If you have health problems that require you to eat a special diet, the person who designed that diet was probably a dietitian. It's a term and a position that is often confused with "nutritionist." While the two professions have similar goals, they follow a different path to reach them. Both are committed to healthy lifestyles and a better quality of life through dietary planning and implementation, but the requirements of each profession vary.
Education
Dietitians must have a bachelor's degree in dietetics to call themselves dietitians. Nutritionists face no such requirement, though many are well qualified and often have completed programs in Dietetics from private colleges and universities. The distinction is blurred, according to Rob Parker, a Canadian Dietitian, because Nutritionist is not a "protected term." That means that anybody with a small amount of schooling or no schooling at all can call themselves a nutritionist. That is not the case with dietitians.
The American Dietetic Association, or ADA, recognizes dietitians who have passed a national exam as "Registered Dietitians" or "RDs." The absence of an RD after the title of dietitian does not mean that the person has not completed the required schooling. It only means they have not taken the ADA exam, which is optional as of 2010. Graduates of Associate-level, or two-year, programs in dietetics are referred to as "Dietetic Technicians, Registered" or DTRs.
Approach
Both dietitians and nutritionists can be meal planners and dietetic counselors. Disreputable nutritionists using the title without a background in dietetics or food science are common, but they are not the norm. Most often, nutritionists are people with an interest in nutrition who have pursued some education and combined that with nutritional experience culled from lives spent in athletics or fitness instruction.
Dietitians are more likely to prepare science-based programs for both healthy and sick individuals, some of whom need of special care. Clinical dietitians work in medical facilities designing menus and working with patients who have special dietary needs, like those with heart disease and cancer.
Licensure
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 46 states have laws governing the dietetics professions. Only 33 require dietitians to obtain a license, while 12 simply require a statutory certification and one state mandates registration only. Under the statutory certification model and the registration model, unregistered professionals are still permitted to practice, according to the Commission on Dietetic Registration, a division of the ADA.
Some masters programs in dietetics confer upon graduates the title of nutritionist, further blurring the distinction between the two titles. Consumers seeking dietary guidance should look beyond the title and into the qualifications of the individual before settling on a course of action.
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