Dietitian
A dietitian, also known as a medical dietitian or a dietician, is a professional who specialises in diagnosing and treating malnutrition caused by disease, as well as in administering medical nutrition therapy. For instance, a dietitian might be responsible for developing a routine for enteral tube feedings or for reducing the effects of cancer cachexia. There are a lot of dietitians who work in hospitals, and they typically only see patients for whom a nutritional assessment and intervention has been requested by a nurse or a doctor. This might be the case, for instance, if a patient has lost the ability to swallow or needs artificial nutrition because of intestinal failure. Dietitians are regulated medical professionals who are licenced to evaluate, diagnose, and treat conditions similar to these. The term "dietitian" is considered a "protected title" in the United Kingdom. This means that it is against the law to refer to oneself as a dietitian if one does not have the required schooling and registration.
A registered dietitian (RD) in the United Kingdom and the United States of America, or a registered dietitian nutritionist (RDN) in the United States, has fulfilled all of a specific set of academic and professional requirements. These requirements include the completion of a bachelor's and/or master's degree programme in nutrition and dietetics (or equivalent). In addition to this, you will need to complete at least one internship (in the United States) or clinical placement (in the United Kingdom). Either the university will assign and keep track of them for you as part of the structured degree programme that you are enrolled in (in the UK), or you may apply for them on your own (USA).
Roughly half of all registered dietitian nutritionists (RD(N)s) have earned advanced degrees, and a significant number of them have certifications in specialised areas such as nutrition support, sports nutrition, paediatric nutrition, renal nutrition, oncological nutrition, food allergy nutrition, or gerontological nutrition. The medical and surgical history of a patient, as well as their biochemistry, food history, eating habits, and exercise routines, often serve as the foundation for an assessment, despite the fact that the priorities of assessment change depending on the expert field. A treatment plan is negotiated between the RD(N) and the patient, and this plan may include medications. Follow-up sessions often centre on maintenance and evaluating progress made in the treatment plan.
The majority of RDs are employed in the treatment and prevention of illness (by giving medical nutrition therapy, as part of medical teams), often in hospitals, health-maintenance organisations, private clinics, or other types of health-care institutions. In addition, a significant number of registered dietitians are employed in contexts pertaining to community and public health, as well as in academic and research capacities. Non-traditional contexts for dietetics are becoming more popular as places of employment for dietitians. These settings include the media industry, sports nutrition, corporate wellness initiatives, and the food business.