Dietitians and Nutritionists

• Monitor food service operations to ensure conformance to nutritional, safety, sanitation and quality standards.
• Advise patients and their families on nutritional principles, dietary plans and diet modifications, and food selection and preparation.
• Counsel individuals and groups on basic rules of good nutrition, healthy eating habits, and nutrition monitoring to improve their quality of life.
• Consult with physicians and health care personnel to determine nutritional needs and diet restrictions of patient or client.
• Plan, conduct, and evaluate dietary, nutritional, and epidemiological research.
• Write research reports and other publications to document and communicate research findings.
• Purchase food in accordance with health and safety codes.
• Manage quantity food service departments or clinical and community nutrition services.
• Coordinate diet counseling services.
• Make recommendations regarding public policy, such as nutrition labeling, food fortification, and nutrition standards for school programs.
• Inspect meals served for conformance to prescribed diets and standards of palatability and appearance.
• Select, train and supervise workers who plan, prepare and serve meals.
• Organize, develop, analyze, test, and prepare special meals such as low-fat, low-cholesterol and chemical-free meals.
• Prepare and administer budgets for food, equipment and supplies.
• Plan and prepare grant proposals to request program funding.
• Develop curriculum and prepare manuals, visual aids, course outlines, and other materials used in teaching.
• Advise food service managers and organizations on sanitation, safety procedures, menu development, budgeting, and planning to assist with the establishment, operation, and evaluation of food service facilities and nutrition programs.
• Plan and conduct training programs in dietetics, nutrition, and institutional management and administration for medical students, health-care personnel and the general public.
• Develop policies for food service or nutritional programs to assist in health promotion and disease control.
• Coordinate recipe development and standardization and develop new menus for independent food service operations.

Source: O*NET OnLine information for Dietitians and Nutritionists.

• Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
• Monitoring - Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
• Coordination - Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
• Learning Strategies - Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
• Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
• Instructing - Teaching others how to do something.
• Social Perceptiveness - Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.

Source: O*NET OnLine information for Dietitians and Nutritionists.