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Registered dietitian skills for your resume and career

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted experts

Tara Miltenberger,

Natalie Cooke PhD, RDN

Below we've compiled a list of the most critical registered dietitian skills. We ranked the top skills for registered dietitians based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 33.0% of registered dietitian resumes contained patients as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills a registered dietitian needs to be successful in the workplace.

15 registered dietitian skills for your resume and career

1. Patients

Here's how registered dietitians use patients:

Evaluated, assessed and reassessed patients based on their nutritional status identified by nursing, physicians, diagnosis or laboratory referral.
Performed nutritional assessments, developed and implemented nutrition care plans and provided nutrition education for patients at the dialysis center.

2. Patient Care

Patient care entails the diagnosis, recovery, and control of sickness as well as the maintenance of physical and emotional well-being through the use of healthcare providers' services. Patient care is described as services provided to patients by health practitioners or non-professionals under guidance.

Here's how registered dietitians use patient care:

Conducted individualized nutrition assessments, patient care planning and patient education regarding multiple nutrition related disease states.
Performed nutritional assessments, developed patient care plans, provided nutritional recommendations and provided dietary counseling.

3. Home Health

Here's how registered dietitians use home health:

Provide computerized documentation of nutrition interventions including completion of discharge summary, interventions and plans for home health patients.
Develop cost effective nutritional programs and/or menus for home health agencies, nursing homes, and assisted living facilities.

4. Medical Nutrition Therapy

Here's how registered dietitians use medical nutrition therapy:

Develop individualized Medical Nutrition Therapy.
Provide medical nutrition therapy in a multidisciplinary feeding team for pediatric patients with conditions ranging from failure to thrive to obesity.

5. Culinary

Here's how registered dietitians use culinary:

Managed the in-store dietitian program providing nutrition education, culinary workshops, food demonstrations, and nutritional assessments.
Developed patient education materials, newsletter editor, weight management program instructor, AHA Culinary Hearts instructor.

6. Rehabilitation

Here's how registered dietitians use rehabilitation:

Oversee nutritional rehabilitation of clients in an Eating Disorder recovery program, as part of an interdisciplinary treatment team.
Dedicate 8 hours per week of telephone nutrition counseling for Veterans participating in home-based cardiac rehabilitation program.

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7. Nutrition Services

Nutritionists and dieticians' nutrition services refer to dietary instructions, counseling, and recommendations offered to patients to improve their health.

Here's how registered dietitians use nutrition services:

Coordinated the review and customization of regular and therapeutic menus with the nutrition services supervisor/manager.
Provided consultations, nutrition services and limited exercise education and training for a select clientele.

8. Nutrition Assessments

Here's how registered dietitians use nutrition assessments:

Conducted inpatient nutrition assessments and implemented individualized interventions.
Conducted nutrition assessments, monitoring & provided nutrition education/counseling, individualized meal plans & healthy cooking/shopping tips to promote healthy weight loss

9. Nutrition Support

Here's how registered dietitians use nutrition support:

Evaluated nutrition status parameters and performed ongoing medical nutrition support for elderly adults in a 60-bed long-term care facility.
Determine appropriate nutrition support for resident's including; route of delivery, administration method and appropriate formula selection.

10. Nutrition Care Process

A nutrition care process is a systematic and standardized method that guides professional nutritionists, registered dietetic technicians, and dietitians for diagnosing, assessing, treating, monitoring, and providing quality nutritional care to patients. The nutrition care process consists of four different and interrelated phases: Nutritional Assessment, Nutritional Diagnosis, Nutritional Intervention, and Nutritional Monitoring/Evaluation.

Here's how registered dietitians use nutrition care process:

Documented nutritional status, nutrient intake, and nutritional education in the computerized medical record using the Nutrition Care Process.
Performed comprehensive nutritional assessments utilizing the Nutrition Care Process into daily charting, completed MDS/CAA assessments.

11. Therapeutic Diets

Here's how registered dietitians use therapeutic diets:

Managed therapeutic diets and provided nutritional education to oncology patients while taking into account medication and treatment nutrition implications/side effects.
Calculate therapeutic diets to meet specific nutritional and dietary needs on individuals requiring nutritional intervention.

12. Oncology

Oncology is defined as the facet of medicine that deals with cancer. Oncology also deals with the prevention and diagnosis of these diseases. A medical professional who has studied the discipline of oncology is referred to as an â€˜oncologist'. An oncologist can further specialize in their discipline and become a medical oncologist, surgical oncologist, or radiation oncologist.

Here's how registered dietitians use oncology:

Represent the Food and Nutrition Department on hospital committees including the Cancer Committee; participate in oncology interdisciplinary rounds.
Created first oncology center clinical nutrition program.

13. Weight Loss

Weight loss is defined as a loss of mass in a person's body weight. Skills linked to wight loss are usually sought after in health and exercise industries; such skills might be involved in the creation of personalised weight loss goals and plans and exercise regimes, or they might more medical and scientific in nature, being used in work with patients who are irregularly or unusually suffering from negative side effects of weight loss.

Here's how registered dietitians use weight loss:

Provided one-on-one nutrition counseling and education and constructed customized diet plans as appropriate for weight loss and disease management and treatment.
Provided individual nutrition counseling as well as group nutrition instruction regarding diabetes management, weight loss, and behavior modification.

14. Nutritional Risk

Here's how registered dietitians use nutritional risk:

Performed nutrition assessment and care plan on all patients identified at increased nutritional risk according to hospital policy.
Facilitate interdisciplinary meetings each month to discuss interventions for patients at nutritional risk.

15. Food Safety

Here's how registered dietitians use food safety:

Developed nutritionally adequate four-week cycle menus, conducted regular inspections of kitchens and dining rooms to ensure food safety and sanitation.
Supervised food service operation as needed and completed monthly food safety audits for quality assurance.

