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Perhaps the most noble and rewarding of all
professions are those that help people maintain, regain and enhance health as
well as prevent and cope with disease. One such profession is the nutritionist
or nutrition specialist. Considering that nutrition plays a major role in
determining our state of health and our susceptibility to many diseases, and
that the USDA has reported that only 10% of Americans have a “good diet”, the
well-educated nutrition professional is perfectly poised to make a major
difference in the health and wellbeing of Americans and people all over the
world.
How does a Nutritionist differ from a Dietician? You may notice that we did not use the term "dietician" in the preceeding paragraph. Consequently, you may wonder how a nutritionist differs from a dietician. Naturally, there are various opinions on how best to answer this question. From HCHS’s perspective, a nutritionist is a health specialist who devotes his/her professional activity to food/nutrition science and education, preventive nutrition, diseases related to nutrient deficiencies, and the use of nutrient manipulation (including dietary supplements) to promote wellness and enhance the clinical response to the promotion of health.
The nutritionist’s scope of practice consists of expertise in:
- Taking and evaluating clients nutritional and medical histories to assess nutritional needs
- Evaluating the results of laboratory tests to assess nutritional needs
- Developing plans of nutritional therapy and counseling
- Engaging in patient follow-up to assess outcomes of nutritional therapy and counseling
- Educating clients and the public at large about nutrition
- Making appropriate referrals to other health care specialists
These nutrition related functions are performed by nutritionists with a high degree of excellence. The nutritionist does not specifically specialize, nor hold him/herself out as being expert, in kitchen management, management of private, public, and governmental food facilities, menu planning, labor relations, and other technical matters within the purview of the dietitian.
A nutritionist has demonstrated proficiency a broad range of post-secondary subjects, including basic sciences, nutrition and dietary supplement sciences, and nutrition assessment and counseling.
What will be your contribution to the profession?
Clearly you have an interest in being such a well-educated nutrition professional, or you wouldn’t be reading this now. We commend you! Perhaps you’re interested in practicing in a clinical setting; or perhaps your contribution will be in a corporate, athletic or retail environment. You may even have the greatest impact as an educator, or by writing books or articles to enlighten the public about the importance of nutrition in their lives. Although HCHS cannot guarantee your employment as a nutrition professional, we can guarantee that you'll receive a quality nutrition education to help you on your career and life path.
Following is a list of possible career paths that a diploma or degree from HCHS may take you:
- Clinical nutrition. Private nutrition counseling services provide individual consultations for people experiencing weight problems, lack of energy, or physical illness. There may also be administrative or clerical support opportunities in a private practice, multi-specialty medical clinic, or even a web-based nutrition counseling service.
- Food manufacturers. Food product development, testing, and marketing are important in food manufacturing and processing companies that require the expertise of nutrition professionals.
- Dietary supplement manufacturers. Dietary supplement manufactures require educated nutrition professionals with an expertise in dietary supplement science to help in the research, development, marketing and sales of dietary supplements.
- Retail stores. Organic markets, natural food stores, and retail vitamin and supplement outlets appreciate having staff who have specialized knowledge of nutrition. And many supermarkets these days have whole sections devoted to organic foods.
- Dietary supplement sales. Many high-quality vitamin and mineral supplement distributors rely on personal sales consultants to market their products independently. These products may be marketed by phone, mail, retail, or Internet sales.
- Nutrition education. School, recreation, community, and civic groups appreciate learning the fundamentals of making proper food choices. Nutrition education services are often found in fitness centers as well.
- Post-secondary nutrition education. Graduates of the M.S. degree in nutrition may have opportunities to teach nutrition courses at community colleges or distance learning institutions.
- Weight loss centers. Weight management and diet centers develop dieting regimens geared to safe weight reduction and helping clients achieve ideal weights. They may employ assistants, who could have the opportunity to interact with clients one-on-one.
- Corporate wellness programs. Many companies invest in their employees’ health and fitness by sponsoring wellness programs, including in-house workout rooms, nutrition counseling, and personal training. Nutrition experts often play key roles in the operation of successful corporate wellness programs.
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