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If there is one thing that unites humanity, it’s food. Everybody needs to eat to survive! And while so many people struggle to eat three square meals a day because of the lack of food, sometimes we face the problem of figuring out what, when, and how much to eat.
We also deal with eating disorders that affect our overall health. All these need more than just intelligent guesses and self-study!
This is where the field of nutrition and dietetics comes into the picture. Nutritionists and dieticians (also spelled “dietitians”) are qualified health professionals trained to diagnose, assess, and treat health problems at an individual level and work to solve health concerns at the public health level.
The work of these nutrition and dietetics professionals varies from private clinics to bigger hospitals and government departments. Affiliations with organizations and advocates like the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics can propel your practice to success.
The Lowdown
Dieticians use food science and nutrition to help people improve their overall health. These professionals focus on specific populations, facilities, and initiatives, including creating individual nutritional therapies and developing nutrition programs.
The Bureau of Labor and Statistics has pointed out that employment for dieticians and nutritionists will grow by 7% from 2022 to 2032. Therefore, dieticians should never stop learning and affiliate with the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and similar organizations, ensuring they are updated with the latest in the field!
Continuing Education (CE Courses) for Dieticians
Whether a bachelor’s or master’s degree holder, a registered dietician should grab continuing education courses or CE opportunities for career development.
Continuing education units in CE programs are very crucial for dieticians. These nutrition and dietetics programs help them improve patient care and health outcomes.
Beyond self-study, these can only be achieved if dieticians develop and maintain their nutrition skills, knowledge, and behaviors essential to promoting health and the diagnosis and treatment of chronic diseases.
CEU opportunities come in the form of free webinars, short-term classes delivered in-person or online, and similar courses!
Malnutrition, Muscle Loss, and Body Composition:
Latest Advances & Innovations for the Future
Abbott Nutrition Health Institute
This is a free CE series presented by Abbott Nutrition Research during their 119th conference recently held. It focuses on muscle loss, body composition, malnutrition, and more. This six-module series offering free continuing education credits comprised of:
- The Future of Nutrition Intervention for Addressing Malnutrition & Muscle Loss: Dr. Phillip J. Atherton, AFHEA, talks about the proof of mechanisms that cause loss of strength, muscle mass, and physical functions. It also reviews data on nutrients/ingredients and interventions still under investigation to support physical function and strength.
- Malnutrition and Muscle Loss: Healthy Aging: Samuel Chew talks about eating habits, nutrition, and dietetics knowledge in community-dwelling older adults, and the effects of aging on muscle health. He also elaborates on other topics like conditions of frailty and sarcopenia, and many more.
- Update on Malnutrition, Muscle Loss & Body Composition. M. Christina Gonzales, MD, Ph.D., gives a rundown on the key concepts relative to malnutrition and muscle assessment. She also talks about the clinical implications of low muscle mass and malnutrition and examines the latest advances in body composition assessment.
- Malnutrition and Muscle Loss: Immunity and COVID-19. Francesco Landi, MD, Ph.D., describes the correlation between the nutrition status of patients. He also reviews new data on COVID-19 and how it affects nutrition care—from hospital to home and translates recent knowledge for nutritional management for COVID-19 patients into practical guidance for clinicians.
- The Future of Body Composition. Jeroen Molinger, MSc, reviews the present body composition testing techniques used in research versus clinical presence. He also describes the latest technology in measuring muscle mass and studies new ultrasound advancements for testing body composition.
- The Future of Muscle Immunity. You will study how muscles interact with adult immunity, know the impact of low muscle mass, and identify how clinicians assess muscle mass and patient immunity.
Best Features:
- 100% online and free
- Offer CEUs for free of up to 3.0 RN CE or 2.5 RD CPEU
Current Challenges in Pediatric Cystic Fibrosis Care: Implications for Nutrition and Well-Being
Abbott Nutrition Health Institute
This free CE is a short course where you will learn to recognize the growing evidence in pediatric cystic fibrosis that affects nutritional management.
