r/dietetics

Anyone have success long term in outpatient counseling? Every few months I get an overwhelming sense of burnt out dealing with patients who believe everything they read online, think they know more than me, or simply don’t want to make any changes. I feel like majority of my day I’m trying to convince people that what the influencers on TikTok said is not true. Not to mention the overhead of mental health issues and stress that contribute to a lot of people’s struggles that I just am not equipped to manage. What is the solution or pivot from here? I know there are some nutrition informatics jobs but they are far and few between. I would love to limit the 1:1 patient interactions as much as possible 😭

I’m an RD for 10 years and CDCES for a few years. A provider in the past 3 months became so nasty to me for no reason, literally for no reason according to my colleagues and clinical supervisor. I’ve been thinking about reporting her to HR. What are the chances that an RD gets some attention and voice out her right vs a doctor? And how should I start? Never been to HR unless for error in my paycheck or for orientation 😞 I’m feeling so hopeless and helpless. Can you please guide me?

Upcoming annual review and wanting to hear how have you negotiated a pay increase? Any thoughts on weekend differentials? I provide weekend coverage A LOT. And wondering if this is a thing for dietitians? 2% increase is a joke and now with increased cost of living (across the nation) I think it’s too little. Currently get paid $35 an hour (W2) WITH NO BENEFITS.

I’m an early-career Canadian RD working mainly in inpatient care, with some outpatient work. I’m not finding my current job overly fulfilling, and I’m trying to figure out which direction within or beyond dietetics I could really get excited about.

I enjoy clinical problem-solving, learning specialized skills, and feeling like my work makes a meaningful difference. I also enjoy being the knowledgeable, go-to person in an area. My interests include enteral/parenteral nutrition, feeding tube management, and diabetes management, especially medications, insulin, and diabetes technology. I have type 1 diabetes myself, so diabetes care has a personal connection for me too.

Part of what I’m struggling with is feeling undervalued by both patients and colleagues. I’d like a role where my expertise is sought out and I can see the impact of my work. Patient relationships matter to me, so I’d be hesitant to move into something where I lose that.

I’ve considered outpatient diabetes, pump/CGM education or clinical specialist roles with diabetes technology companies, and more specialized hospital positions. But I’d love to hear about paths I might not even know exist.

For those who enjoy your work:

- What’s your role, and what does a typical day actually look like?

- What makes it rewarding, and what are the downsides?

- How did you get into it?

Canadian perspectives would be especially helpful

I know no job is perfect! I’m hoping to find a direction that makes me more excited.

I'm interested in going back to school for nutrition/dietetics with a special interest in maternal/infant health. I have a bachelors in marketing and business administration so I believe I could build on that for my masters. However I'm hearing that RD is probably not worth it. I currently work part time doing outreach for an IBCLC and also have the option to get that cert on top of something with nutrition. I'm in Delaware and would be fulfilling a relatively niche need. The ability to bill insurance would be nice but I do think there's enough of a need for this service that people would possibly pay out of pocket. I'm just overwhelmed with the different certifications available and want to be as legit as possible if I end up not going for RD.

This is a strange scenario, but here we go.

I became a dietitian in 2019. I landed my first job in a home health agency where I went into unsafe situations alone, so I quit after 3 months (mainly diabetic patients and a few renal).

I then got a job at a detention center where I created menus under the NSLP guidelines, created and led all staff food safety trainings, worked a bit with medical (10-20 consults per month), led resident nutrition groups, and worked with local government partners to initiate good food purchasing practices. The food service director (my boss) did not like me and retired a year before I left. The next food service director took it VERY personally that I left only 6 months after he started, but I had finished my masters program and wanted to move into eating disorder work. It wasn’t personal to him. I was there for 5 years.

I then worked at a private practice (outpatient ED) for about 6 months before I had a personal traumatic experience occur. I do not remember quitting because this experience put me into a catatonic depressive state, but apparently I emailed my boss for medical leave and then resigned after being gone for 2 months. I had to receive ECT treatments which essentially erased my memory around the last 6 months from the incident. It also greatly affected my long term memory which I am still working on with neuropsych.

I am extremely nervous to start applying for jobs now that I am healed. I did my online masters program specifically to increase my clinical knowledge and now that information seems to be wiped from my brain due to the side effects of the ECT treatment. I am going to re-read the slides from my masters program presentations and review the text books to help jog my memory.

My main concern is that I did not gain many meaningful connections with my employers in my last few roles, so I don’t know who to put for my references or letters of recommendation. I understand it is my fault for not networking more, but I can’t go back now. I am too embarrassed to ask my last employer because I quit so suddenly and just told them I was having medical issues. It also has been 8 months since I left that job, so I’m not sure how to explain the gap in my resume during interviews.

If you were me, how would you continue to move forward? I’m scared I messed up my professional trajectory and I’m only 32.

Hey guys!!
I am currently studying nutrition science in undergrad and I love it a lot. I enjoy learning the material, communicating with my classmates, speaking to my professors and building a relationship with them and also sharing what I know with others. It’s just that my family is now pushing me into becoming a PA, because the classes are pretty similar in undergrad and also I will be having higher income.

I have a few hesitations on this, I am scared if I will have to retake my classes I doubt that I can get better grades. As an example for nutrition science at my college we only need fundamentals of organic chem, but if I become a PA I will need to take both organic chem I and II. I wanted to get your thoughts and opinions on this, I really enjoy this path and did this in hopes of being a dietitian but I always thought of becoming a PA as well further down the line.

Being a nutritionist/ dietitian is rewarding it’s like helping someone through preventative care, we don’t prescribe meds we help one by lifestyle changes. It’s almost like psychotherapy and therapy combined on food. People always think of nutritionists and dietitians as food haters. I always thought of us as natural healers. This career looks so rewarding but I just thought of income status, and “what-ifs”.

Anyways I would really appreciate input a lot! I hope you all have an amazing rest of your day or night! :)

I'd like to read books regarding dietetics/nutrition to choose between the two or if I should look into another path. Also, please suggest if dietetics is better or nutrition is better (with reason if you kindly would)!!
Im based in Australia

hey guys! i’m currently going to the university of arizona for my undergrad in dietetics. i’ll have my DPD and verification statement after i graduate with my BS. i was looking at an MS in nutrition sciences at UPenn for my masters degree because its an ivy league and want to have a better chance at getting into the Yale DI (i do have backup options as well, but Yale is my top choice). however, im a bit confused if it will fulfill my requirements to become an RDN? based on my research so far, it should qualify, but ive seen other comments of people saying it doesnt? i just want to ensure im not the right track when the time comes to apply to graduate school. let me know!!