Nutritionists are experts in nutrition and food. A licensed nutritionist can advise people on what to eat for a healthy lifestyle and can help them achieve specific weight goals. In the United States, for example, the "United States Bureau of Labor Statistics" forecasts that this sector in 2020 will have an employment rate greater than 20% compared to 2010 data; a much faster rate of growth than any other type of job.
Steps
Part 1 of 4: School Education
Step 1. Know the law
In Italy, the term "nutritionist" does not make much sense, since the figures recognized to operate in the field of human nutrition are only the dietician, the dietician and the nutritionist biologist. These three professions all work in the same field, but with different responsibilities and skills. In all three cases, however, a course of university studies is required, which can be accessed after having obtained the baccalaureate and after having passed an entrance test. The dietician and the nutritional biologist, after the master's degree (respectively in medicine and surgery and in biology) attend the school of specialization in food sciences, while the dietician holds a three-year degree.
Things change if you plan to study abroad. For example, if you want to become a nutritionist in the United States, know that each state in the confederation has different school regulations and programs in this regard, and you may have difficulty getting your degree recognized in the mother country
Step 2. Decide what kind of educational path you want to follow
Virtually all Italian universities offer a degree course in medicine and surgery, many in biology and some in dietetics. Find the university that meets your needs and prepare to pass the entrance test.
Virtually all scientific faculties are limited in number, given that the costs for maintaining the laboratories and compulsory attendance require a strict organization and the number of students must be limited. For this reason, prepare carefully in mathematics, physics, biology and chemistry, as these are the subjects of the test (there is also a section that analyzes your sense of logic and which is difficult to prepare for). Inquire at the university matriculation office, free preparation courses are often offered in view of the test
Step 3. If you have opted for a three-year degree in dietetics, consider taking an advanced specialization course or a master's degree to consolidate your preparation
The more the academic training is complete, the greater are the possibilities and future career opportunities. Once you have passed the final exam, you will be a licensed dietitian
Part 2 of 4: Obtaining the Qualification
Step 1. If you have opted to become a dietician, at the end of the degree course in medicine and surgery you will have to take the qualification exam and then access the specialist school
Passing this four-year university course also qualifies you for the profession. If you have chosen a career as a nutritional biologist, you will have to enroll in the competent register. In this link you can find all the necessary forms and information.
As a dietician, you do not need any state qualification, if you wish you can join the national dietitians association where you can meet with colleagues, attend seminars and keep your training updated
Step 2. Take the lessons
Attend all the lessons included in your study plan and try to pass the exams consistently. Depending on the career you have chosen in the nutritional field, the path has different times and methods. However, it is a scientific topic and courses in biology, chemistry, anatomy are on the agenda.
Step 3. Follow the mandatory internship
During the third year of the dietician degree course you will have to attend a practical internship which is an integral part of university education. As a dietician, on the other hand, clinical practice is foreseen during the last two years of training (in addition to those of the specialty school).
If you have not followed all the internship hours provided by your course, you will not be able to graduate
Step 4. Graduates
After passing all the exams and completing the internship, you can access the final exam and discuss your thesis. At the end of this last test you will be a dietician or nutritional biologist (after the specialty school) or a dietician.
- Remember that the sessions for the final exam during the year are scheduled in certain months and you must register well in advance, inquire at the secretariat of your faculty.
- Now that you have finished your course you can consider yourself a human nutrition operator!
Part 3 of 4: Working as a Licensed Nutritionist
Step 1. Join the register of nutritional biologists, pass the final exam as a dietician or graduate as a dietician
All three of these steps allow you, with different skills, to work in the field of human nutrition. The documentation and bureaucratic procedures for each of these outlets are different and you can find all the information at your university.
Remember that there will be fees to be paid both for registering with the register and for taking the final exam
Step 2. Search and find employment
You have many professional outlets at your disposal. As a dietician you can work in your own private clinic or in a private or public facility. As a dietician you can coordinate the preparation of meals in hospitals, schools or communities, you can collaborate with the competent ASL to control and ensure the hygiene levels of catering services, you can teach or collaborate with the food industry; in the medical field (planning of ad hoc diets) you are subject to the supervision of the doctor. The nutritionist biologist can determine the food and energy needs of the individual and propose solutions to solve certain problems; however, he must qualify as a "non-medical" figure, he cannot make diagnoses and prescribe drugs.
