Dietitians and nutritionists

About this job

Dietitians and nutritionists plan, implement and oversee nutrition and food service programs.

See what a day in the life of this job is like—watch WorkBC’s Career Trek video about this occupation.

Source: WorkBC’s Career Trek

People in this occupation:

work in a variety of settings including hospitals, home health-care agencies, extended care facilities, community health centres, the food and beverage industry, the pharmaceutical industry, educational institutions, sports organizations and government
may work as private consultants

Common job titles

consultant, nutrition
dietician
dietitian - nutritionist

dietitian, clinical / community
nutritionist, clinical / community

Professional dietitian
RD (registered dietitian)
RDN (registered dietitian-nutritionist)

researcher, nutrition and dietetics

consultant, nutrition
dietician
dietitian - nutritionist
dietitian, clinical / community
nutritionist, clinical / community
Professional dietitian

RD (registered dietitian)
RDN (registered dietitian-nutritionist)
researcher, nutrition and dietetics

Earnings

Annual provincial median salary

$75,374

Source: 2016 Job Bank Wage data

Note:Estimated median employment income based on 2016 Job Bank median hourly wage rate (median annual salary = hourly wage rate x 40 (hours per week) x 52.14 (weeks per year))

Provincial hourly rate

High
Median
Low

Source: 2016 Job Bank Wage Report

B.C. Labour Market Outlook (2017-2027)

Provincial outlook

Forecasted average employment growth rate

2017 - 2022
2022 - 2027

Source: B.C. Labour Market Outlook

Job openings

10 year expected job openings: 640

2017
2022
2027

Source: B.C. Labour Market Outlook

Composition of job openings

New jobs due to economic growth:
39.8%
250 openings

Replacement of retiring workers:
60.2%
380 openings

Source: B.C. Labour Market Outlook

Regional outlook

Cariboo

Employment in 2017:

N/A

Average annual employment growth:

N/A

Expected number of job openings:

N/A

Kootenay

Employment in 2017:

N/A

Average annual employment growth:

N/A

Expected number of job openings:

N/A

Mainland / Southwest

Employment in 2017:

940

Average annual employment growth:

2.0%

Expected number of job openings:

460

North Coast & Nechako

Employment in 2017:

N/A

Average annual employment growth:

N/A

Expected number of job openings:

N/A

Northeast

Employment in 2017:

N/A

Average annual employment growth:

N/A

Expected number of job openings:

N/A

Thompson-Okanagan

Employment in 2017:

130

Average annual employment growth:

0.4%

Expected number of job openings:

40

Vancouver Island / Coast

Employment in 2017:

300

Average annual employment growth:

1.1%

Expected number of job openings:

130

N/A - Data not available

Source: B.C. Labour Market Outlook

Duties

Dietitians and nutritionists:

develop, manage and supervise nutrition and food preparation and service programs in hospitals, nursing homes, schools, company cafeterias or similar settings
evaluate nutritional status of individuals
provide nutrition counselling and consulting to health professionals, dietetic interns, community groups, government, media and individuals
help to prevent and/or treat poor nutrition
plan, review and run nutrition education programs
develop educational materials for various audiences
practice on an individual basis or as a member of an mixed professional team to decide the nutritional needs of patients and to plan normal and therapeutic menus
study and analyze current scientific nutritional studies
do research to improve the nutritional value, taste, appearance and preparation of food
work within industry in the development, testing and evaluation, and marketing of food and nutrition products
work as a company representative supplying product-related information to health professionals
speak with other health professionals, community groups, government and the media to give a range of nutrition information
supervise training of dietetic interns

Special duties

Dietitians and nutritionists may specialize in areas such as administrative dietetics, clinical dietetics, community dietetics, public health dietetics or research dietetics.

Work environment

Key aspects of the work in this occupation:

Work generally takes place in a conventional indoor environment.