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What skills help Registered Dietitians find jobs?

Tell us what job you are looking for, we’ll show you what skills employers want.

What skills stand out on registered dietitian resumes?

Tara Miltenberger

Dietetic Internship Director and Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, Cedar Crest College

A career in dietetics demands competence in critical thinking, exceptional communication skills, ethical integrity, and adaptability. I believe that employers are going to look for more technical skills moving forward. Dietitians must highlight proficiency in basic computer software systems (e.g., MS Office, file sharing, mainstream electronic medical record systems). Demonstrating technical skills tied to telemedicine systems, professional social media platforms, and creative software systems will stand out to hiring managers who seek innovative dietitians who are not just experts in nutrition but also want to propel our message to the public.

What soft skills should all registered dietitians possess?

Natalie Cooke PhD, RDN

Assistant Professor and Director of Undergraduate Programs for Nutrition Science, North Carolina State University

In June 2020, the Association of Public and Land Grant Universities released two reports, one quantitative and one qualitative, on gaps in employability skills (https://www.aplu.org/news-and-media/News/aplu-releases-two-reports-on-gaps-in-employability-skills-and-workforce-preparedness-among-college-graduates). As the Executive Summary (https://www.aplu.org/library/from-academia-to-the-workforce-executive-summary/file) reports, the 11 skills that were identified as "critical growth areas" include: (1) understanding role in the workplace and having realistic career expectations, (2) recognizing and dealing constructively with conflict, (3) accepting and applying critique and direction in the workplace, (4) listening effectively, (5) communicating accurately and concisely, (6) realizing the effect of decisions, (7) building professional relationships, (8) navigating change and ambiguity, (9) identifying and analyzing problems, (10) transferring knowledge from one situation to another, and (11) asking good questions.

Additionally, critical thinking is an essential skill for nutrition science professionals, including being able to critically evaluate scientific literature about a topic to inform decision-making and information shared with the public. Nutrition scientists want to make sure that they are sharing information with the public that is based on research. Teamwork is also an essential skill needed in any setting, but especially in healthcare settings, where work is often collaborative with many members of the healthcare team. Similarly, in a research setting, interdisciplinary work is highly valued. Empathy is also essential for healthcare providers.

What hard/technical skills are most important for registered dietitians?

Natalie Cooke PhD, RDN

Assistant Professor and Director of Undergraduate Programs for Nutrition Science, North Carolina State University

Different fields in healthcare will have competencies that they expect their professionals to have mastered. For example, a working group from the Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior created a list of Nutrition Educator Competencies for Promoting Healthy Individuals, Communities, and Food Systems (https://www.sneb.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Competencies_Page_21.pdf). These competencies are organized into ten categories: (1) Basic Food and Nutrition Knowledge; (2) Nutrition Across the Lifecycle; (3) Food Science; (4) Physical Activity; (5) Food and Nutrition Policy; (6) Agricultural Production and Food Systems; (7) Behavior and Education Theory; (8) Nutrition Education Program Design, Implementation, and Evaluation; (9) Written, Oral, and Social Media Communication; and (10) Nutrition Education Research Methods. A technical skill for a nutrition educator in the area of "Written, Oral, and Social Media Communication" is: "Engage and educate through simple, clear, and motivational language appropriate for diverse audiences." These technical or discipline-focused skills can be gained through engaging in internships and gaining work experience under the direction of nutrition educators and/or registered dietitian nutritionists (RDNs).

One way to learn what hard/technical skills are required of jobs is to start looking at job descriptions years before planning to apply for a job. That way, a student can carefully select experiences to help develop those skills over time, making them a stronger applicant for the job they wish to apply for in the future.

What registered dietitian skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?

Dr. Jeremy Akers Ph.D.

Dietetics, Graduate Program Director, James Madison University

Since you will be required to have a master's degree to sit for the RD exam in 2024, I would suggest thinking about pursuing a graduate degree.

What type of skills will young registered dietitians need?

Deborah Murray

Professor of Instruction, Ohio University

Telehealth will drive the need for communication-technology proficiency. The ability to critically think and analyze a patient/client situation is key. Active listening and strong communication skills have always been paramount in our profession. A well-honed ability to work within a team context is also huge. As we anticipate the future, I also think marketing and business skills could be quite valuable as well as the ability to network.

What technical skills for a registered dietitian stand out to employers?

Joyce O'Connor

Clinical Associate Professor, New York University

As mentioned above:
nutritional science implementation research skills
epidemiology and nutritional epidemiology Data analysis
program planning
Program evaluation
General skills our graduates demonstrate that stand out to employers
Critical thinking.
Collaborative teamwork
Professionalism
Ethics
Leadership.

Do you want to know more?

List of registered dietitian skills to add to your resume

The most important skills for a registered dietitian resume and required skills for a registered dietitian to have include:

Patients
Patient Care
Home Health
Medical Nutrition Therapy
Culinary
Rehabilitation
Nutrition Services
Nutrition Assessments
Nutrition Support
Nutrition Care Process
Therapeutic Diets
Oncology
Weight Loss
Nutritional Risk
Food Safety
Dietetic Interns

Enteral Nutrition
Nutrition Interventions
Compassion
MDS
Diabetes Education
Allergies
Weight Management
Food Preferences
Disease State
ICU
Eating Disorders
Senior Care
Federal Regulations
Menu Planning
Nursing Home
Food Handling

Tube Feedings
Hypertension
TPN
WIC
Nutrition Education Materials
Diet Education
GI
Health Fairs
Individual Nutrition
Meal Rounds
Food Allergies
Renal Disease
Heart Disease
Cardiovascular Disease
Healthy Lifestyle
Care Plan

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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Updated January 8, 2025

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