National Occupational Classification (NOC) 2016 Version 1.3
- 3 - Health occupations
- 31 - Professional occupations in health (except nursing)
- 313 - Pharmacists, dietitians and nutritionists
3132 - Dietitians and nutritionists
Dietitians and nutritionists plan, implement and oversee nutrition and food service programs. They are employed in a variety of settings including hospitals, home health-care agencies and extended care facilities, community health centres, the food and beverage industry, educational institutions, and government and sports organizations, or they may work as private consultants.
Illustrative example(s)
- administrative dietitian
- clinical dietitian
- community nutritionist
- consultant dietitian
- dietitian
- dietitian-nutritionist
- nutrition specialist
- nutritionist
- public health dietitian
- public health nutritionist
- registered dietitian (RD)
- research dietitian
Exclusion(s)
- Dietary technicians (See 3219 Other medical technologists and technicians (except dental health))
- Directors of dietetics (See 0311 Managers in health care)
- Food service supervisors (See 6311 Food service supervisors)
- Home economists (See 4164 Social policy researchers, consultants and program officers)
Main duties
This group performs some or all of the following duties:
- Develop, administer and supervise nutrition and food preparation and service programs in hospitals, nursing homes, schools, company cafeterias or similar settings
- Provide nutrition guidance, label interpretation and consultation services to health professionals, individuals, dietetic interns, community groups, government and the media
- Evaluate nutritional status of individuals and aid in the prevention and/or treatment of inadequate nutrition
- Plan, evaluate and conduct nutrition education programs and develop educational materials for various audiences
- Practice on an individual basis or as a member of an interdisciplinary team to determine nutritional needs of patients and to plan, implement and evaluate normal and therapeutic menus to maintain and enhance general health
- Analyze current scientific nutritional studies, conduct research and evaluate program effectiveness to improve the nutritional value, taste, appearance and preparation of food
- Work within industry in the development, testing and evaluation, and marketing of food and nutrition products or as a company representative supplying product related information to health professionals
- Confer with other health professionals, community groups, government and the media to provide consultation and advice in areas of nutrition interpretation, intervention and policy
- Supervise training of dietetic interns.
Dietitians and nutritionists may specialize in areas such as administrative dietetics, clinical dietetics, community dietetics, public health nutrition or research dietetics.
Employment requirements
- Dietitians require a bachelor's or master's degree in dietetics, nutrition or a related field such as food and nutritional science or biochemistry
and
A period of supervised practical training. - Registration with a regulatory body is required in all provinces for dietitians.
- Membership in the national association, Dietitians of Canada, may be required for dietitians to practise.
- Nutritionists usually require similar education and training as dietitians.
- Registration with a regulatory body is required for nutritionists in Nova Scotia, (as a registered dietitian-nutritionist) in New Brunswick, Quebec and Alberta.
- Membership with the national association, Dietitians of Canada, and/or a provincial regulatory body is available for nutritionists who have the same education and practical training as dietitians.
- Dietitians require a bachelor's or master's degree in dietetics, nutrition or a related field such as food and nutritional science or biochemistry
Additional information
- Dietitians and nutritionists may progress to management positions through additional experience.
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