Workforce and employment statistics

Workforce characteristics

1,200 workers are employed

44% of workers are working mostly full time

Source: 2011 National Household Survey

Employment by gender

Men

Women

Source: 2011 National Household Survey

Employment by age group

15 - 24 years

25 - 44 years

45 - 64 years

65+ years

Source: 2011 National Household Survey

Labour force by industry

Health Care and Social Assistance:

78%

Wholesale Trade¹:

7%

Retail Trade¹:

7%

Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services:

5%

Public Administration:

3%

View more industry data

Source: 2011 National Household Survey

Note:¹Data represents Wholesale and Retail Trade and will be updated when the 2017 data is available from Statistics Canada.

Employment by region

% employment of this occupation

% employment of all occupations

Cariboo

Kootenay

Mainland / Southwest

North Coast & Nechako

Northeast

Thompson-Okanagan

Vancouver Island / Coast

Source: 2011 National Household Survey

Job requirements

Education, training & qualifications

Dietitians require a bachelor's or master's degree in dietetics, nutrition or a related field such as food and nutritional science or biochemistry
and
A period of supervised practical training.
Registration with a regulatory body is required in all provinces for dietitians.
Membership in the national association, Dietitians of Canada, may be required for dietitians to practise.
Nutritionists usually require similar education and training as dietitians.
Registration with a regulatory body is required for nutritionists in Nova Scotia, (as a registered dietitian-nutritionist) in New Brunswick, Quebec and Alberta.
Membership with the national association, Dietitians of Canada, and/or a provincial regulatory body is available for nutritionists who have the same education and practical training as dietitians.

As of July 1, 2017 when the Canadian Free Trade Agreement (CFTA) came into force, you will not need significant additional training, experience, testing or assessment if your qualifications or certificates are recognized by a Canadian regulatory authority. This applies whether you were trained in Canada or internationally. Learn about labour mobility at www.workersmobility.ca. For information about labour mobility and foreign qualifications recognition, contact the B.C. regulator for your occupation.

Skills

Numerical Ability
Directive
Verbal & Written Comprehension
Clerical Ability
Detail-Oriented

View skills definitions

Education programs in B.C.

The following program areas are related to this occupation:

Nutrition and Dietary Related

For more information about programs offered specifically for this career, visit EducationPlannerBC.

Related careers

Career paths and resources

Career paths

Dietitians and nutritionists may progress to management positions through additional experience.

Additional resources

Dietitians of Canada
www.dietitians.ca
Dietitians Services at HealthlinkBC
www.healthlinkbc.ca/healthyeating/dietitian-services.html
Fraser Health – Careers
careers.fraserhealth.ca
Government of B.C., Human Resources for the B.C. Public Service
www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/careers-myhr/job-seekers/current-job-postings
Health Sciences Association of BC
www.hsabc.org
HealthlinkBC – Careers
www.healthlinkbc.ca/abouthealthlinkbc/careers
Hospital Employees' Union
www.heu.org
Interior Health – Careers
www.interiorhealth.ca/careers/Pages/default.aspx
International Confederation of Dietetic Associations
www.internationaldietetics.org
Island Health – Careers
www.viha.ca/careers
Northern Health – Careers
careers.northernhealth.ca
Provincial Health Services Authority (PHSA) – Careers
www.phsa.ca/careers
Vancouver Coastal Health – Careers
careers.vch.ca

Dietitians and nutritionists (NOC 3132)

About this job

Earnings

Annual provincial median salary

Provincial hourly rate

B.C. Labour Market Outlook (2017-2027)

Provincial outlook

Forecasted average employment growth rate

Job openings

Composition of job openings

Regional outlook

Duties

Special duties

Work environment

Workforce and employment statistics

Workforce characteristics

Employment by gender

Employment by age group

Labour force by industry

Employment by region

Job requirements

Education, training & qualifications

Skills

Education programs in B.C.

Related careers

Career paths and resources

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