What is a Licensed Dietitian?

A Licensed Dietitian is someone who works with patients to assess their weight, height, and eating habits in order to come up with the healthiest nutrition plan for their body. Dietitians use their knowledge of biochemistry, physiology, food management, and behavioral science to assess food and nutrition on both an individual and societal level. They come up with individualized meal plans for patients that meet certain nutritional requirements that the patient is missing, they provide health and nutrition education in community settings, and they work for various food service organizations (like those that provide food for school, hospital, and business cafeterias) to ensure certain quality and nutritional standards are met.

Types of Work Environments

  • Hospitals
  • Neonatal intensive care units
  • Nursing homes
  • Private practices
  • Community organizations promoting health and wellness
  • Food services organizations
  • Research facilities at universities, government divisions, food and beverage companies, and pharmaceutical companies (here they study the effects of food products in existence and development).

Education and Training Requirements

Dietitians working in Ohio must be licensed by the state. The minimum education requirements for licensure in Ohio are a bachelor's degree in dietetics or a closely related field (such as nutrition) and 900 hours of supervised field experience. With this experience a dietitian will be eligible to hold a limited permit. Once the student or candidate has passed the state-approved exam, then they will be awarded a full license.

Salary

According to salary.com, the median salary for a licensed dietitian is $69,763 per year.

Professional Organization

The Ohio Board of Dietetics

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