Career Options & Prospects of a Dietician

• Clinical dieticians: They work in hospitals, nursing homes etc and provide nutritional services to the patients there.

• Community dieticians: They work in places like public health clinics etc and counsel individuals about prevention of diseases and promotion of good health.
• Management dieticians: They oversee the meal planning etc in company cafeterias, prisons, schools etc.
• Consultant dieticians: They work either on a contract with healthcare facilities or have their own private practice. 
• Sports dieticians: They work closely with sports persons and regulate their dietary intake to improve their performance.

Career Prospects

Qualified dietitians are usually employed by in hospitals or by community and public health settings. You can also find opportunities in sectors like sport, media, education and research. Dietitians can also work for food manufacturers, food retails and pharmaceutical companies. Here they are expected to give unbiased advice on nutrition, produce literature, respond to customer concerns and set nutritional standards for the companies.Dieticians can also venture in to the research sector where they can develop and test new ways of working in the field and keep other health professionals informed about the outcomes. At a senior level they may also train other healthcare workers like nurses etc. Some dietitians work with the media ensuring that consistent, accurate messages are conveyed. They may write articles for newspapers or magazines or appear in TV and radio programmes.


Payoff

A qualified dietician with a diploma can start off with around Rs 8,000-10,000 working in hospitals. Those with a master’s degree can start at Rs 11,000-15,000 per month. Spas, slimming centres and other renowned health centres offer a good package if you are well qualified and competent.