Dietician Career Description
Dieticians are involved in the science of nutrition. They strive to maintain good health and to prevent and control disease, in
people from all walks of life and from varying socio-economic backgrounds.
What am I going to do in this occupation?
The type of activities dieticians perform, vary according to the specific field in which they are employed. These include the following options:
Health authorities
Dieticians are employed by health authorities to formulate policies concerning nutrition, to plan strategies to execute official policy and to monitor execution of policy.
Community nutrition
Dieticians provide the public with information on how to maintain good health and prevent nutrition-related disease. They play an important role in Primary Health Care by planning the nutritional education of a community and by training the health workers and teachers to convey the information. Monitoring the implementation of food distributing schemes is another duty of dieticians. Community dieticians must render an advisory and evaluating service to all state-subsidized institutions in their regions.
Hospitals
Dieticians employed by hospitals are indispensable members of the medical team concerned with patient care. They see to it that patients and staff are provided with attractive and nutritious meals. They plan therapeutic diets prescribed by a physician for specific patients. Hospital dieticians' duties include food service management, therapeutic nutrition, training and research.
Food service management
Dieticians must compile menus and orders, plan production and control the quality of food served to patients. Personnel and financial management constitute an important part of the dietician's duties.
Therapeutic nutrition
Dieticians attend ward rounds with other members of the multi-disciplinary health team, suggest appropriate nutritional care programmes and plan therapeutic diets in accordance with the doctor's prescription. They provide dietetic counseling to patients in hospitals and at clinics.
Training
Hospital dieticians are responsible for the practical training of dietetic, food service management and food service supervision students. Lectures on the importance of nutrition in regaining and maintaining health are given to students from related professions and to health workers. In-service training of food production personnel is another duty.
Research
Dieticians are involved in the planning and execution of research projects related to food, nutrition and the nutritional status of the population.
Dieticians are employed by the Medical Research Council where intensive research is undertaken in connection with the possible relationship between food and disease.
Teaching
Persons in possession of a B.Dietetic degree plus an additional teaching qualification can be appointed as teachers. Lecturing at technikons, training colleges or universities is another possible career.
Journalism and public relations
Dieticians can be employed to produce articles for newspapers, magazines or newsletters for companies or organisations. They are called on to disseminate nutritional information on radio or television. They are employed as representatives or public relation officers by firms needing their expertise.
Consulting dieticians
Consulting dieticians work· in their own private practices and are available to doctors, patients, hospitals, the public and private companies. They utilise their expertise to consult on matters relating to therapeutic nutrition, food service management, community nutrition and training.
Business leadership
Because management forms an integral part of the dietician's work, further qualifications leading to a career in management seems a natural development.
Requirements
What kind of personality do I need? Dieticians should possess leadership and managerial qualities, be calm, self-assertive and should have a sincere desire to assist people. Dieticians should also have good communication skills. In order to convince people of the necessity of change to a healthier life-style, the ability to influence and motivate people in a diplomatic way is also very important.
Where can I work?
Dieticians can pursue a career in food service management, community nutrition, therapeutic nutrition, research, education or private practice. Pharmaceutical companies employ dieticians to sell their nutrition products.
Dieticians can be employed by health authorities, universities, the Medical Research Council, the mining industry, hospitals and other commercial industries.
Can I work for myself in this occupation?
Dieticians can start private practices in therapeutic nutrition, community nutrition or food service management.
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