6 Benefits of Being a Registered Dietitian
When you initially pursued your education in nutrition to become a Registered Dietitian, I’m sure you felt excited, passionate, and hopeful for your future RD career. However, when you entered the workforce as an RD, you quickly realized how overworked and underpaid many RDs are. Working some of these jobs can be extremely draining and it can trick you into thinking that you’ve fallen out of love with nutrition. Let me tell you, it’s the position, not your lack of passion for nutrition, that has you feeling this way!
I talk to so many RDs that feel hopeless after spending years getting their degree in nutrition, completing their internship, passing their national exam, and finally getting this license. They don’t feel fulfilled in their jobs and they just don’t know how to reconcile all this time they spent pursuing this passion. But, I am here to say that you did NOT make a mistake! There are so many benefits to being a Registered Dietitian—you just need tools to change your PERSPECTIVE and unlock your POTENTIAL! There are ways to reignite your love for nutrition!
So, today, I’ll be explaining a few of the biggest benefits to becoming a Registered Dietitian. These are advantages I’ve discovered in my years as an RD working first in the traditional setting before building my private practice and realizing my passion for nutrition business coaching. I take so much pride in my role as an RD and now I get to help hundreds of others just like you who want to make a difference with their work and gain fulfillment while doing it!
Here are the advantages of being a Registered Dietitian:
6 Benefits of Being a Registered Dietitian
It provides plenty of job and specialization possibilities.
As an RD, there are hundreds of jobs you can do with your expertise! Whether you’re looking for something in a traditional employment setting (like a hospital or clinic) or want to pursue a private dietetics practice, the options are as limitless as your passion and imagination! Not only does being an RD allow you to fulfill lots of roles, but it also allows you to specialize, so you can transform the lives of those you feel led to serve—whether that’s helping people with food allergies develop meal plans or counseling those with eating disorders. Nutrition impacts all aspects of wellness and everyone needs proper nutrition to thrive. The point is, there are people out there that need your wisdom, support, and perspective.
Still not convinced there’s a wealth of opportunity out there for you? I promise there is! Here are just some of the roles you could fill to make and impact and pursue your goals as a nutrition expert:
Clinical dietitian
Sports nutritionist
Wellness coach
Public health nutritionist
Research dietitian
Eating disorder specialist
Oncology dietitian
Weight management specialist
Allergist dietitian
Rehabilitation dietitian
Culinary nutritionist
Nutritional therapist
Food product developer
Food policy advocate
Nutrition consultant
Menu planner
Recipe developer
Nutrigenomics specialist
College or university professor
Maternal and infant nutritionist
Nutrition program coordinator
Farm-to-table nutritionist
Functional medicine practitioner
Integrative nutritionist
Food industry consultant
That’s just the tip of the iceberg! You can channel whatever passion you have into ambition by empowering yourself to pursue a private practice and build it into the meaningful career you dreamed about in college!
There are lots of collaboration and networking opportunities.
As RDs, we’re always looking to be effective avenues for change—whether that be impacting one person’s life for the better or transforming the way the world understands nutrition. Registered Dietitians get a unique opportunity to always be networking and collaborating with others in the industry to learn, grow, and improve public health.
Since nutrition encompasses every aspect of wellness, as an RD you often work with multidisciplinary teams to find solutions for your clients. When everyone is working together to pursue a common goal the results are POWERFUL and incredibly fulfilling.
You’ll always be learning and growing.
There are many aspects of health that are extremely straightforward. Many health disciplines have clear answers and facts that their work is based on, but nutrition is constantly evolving! That means as RDs we’re constantly engaging in more education and training to adapt and learn from this ever-evolving field. It’s exciting and allows us to become more equipped to help people!
For RDs continuing education is a given. We know that our calling demands we go far beyond the required education to be the best at what we do and do the most for the clients we serve. As a life-long learner (like all RDs), I love this aspect of our field! There is always space to improve, adapt, and discover!
You can work for yourself and be flexible.
I think sometimes RDs forget that they are their greatest asset. Many (depending on your specialization, of course) don’t need to be bound to a facility. You hold all the expertise, resources, and drive you need to have a meaningful career in nutrition and dietetics. So, if you’re feeling burnt out and underpaid, it’s time to do this thing on your own! One of the biggest benefits of being an RD is that you can have your own private practice and be your own boss!
When you work for yourself, you can have true freedom with your career. You can pursue the specialization you desire. You can work when and where you want. And, you can build programs and systems based on your perspective and expertise. Is it easy? No, but it’s so worth it and I believe it’s the ticket to achieving not only a sense of fulfillment in your role as an RD, but it can also be the key to feeling satisfied with your income!
Like I said, this is not easy. I struggled for years to get my business off the ground, but I took everything I learned along the way and I realized so much about how RDs can find success working for themselves. That’s why I became a dietitian business coach! My goal is to help you build your own practice or reignite growth in your struggling business. I know that traditional business coaching isn’t what you need. You need a custom approach that understands the challenges, strengths, and nuances of nutrition and dietetics. That’s what my programs offer!
To unlock your full potential and reap all the benefits of being a Registered Dietitian, it’s time to shape your own private practice into a SUCCESSFUL, PROFITABLE, AND TRANSFORMATIVE business. You have it in you, and the world needs your passion.
It can be highly profitable.
There are plenty of pros and cons of being a dietitian in health care or other traditional employment settings. However, one of the biggest detractors is your limited income potential. Often, RDs aren’t respected like the other providers in the facility and this is evident in everything from workload to treatment to salary. But, your value is worth far more than most positions will offer!
The way to realize your true income potential is pursuing your own online private practice. Of course, there are benefits to having your own practice that I’ve already discussed, like flexible schedules, focused specialization, and meaningful client connections, but another HUGE advantage is your income potential. When you work for yourself, the fee your clients pay all goes to you. It doesn’t go to maintaining a facility, a staff, and a CEO’s salary. This means you can earn way more than you ever did working in clinics, hospitals, and long-term care facilities. You decide what you earn and you get every dime!
Any career will be meaningful and impactful.
Most of all, Registered Dietitians get the incredible privilege of making a real impact. You have the expertise, compassion, and drive to powerfully influence people’s health and wellness. Whether it’s teaching them about healthy eating, curating their custom nutrition plans, empowering them to maintain better eating habits, or giving them the tools to find relief from chronic health conditions, what RDs do matter!
There is absolutely nothing more gratifying than helping a client find hope and healing through nutrition. You can change their lives and have a profound influence on your clients. And, this is why you went into nutrition and dietetics in the first place, right? That dream is still there, you just need your own practice to turn that dream into a reality!
You can find fulfillment as a Registered Dietitian with a private practice!
No matter where you are now with your career, your decision to become a Registered Dietitian was a good one. There are so many benefits to having a career in nutrition and dietetics, you just need to hone your skills and find your path. It’s time to hire a nutrition business coach to learn how to turn your passion into a profitable, private practice. Join me and my community, together we’ll help you uncover your potential and fall back in love with nutrition!