional counseling for cardiac rehabilitation patients.
  • Diet education to nonsurgical patients on eating disorders, diabetes and other nutrition relate conditions.
  • Cover all topics ranging from weight management to oncology.
  • Show more

Community dietitian example responsibilities.

  • Manage the anemia status of patients by reviewing necessary lab data and initiating or adjusting medication doses.
  • Provide nutrition education and diet counseling to WIC participants, groups and individuals.
  • Provide basic nutrition education to WIC patients and teach nutrition classes in this rural community.
  • Monitor patients' nutrition status, laboratory values, diet tolerance, and motivate them to adhere to dietary/medications recommendations.
  • Provide individualized nutrition consultations for sports nutrition, weight-loss, diabetes, hypertension and hormonal changes.

Registered dietitian vs community dietitian skills

Common registered dietitian skills
  • Patients, 33%
  • Patient Care, 9%
  • Home Health, 7%
  • Medical Nutrition Therapy, 6%
  • Culinary, 6%
  • Rehabilitation, 5%
Common community dietitian skills
  • Medical Nutrition, 17%
  • Health Education, 7%
  • Heart Disease, 6%
  • Community Health, 5%
  • Disease Management, 5%
  • Eating Disorders, 5%

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