You will also review the nutritional management and needs of children suffering from cystic fibrosis in line with new therapies and discover how COVID-19 creates a psychological impact of new therapies for pediatric patients.
Upon completion of this comprehensive continuing education or CE course, attendees are expected to:
- Recognize the growing evidence in pediatric cystic fibrosis that influences nutritional management
- Study the nutritional needs and management of children with cystic fibrosis
The course is handled by two well-respected UK-based dieticians:
Christy Smith, RD, BSC, MBDA: a pediatric dietician with more than 18 years of experience in clinical dietetics. Currently, he is the lead pediatric acute dietician in a team of 10 specialist dieticians at the Royal Alexandra Children’s Hospital in Brighton.
Sally Harris, Ph.D., CLINPSYD, MSC, BSC, CPSYCHOLAFBPSS: a pediatric clinical and health psychologist who deals with children with chronic health conditions. She uses different therapeutic approaches but is particularly keen on Cognitive Behavior Therapy and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy.
Best Features:
- 100% online and free
- Certificates available upon request
- The course is very quick but informative
Enteral Tube Feeding 101
Abbott Nutrition Health Institute
This 54-minute free CE course teaches you about enteral tube feeding and examines the many contraindications and indications for using such feeding.
This also talks about identifying the types of enteral access devices, going over the types of enteral formulas, and distinguishing between enteral feeding methods.
The CE course by Abbott seeks to develop attendees’ ability to:
- Distinguish enteral tube feeding
- Talk about the different indications and contraindications for the use of enteral tube feeding
- Discuss the classifications for enteral formulas
- Distinguish the different enteral feeding methods (bolus, cyclic, intermittent, and continuous).
The lecture is handled by Allison Krall, a clinical dietician from the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. She has worked in the field of nutrition for more than 20 years. She was also the Lead Dietician/Clinical Coordinator and Clinical Instructor at the Ohio State University.
Best Features:
- 100% online and free
- Continuing Education Units: Dietician CPEU: 1.0
- CDR Level: 1
Dietician Code of Ethics
Dietician360
Every dietician is required to complete a Code of Ethics course. This continuing education course, published by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and the Commission on Dietetic Registration, is specific to nutrition and dietetic practitioners.
This continuing education or CE course explores the right direction for professional practice and conduct. Learn more about ethical expectations and understand how you can fulfill your obligations and commitment to the public, your clients, the profession, your colleagues, and all others to whom you serve.
This free CE course is for RDNs and NDTRs. You must have at least 1 CPEU of Continuing Professional Education in Ethics during each 5-year recertification cycle to re-certify.
Best Features:
- 100% online and fee
- CPEU: 1
- This course satisfies the mandatory ethics requirement for re-certification cycles.
Probiotics in Pediatric Nutrition: How Should We Be Counseling Parents?
Nestlé Nutrition Institute
This free, 45-minute continuing education course gives you 0.75 CPEU credit hours discussing the legitimacy of information on products containing prebiotics.
This continuing education course talks about how you, as a dietician, can help parents separate the hype from the facts.
In free webinars like this, three experts will help bridge that gap between the latest practices in counseling parents about the use of probiotics and the clinical proof based on the proper role of probiotics in every child’s health and development.
Best Features:
- 100% online and free recorded webinars
- 0.75 CPEU credits
- Runtime: 45 minutes
Nutrition in Cancer Therapy: Opportunities for Prevention and Treatment
Nestlé Nutrition Institute
This continuing education course reviews the most recent evidence about the role of nutrition intervention in preventing and treating cancer.
You will learn how CT scans act as predictors of outcomes, and you get to learn how to identify hidden sarcopenia and how cancer death is closely related to chronic inflammation.
CEU opportunities like this also review some of the most common nutrition supplements like fish oils, proteins, vitamin D, antioxidants, probiotics, and the latest in Specialized pro-resolving Mediators (SPMs).
