Job description Registered Dietitian (RD) in Alberta

Find out what work is like for a registered dietitian (RD) in Canada. This work description is applicable to all Dietitians and nutritionists (NOC 31121).

Dietitians and nutritionists

Description

Dietitians and nutritionists assess nutrition related issues of individuals and groups and develop, implement and evaluate nutrition care plans to prevent, treat and manage disease. They manage food and nutrition service systems, and plan health promotion programs. They are employed in a variety of settings including hospitals, home health-care agencies and extended care facilities, community health centres, the food, beverage and pharmaceutical industries, educational institutions, and government and sports organizations, or they may work as private consultants.

Work week duration

Dietitians and nutritionists usually work between 35 to 40 hours per week.
Between 35 to 40 hours

Job duties

Here are some of the main activities and tasks that Dietitians and nutritionists have to perform, and some of the physical demands they involve:

  • Develop, implement and evaluate nutrition programs and services for individuals, communities and populations
  • Manage food service systems in hospitals, long-term care facilities, schools, privately owned-food service outlets 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 diets 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.

Physical demands Help - Physical Demands

  • Sitting

Physical demands

Physical demands are the physical activities that the job requires the worker to do. Physical demands are selected according to the likeliness that workers will have to perform them for at least half of the time they spend at work.

Workplaces and employers

Here are the typical workplaces where Dietitians and nutritionists are employed and some of their main characteristics:

  • Community and public health centres
  • Extended care facilities
  • Sports organizations
  • Home health-care agencies
  • Self-employed
  • Food and beverage industry
  • Hospitals
  • Governments
  • Education institutions

Work environment Help - Physical Work Environment

  • Indoors, environmentally controlled

Physical proximity from others Help - Physical proximity from others

  • Close (at arm’s length)

Work environment

The work environment refers to the physical setting in which people work. The characteristics and conditions of the work environment are selected according to the likeliness that workers will be exposed to them at least once a week.

Physical proximity from others

Physical proximity from others refers to the physical distance between individuals in the workplace. The likeliness that the job requires to perform tasks while being physically close to other people is rated on a scale with 3 levels: "Somewhat close", "Close" and "Very close".

Related job titles

Here are some other related job titles that are found in the same occupational category (NOC 31121), and a list of similar occupations:

  • 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

Similar occupations Help - Similar occupations

Similar occupations

This section lists other occupations that are part of the same broad occupational category as Dietitians and nutritionists in the National Occupational Classification (NOC). These occupations involve similar core qualifications but involve different responsibilities. To see more similar occupations, use the Job Transition Tool.

Sources Occupational and Skills Information System & National Occupational Classification

Labour Market Information Survey
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