anyone go through the system of becoming a registered dietitian?

[mrwoodberry]

How did it go?

can you have a life outside of school?

why do they offer the DPD or the CPD? seems like it would make more sense to go with CPD

can you have a part time job through the program?

[JoeCannonMSCSCS]

Sure you can have a life outside school. Im not an RD but I do hear the test is pretty difficult and you have to do an unpaid 1000 internship.

joe

[GuinnessStrong]

Costs a lot more than a thousand. My wife's about to start her internship and it'll set us back a nice chunk of change. It also is a very competitive field so just getting into the internship can take a few years of hard work after the 4 year degree. During the internship, I'll probably barely see her and when I do she'll be doing homework. Worth 11 months of that for the boost she'll get out of the license. She's also doing a diabetes emphasis which means another whole round of study, testing, and cash out the door. Ups your final salary though (if you can pass all the tests along the way).

[foodandfitness]

Yeah, I did it. You definitely have to pay your dues. If it's what you love to do, then go for it. I'd say it went pretty well since I'm doing what I love every day and getting paid for it.

[SFT]

Do you want to be a dietitian, trainer, or not as good at both? You can certainly become an RD and have much better knowledge than most trainers when it comes to nutrition. However, keeping up with this knowledge would take away from time that you could be doing continuing education for your duties as a trainer. Likewise, if you are practicing as an RD, this will be time that you won't be personal training.

When working with general populations, I think the RD is great marketing point, but I would also suggest that 90% of general population clients don't need anything more than basic diet interventions. Teach them about portion control, how to make healthy foods taste good, how to control hunger urges, eat the right number of Calories, establishing goals and healthy habits, and other basic education without stepping over the line. If they are diabetic, then have them visit an RD. Other diseases or disorders, visit the RD. You can also make yourself more marketable by getting a nutrition certification (inexpensive). I would just say that you should be careful and make sure that whatever advice you give is appropriate given your local laws.