Dietitian

Dietitians diagnose and treat people with nutrition problems and help them to make healthy lifestyle and dietary choices.

• Starter salary£32,000 a year
• Experienced£48,000 a year
• Typical hours37 to 40 a week

What you'll do

As a dietitian, you could:

• assess patients and diagnose dietary issues
• create personalised treatment plans with patients
• monitor patients' progress and adjust treatments as necessary
• provide practical and sensitive dietary and medication advice
• support people living with or recovering from disease
• run community clinics for issues like food allergies or weight loss
• manage a caseload and update confidential clinical records
• work closely with other health professionals
• raise awareness of the importance of diet and healthy eating

Working environment

You could work in an NHS or private hospital, in the community, at a research facility or at a health centre.

Your working environment may be emotionally demanding.

Skills and knowledge you'll need

You'll need:

• knowledge of biology
• active listening skills
• sensitivity and understanding
• excellent verbal communication skills
• to be thorough and pay attention to detail
• diagnosing, monitoring and recording skills
• the ability to work well with others
• patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations
• to be able to use a computer and the main software packages competently

How to become a dietitian

You can get into this job through:

• a university course
• an apprenticeship
• working towards this role

University

You'll need a degree or postgraduate qualification in dietetics or human nutrition, accredited by the British Dietetic Association .

You might be able to take a postgraduate course if you already have a degree that includes a sufficient level of human physiology and biochemistry.

You might be able to get extra student financial support through the NHS Learning Support Fund .

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

• 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English, maths and science
• 2 or 3 A levels, or equivalent, including biology or chemistry
• a degree in a relevant subject for postgraduate study

Apprenticeship

You may be able to apply for a Dietitian Level 6 Degree Apprenticeship, with an NHS trust.

This typically takes around 4 years to complete and is a mix of workplace learning and academic study at an approved university.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

• 2 to 3 A levels, or equivalent, preferably including biology, for a degree apprenticeship

Work

You could work as a dietetic assistant or an assistant practitioner in the health service and study part time for a degree, or degree apprenticeship, to qualify as a dietitian.

Volunteering

Volunteering in the NHS is a good way to get work experience in healthcare. This can be helpful when you apply for jobs or training.

You can also find opportunities through The National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) and Do it .

Restrictions and requirements

You'll need to:

• pass enhanced background checks as you may work with children and vulnerable adults

Career path and progression

With experience you could become a team leader or department manager. You could also become a self-employed dietitian.

You might choose to specialise in a particular area, for example diabetes, weight management, cancer care or eating disorders.

You could also use your skills and knowledge to work in:

• health promotion and education
• medical and technology research
• food manufacturing
• sports nutrition

Career tips

You would be expected to have an understanding of how the NHS values would apply in your work.

Professional and industry bodies

You could join the British Dietetic Association for professional development opportunities, access to resources and to make contacts.

Registration

• you'll need to register with the Health and Care Professions Council

Guides for this industry

• Health & Social Care: pay, interviews and getting started →

Related roles

• Job roleNutritionist
• Job roleFood scientist
• Job roleNutritional therapist
• Job roleConsumer scientist
• Job roleHealth promotion specialist

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0