Given that, during the last year of the dietician degree course, you have to follow a compulsory internship, this is also an excellent opportunity to get in touch with future employers and move from school to employment. You will not find ads for the positions of dietician, dietician or nutrition biologist; however, you will be able to search among the calls for tenders for public facilities or get in touch with the food industry
Step 3. Consider specializing
As a human nutrition professional, you will have to deal with many topics. You could specialize in the geriatric sector, in the childhood sector, care for patients with diabetes or other specific diseases. This choice could also be determined by the environment in which you live, for example you may not be suitable for interpersonal relationships. Generally speaking, as a nutrition expert you will need to:
- Interact with patients, check their blood tests, neurochemical markers and other biological markers to understand how they metabolize food. You will also need to identify any imbalances that lead to poor nutrition and therefore worsening of the disease.
- Some nutritionists work for the ASL and for food production and handling control agencies. Their goal is to make sure that what a company declares on the packaging (ingredients, caloric intake, vitamins, amount of sodium and so on) is real.
- He works in the research field. This is the fastest growing sector when it comes to food and nutrition, and it also seems to be developing steadily. You can work in a research institute or university facility to improve the world's approach to food.
Step 4. Be prepared to do a long apprenticeship
In addition to the compulsory internship you did at university and the numerous night shifts in the hospital during graduate school (if you are a diabetic doctor), you will have to work for several months under the supervision of a manager.
At the end of your apprenticeship, regardless of the academic title you are entitled to, you will be an expert in human nutrition with even a little practical experience and you will be more confident and more prepared to tackle the job independently
Part 4 of 4: Having the Right Attitude
Step 1. Learn to treat patients
Nutritionists often deal with sick people and must understand their concerns and healing goals. In addition to the "medical" aspect of your role, you must also put your human side into play and become a "motivator" and a good listener to support the patient. Some people may have big problems sticking to the meal plan you have designed for them, you need to be prepared to help them overcome any obstacles they will encounter. After all, their health is up to you.
One of the parts of your job is to determine the individual's energy levels thanks to a series of tests and, by collecting an accurate medical history, you will also have to offer dietary advice. For this reason, be prepared to spend a lot of time talking to patients. To arrive at an in-depth assessment using a holistic method, you need to know much more about the patient than his or her eating habits; you will have to investigate his lifestyle, know his goals, his personal problems and fears, as well as his preferences for taste and culture
Step 2. Develop your analytical skills
You need to keep yourself constantly updated with the latest developments in food research and you need to be able to interpret scientific studies. Not everyone can understand statistical language, so you will also need to be able to “translate” scientific results into action and practical advice for your patients.
Practically every week, new studies are published on the health or harmful effects of various foods. Often these are contradictory results. As an experienced nutritionist, you need to be able to interpret these conflicts and develop an effective action plan for patients
Step 3. Get organized
You will have many patients with different needs and histories. You need to keep a well-organized and easily accessible archive. Plus you'll need to remember their names, their families and their personalities!
- Although it is a science-based work, it is also and above all an activity oriented towards people. So to have good relationships with patients, you need to give them the feeling that everyone is your only patient!
- If you have decided to have a private practice, this advice is absolutely vital. You will have to pay taxes, authorizations and work as if you were "a company". When the time comes for your tax return, you will be happy you did.
Step 4. Learn to communicate effectively
You will often have to explain complicated topics so that patients can understand them. It is not enough to tell them that some foods are good for you and others are not; you will need to be able to describe in a simple way the technical aspects and the medical reasons of the meal plan you have studied.
Imagine yourself as a bridge between you and science. You must know the scientific language and that of the average citizen. After all, people can do a regular online search to find out what they can and what they shouldn't eat, but it is you who, thanks to your personality and expertise, can simplify and make this very complicated topic accessible
Advice
- Unfortunately, many people illegally claim the title of nutritionist without having completed a regular course of study. Remember that a real nutritionist, or a health worker who deals with human nutrition, is a graduate doctor specializing in food science, a dietician who has a three-year degree in dietetics or a graduate in biology or pharmacy who has followed the food science graduate school. It should be emphasized that these last two figures follow a different specialist training path compared to graduates in medicine and surgery and they are precluded from the possibility of elaborating food plans.
- Nutritionists can open their own practice, but always under the supervision of a doctor. They can also collaborate with public or private health facilities, teach, plan the organization of meals for both the sick and the community of healthy people and collaborate with the bodies in charge in order to ensure the hygienic and sanitary conditions of the food preparation services.
