dietitian
[di″ĕ-tish´an] one concerned with the promotion of good health through proper diet and with the therapeutic use of diet in the treatment of disease. The dietitian may work in a variety of settings, including hospitals and other health care agencies, schools, hotels, and other commercial institutions where duties include both food service administration and therapeutic nutrition services, or may choose to enter the fields of education and research. Some dietitians practice independently either as consultants or private practitioners in the area of therapeutic dietetics.
A bachelor's degree with a major in foods and nutrition or institutional management is the minimal educational requirement for a dietitian. Registration in the American Dietetic Association (ADA) requires satisfactory completion of either a one-year dietetic internship in a program approved by the Association, or three years' experience, two of which must have been served under the supervision of a member of the ADA. Additional education on the graduate level is necessary to qualify for positions in teaching, public health nutrition, and other specialty areas. The address of the American Dietetic Association is 216 W. Jackson Blvd., Chicago, IL 60606-6995.
Registered dietitian (RD) one meeting qualifications of the Commission on Dietetic Registration of the American Dietetic Association.
Miller-Keane Encyclopedia and Dictionary of Medicine, Nursing, and Allied Health, Seventh Edition. © 2003 by Saunders, an imprint of Elsevier, Inc. All rights reserved.