Today is Dietitian’s Day in Canada, and in honour of today, I felt this myth to be the most appropriate one to tackle….
To begin, I’d like to say that it has taken me a long time, but I finally don’t feel the need to immediately correct anyone who calls me a nutritionist. I mean seriously, who wants to be corrected over something that seems so trivial? The fact, however, is that this is not so trivial to most members of my profession; nor is it, if truth be told, to me.
RD. Registered Dietitian. I love those little letters after my name and I worked hard to get them there. It starts with a Bachelors Degree in Science, encompassing a surprising range of topics such as nutritional biochemistry, food science, business management, statistics, community nutrition, life cycle nutrition, accounting, medical nomenclature, and most importantly, medical nutrition therapy (MNT). MNT is where we learn about the nutrition management of every condition we could squeeze into four semesters: diabetes, kidney disease, anemia, cholesterol, hypertension, celiac disease, lactose intolerance, cancer, and the list goes on and on.
Once done with the scholarly portion we are then required to have a one year internship where we do on-the-job training, often in a hospital setting. This is where all of the learning we’ve done has a chance to really come to life. In some cases, including my own, the internship was done in a “coordinated program,” meaning that it took place concurrently with the in-school portion. That certainly made for an extremely intense couple of years!
Finally, we are then qualified to sit for the Dietetic Registration Exam. Upon passing, we are legally allowed to call ourselves “Registered dietitians” or simply “dietitians”. These are protected terms – no one in Canada or the US is allowed to use these titles unless they have gone through this same process. So, when you choose to work with an RD, you know you’re getting someone with an extensive background in food, nutrition, and disease management.
The same, unfortunately, cannot be said for nutritionists. This is not to say that there are not some extremely knowledgeable and effective nutritionists out there, but it is truly a “buyer beware” situation. Honestly, anyone can call themselves a “nutritionist”. There’s no specific degree required. No special training. No exam. No license and no regulatory board.
So you see why RDs get all antsy at being referred to as nutritionists? Wouldn’t you in the same position? So, please make an RD happy and call her a dietitian. And wish her a Happy Dietitian’s Day, while you’re at it!
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