Best Features:
- 100% online and free
- 1.00 CPEU for registered dietitians
- 1.00 contact hours for nurses
- Runtime: 56 minutes
Probiotics in the NICU: Evidence and Controversies
Pediatric Nutrition Continuing Education for Clinicians
University of Miami Clinical Pediatrics professor Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine Teresa del Moral, MD, MPH, Ph.D. discusses the importance of premature infant dysbiosis.
He is a neonatologist with a special interest in neonatal resuscitation, nutrition, and probiotic use who elaborates on how the intestinal microbiota is manipulated using probiotics and the controversies surrounding probiotics, including premature newborns, as well as the possibility of minimizing the risk of necrotizing enterocolitis.
This continuing education course is intended for pediatric physicians, advanced practice clinicians, nurses, dieticians, and other healthcare workers who are interested in newborns, infants, and toddlers.
Best Features:
- 100% online and free
- Course Credit: 0.50 CDR Contact Hour; 0.50 ANCC Contact Hour
- The course only takes half an hour to complete
Ethics and the Dietician In the Digital Age
SkellySkills.com
Some 88% of adults aged 18-29, 78% of adults aged 30-49, and 64% aged 50-64 report using at least one social media channel. For dieticians and other healthcare professionals, interacting with clients through social media is now essential in this day and age.
Best Features:
- 100% online and free
- CPE Level: 2
- The course includes the CE Evaluation/Reporting Form
Neonatal Opioid Withdrawal Syndrome
Abbott Nutrition Health Institute
This course teaches you everything about NOWS (Neonatal Opioid Withdrawal Syndrome). There is also a discussion on the incidence and trends of NOWS in the US. Feeding options and scoring tools for opioid-exposed infants are also topics, along with a review of pharmacologic options for NOWS.
Best Features:
- 100% online and free
- The webinar only takes 47 minutes
- Certificate available upon request
Ethics Isn’t Optional: Academy of Nutrition & Dietetics Code of Ethics
Becky Dorner and Associates
Designed for RDNs, CDEs, and NDTRs, this Dietetics CE course follows the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Code of Ethics for nutrition and dietetics professionals. It provides general guidelines and specific ethical standards for situations constantly encountered in daily practice.
The main goal of the code of ethics is to protect individuals, groups, communities, and organizations with whom you, as a practitioner, work and interact.
After completing this course, you should be able to:
- Show an understanding of situations that may result in ethical dilemmas
- Use logical steps in your approach to making decisions ethically
- Study work-pace situations so you can identify where there is a violation of the Code of Ethics
Best Features:
- 100% online and free
- CPE Level: 2
- CPE Certificate: 1
Popular Areas Where Dieticians Typically Work
Here are some of the job specializations for dieticians:
Critical Care Dieticians
Their nutritional needs will also change for patients with life-threatening injuries/illnesses. A critical care dietician ensures that the patient gets the proper amount of nutrition to support the patient’s recovery.
Critical care dieticians work with other skilled staff that support patients in the intensive care unit. From consultants to nurses to other health professionals, dieticians provide optimum nutritional care to a patient.
Cystic Fibrosis Dieticians
These health professionals help you eat the best and right foods for you. They also inform you what enzymes you need to take and when you should take them to get the best nutrition from what you eat.
Diabetes Dieticians
They are the ones that help manage a patient’s diabetes by improving the blood glucose level. They also help patients achieve a healthy lifestyle and diet in the best possible way for them and their diabetes.
Food Allergy Dieticians
These are dieticians who are experts in intolerance or allergies to foods. They work with hospital cooks, doctors, and nurses to ensure that patients get the right diagnosis and treatments needed.
Gastroenterology Dieticians
For people who have conditions affecting their liver, stomach, pancreas, colon, or small intestine, gastroenterology dieticians can help them. For example, Liver Disease, Crohn’s Disease, or Coeliac Disease are known conditions that stop the body from absorbing food properly. When left unattended, this can cause uncomfortable symptoms.
