Nutritionist or Dietician
What is the Difference between a Dietician and a Nutritionist?
Ever wondered about the difference between a Registered Dietician and a "nutritionist"? Here are the facts:
- The title "Registered Dietician", "Professional Dietician", and "Dietician" are protected by law -- through provincial legislation -- so that only qualified practitioners who have met education qualifications can use that title.
- Dieticians who have met national standards for education and training and who are members of the provincial regulatory bodies can use one of the following designations -- RD, PDt or RDt (or the French equivalent Dt.P.).
- A dietician is a health professional who has a Bachelor's degree, specializing in foods and nutrition, as well as a period of practical training in a hospital or community setting. Many dieticians further their knowledge by pursuing a Master's or Doctoral degree.
- Dieticians are members of a provincially regulated profession that has Public Protection as their mandate. Dieticians are held accountable for their conduct and the care they provide.
- The term Nutritionist is not protected by law in all provinces so people with different levels of training and knowledge can all themselves a "Nutritionist". The title "Nutritionist" is protected for dieticians in some provinces and dieticians do use the title "nutritionists". As the term "nutritionist' is not a protected title in some provinces, you should contact your provincial regulatory body to ensure that you are receiving services from a dietician.
- A variety of titles have been used by unqualified people to describe their involvement in nutrition related practice. Many use the term "registered" with a variation of "nutrition" as a title. You should be careful to ensure that the person is a qualified nutrition professional. If you are seeking the services of a consulting dietician, use the Find a Dietician database on the DC public website to obtain a list of private practice dieticians in your area.
- Typically dieticians working in a hospital or health care institution will have a job title that uses the term "dietician" and will focus on clinical care of the patient or manage the food service. Dieticians working in community settings will typically have a job title that uses "nutritionist" and focus on healthy eating and wellness at various stages of the lifecycle.
Ref.: Dietitians of Canada
