Dietitians and nutritionists

Source: Job Bank Canada. Wages may vary by region and experience.

• This group performs some or all of the following duties:
• Develop, implement and evaluate nutrition programs and services for individuals, communities and populations
• Manage food service systems in hospitals, long-term care facilities, schools, privately owned-food service outlets or similar settings
• Provide nutrition guidance, label interpretation and consultation services to health professionals, individuals, dietetic interns, community groups, government and the media
• Evaluate nutritional status of individuals and aid in the prevention and/or treatment of inadequate nutrition
• Plan, evaluate and conduct nutrition education programs and develop educational materials for various audiences
• Practice on an individual basis or as a member of an interdisciplinary team to determine nutritional needs of patients and to plan, implement and evaluate normal and therapeutic diets to maintain and enhance general health
• Analyze current scientific nutritional studies, conduct research and evaluate program effectiveness to improve the nutritional value, taste, appearance and preparation of food
• Work within industry in the development, testing and evaluation, and marketing of food and nutrition products or as a company representative supplying product related information to health professionals
• Confer with other health professionals, community groups, government and the media to provide consultation and advice in areas of nutrition interpretation, intervention and policy
• Supervise training of dietetic interns.
• Dietitians and nutritionists may specialize in areas such as administrative dietetics, clinical dietetics, community dietetics, public health nutrition or research dietetics.

• Dietitians require a bachelor's degree in dietetics, nutrition or a related field such as food and nutritional science from a program accredited by the Partnership for Dietetic Education and Practice (PDEP), and a period of supervised practical training.
• Successful completion of the Canadian Dietetic Registration Exam (CDRE) is required in all provinces except Quebec.
• Registration with a regulatory body is required in all provinces for dietitians.
• Membership in the national association, Dietitians of Canada, is voluntary.
• Registration with a regulatory body is required for nutritionists in Nova Scotia, Quebec and Alberta. In the remaining provinces, nutritionists may require the same education and practical training as dietitians.
• Membership with the national association, Dietitians of Canada, and/or a provincial regulatory body is available for nutritionists who have the same education and practical training as dietitians.