All of these also require professionals to get the best CEU opportunities and even get free CEU or continuing education units for professional practice. They must also comply with the rules of the practice, as advocated by organizations like the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is becoming a Registered Dietician worth it?
If you want to become a registered dietician, know that this happy learning path is something you should not take lightly! It requires a deep passion for all things nutrition or dietetics and requires research and self-study.
Compared with nutritionists, the field of dietetics needs specific education, training, licensure, and experience. But everything is worth it, considering you get to work on something you’re passionate about and happy learning from while you earn decent pay! Get up-to-date industry information as a Registered Dietician from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics!
The Bureau of Labor Statistics has asserted that the 2023 national median pay for nutritionists and registered dietitians or dieticians was $71,280 per year. The top 10% of the highest earners made more than $98,830 per year.
In the same year, the BLS recorded 73,000 jobs in the field. They expect this number to increase by 11% by 2032.
What are the other career paths of dieticians?
Registered Dietitians or dieticians also have many different career paths. Options include:
- Management Dieticians work in food service settings like hospitals, cafeterias, prisons, or schools, where they handle food programs.
- Community Dieticians who develop food programs and counsel the community on topics related to health, nutrition, and food.
- Clinical Dieticians give medical nutrition therapies and develop customized nutritional programs based on the health needs of their patients.
Regardless of the career path, dietetics is indeed an amazing field to specialize in, and getting a free CEU is a boost to your credentials! As a registered dietician, you can make good money in non-profit organizations, private entities, and government sectors.
You can engage in self-study, complete continuing education programs, and are expected to affiliate with the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
What is the difference between a dietician and a nutritionist?
Dieticians and nutritionists are both experts in diet and food. They are trained and highly knowledgeable in maintaining good health and preventing or treating health conditions. With their similar qualifications and credentials, it’s easy to mislabel dieticians and nutritionists.
While these two professions share a few similarities in terms of responsibilities, these should not be used interchangeably. To put it simply, the roles of dieticians are more regulated than those of nutritionists.
In terms of education, dieticians have more education and credentials. In most states, you can consider yourself a nutritionist even if you lack any formal nutrition education, licensing, training, or certification offered through CEU opportunities, but it is illegal to be labeled a registered dietician without proper credentialing.
Dietician or Nutritionist: which is better for you?
The two major differences between a dietician and a nutritionist are:
- In most states, only a registered dietician can counsel people about specific diet plans.
- Only registered dieticians are allowed to diagnose and treat medical conditions. This is known as medical nutrition therapy.
Each professional’s practice is limited by state laws. In the US, anyone can call themselves a ‘nutritionist’ although there is still a more protected title of a CNS (a certified nutrition specialist). This title refers to someone who has met and complied with all requirements to pass the Board for Certification of Nutrition Specialists exam (why explains why the title is protected).
While registered dieticians can prescribe nutrition therapies, a CNS can only organize public health programs and talk about healthy diets.
Either profession requires a serious deal of self-study to keep up with the latest in the industry. A requirement to keep up in this important work is continuing education! Grabbing the many free CEU opportunities–many of which are free CEU programs–can make a world of difference in your practice!
Key Takeaways
The right career path for you will largely depend on what your career goals are:
- There are bachelor’s and master’s degree programs for these disciplines, but upon earning a relevant degree, look into ACEND-approved degree programs.
- Suppose you are into promoting population and individual-level health and not considering giving medical nutrition therapies to people. In that case, a CEPH-accredited Master of Public Health with a concentration in dietetics and nutrition may be your best choice.
- Enrolling in Continuing Education (CE) courses or classes that offer CEUs. CE credits are a must to stay on top of the profession and continue the practice!
- Self-study is expected of health professionals, but you must get continuing education credits and pursue continuing education units. Check the laws in the state where you plan on practicing professionally and consider an affiliation with the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics!
Studying diets and nutrition promises happy learning, especially if you are passionate about health! Earn the right degree and take advantage of free CEU opportunities!
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