Nutrition Careers

Possible Pathways for Careers in Nutrition 

Certificate and Diploma Graduates

People who complete a Certificate or Diploma in Nutrition may have the following career options:

• Private Practice as a nutritionist
• Nutritionist in a health food shop
• Technical or customer service role in a nutritional medicine company
• Sales representative in a nutritional medicine company
• Nutrition journalist
• Nutritionist in a variety of institutions
• Nutritionist in a fitness centre
• Other specialist positions in the field of nutrition.
  Articulation to a Bachelors Degree or other higher degree

University Graduates (Bachelors Degree or higher)

Generally a Bachelors degree is required to work as a dietician.

Other options do exist in some countries though; for example, membership of a Dieticians Association may be achieved through either

a/ an appropriate recognised qualification

or

What we eat has a huge impact on our health, and nutritional counsellors help advise and guide people to eat a balanced diet to maintain good health. If you are interested in food, nutrition and health, and enjoy communicating with people, this may be the career path for you.

Nutritional counsellors or nutritionists may educate others on health and the establishment of a well-balanced diet.
Nutritional counselling and advice may help others identify their problems with food, and the physical consequences of not eating well.
Education about the nutritional values of food can be of particular benefit to a person with physical problems, and can complement the medical treatment that person is receiving from a medical practitioner.
Nutritional counsellors or nutritionists may work in conjunction with other professionals.

A nutritional counsellor’s role may include:

• understanding nutritional science – the role and benefits of particular vitamins and minerals
• interpreting nutrition science – explain what a client needs to take to address a nutritional issue
• assessing people's nutritional needs 
• advising on nutrition and diet for general good health and well being or for special needs such as sport
• implementing nutrition services and programs
• teaching others about better health and well being.

Employment in the field of Nutrition is varied.

Many people are self  employed, counselling clients on how to eat better. Others write articles in food magazines or news columns and blogs to advise people. Some work in a retail food shop or health shop. These are just a few of many avenues that you can explore. Employment in this field may be part time, full time, casual or permanent.

Depending on where you are living, career opportunities can be quite different – of course, a larger city provides more opportunities in general. A background in Nutrition can be utilized in many different industries at a variety of levels. Other qualifications and certificates may be beneficial to secure positions at management or higher levels.

Remuneration and advancement opportunities depend on where and how you are practicing in this field. If you are counselling in nutrition, the price for one half hour session may vary from not much more than the minimum wage to over four times that rate. This may depend greatly on whether you are working in your own practice and location, and your specialities.

Extra study in a specialised area will make your skills more competitive. After some time in the business, many nutritionists decide to specialise in fields such as weight loss, fertility, childhood – especially ADD and Autism, sports such as performance and weight lifting. Or you can simply become a specialist vegan nutrition counsellor, making sure that those people not eating meat, fish, or other animal products get the right amount of nourishment and vitamins. If you are working on your own, advancement will depend on you and what you want to add to your skills. If working for others, it will depend on what industry they are in and what they find beneficial.

Risks and challenges
Working for yourself can be much more secure than working for others, but having to pay the bills and finding clients on your own may be stressful. Some jobs put heavier demands on people than others. Some are very stressful; others very laid back. Working for others may be less stressful as there is less responsibility, but you may also feel the stress of having to work times that you cannot control. Mostly, the field of Nutrition is very rewarding and gives you much pleasure as you help others to better health.

Another risk worth considering is the possibility of providing advice which is either incorrect, has an adverse response for the client, or is perceived by the client to be incorrect. It is important to ensure you have appropriate insurance to cover you for situations like this.

How to become a Nutritional Counsellor
In many countries, the nutrition industry is not government regulated, however high level jobs in big organisations (eg. Hospital Dietician) are more commonly filled by more highly trained experts. There are many excellent vocational training courses that deliver information from people working in the industry. Depending on your background, your personal attributes, and your passion for the industry, completing a two or three years of full time study for a diploma or degree may or may not be necessary.

It will be in your best interests if you can gain work experience, or work alongside a practicing nutritionist or similar while you are studying, so you can develop a sound understanding and gain valuable clinical experience.

Once you have finished your studies you will need to decide whether to go into practice by yourself, gain employment, or work under the umbrella of an existing health clinic, gym, or similar. Many people find that it is beneficial at first to try to gain employment or work with an existing team if possible, then move into self-employment. This, however, may or may not be possible. Many nutrition counsellors will work for themselves.

When planning on being self-employed, it is advised to gain at least basic business skills. You will also need to develop strong marketing and networking skills in order to build your business.

When you have started practicing, it is important that you keep up to date with changes in the field, and latest research. It is good to be a part of seminars on nutrition and health. Most nutritional supplement companies have seminars a few times a year to give the latest research on many different subjects. Also, universities and other schools sometimes hire specialists in the field for sharing the latest research and approaches to nutrition. You will also find academic Journals covering research innovations and latest studies in nutrition and dietetics.

[19/04/2024 00:53:13]

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