Difference between Dietitian, Nutritionist and hygiene officer jobs?
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Dear Emanmostafa868,
From the same university that I go, the only difference that we get are, Dietitians have internships or training in a hospital setting, plan meals for patient and are registered.
A nutritionist are very basic term whereby anyone with a sound knowledge of nutrition can be called a nutritionist. In certain country, nutritionists shall also be registered on annual basis.
Hygiene officer is someone who has a sound knowledge on food safety and microbiological understanding.
You can easily google the terms. I would say that a Dietitians can do all the job of a nutritionist and hygiene officer,
A Nutritionist can do a job of hygiene officer,
A hygiene officer may not be able to do a job of a nutritionist unless he/she practice Nutrition.
Hope the above helps.
Dieticians usually work in clinical settings, work with individuals and typically set meals plans and personal interventions for a specific purpose. The term "dietician" is protected, so only someone with sufficient qualification and training can call themselves a dietician.
A nutritionist covers a broader field. They can be public based so working directly with public clients, or work on public group interventions. They can be industry based so working for a food manufacturer on product nutrition and development. They can be sports based so working with a professional athlete or team and setting diets to complement training. Unfortunately the term "nutritionist" is not yet protected in the UK so anyone can call themselves a "nutritional therapist" without relevant education - something that has always annoyed me. With three years professional experience and an accredited degree a nutritionist can register with the Nutrition Society and become a registered nutritionist.
I myself did a degree in nutrition a few years ago. It covered a range of areas, food safety being one and hence my chosen path.
I haven't really come across the titled role "hygiene officer" per se but what Sparkle said makes sense - less of a specific nutrient/diet based knowledge and more food safety and microbiology, similar to what I do now I guess.
Emanmostafa868 can I ask if you're looking at these as a career path?
The USA is similar to what zanorias stated for the UK.
In the US, to become a dietitian according to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics
The 5 Steps- Complete a bachelor's degree and receive a verification statement from an ACEND-accredited program (Didactic Program in Dietetics, Coordinated Program, Future Graduate Program, Foreign or International Dietitian Education Program) Note, effective January 1, 2024, a graduate degree will be required to be eligible to take the Commission on Dietetic Registration. (Dietetic registration exam.)
- Complete an ACEND-accredited supervised practice dietetic internship program or Individual Supervised Practice Pathway is an option. Supervised practice/experiential learning is combined with the Coordinated Program, Future Graduate Program, and International Dietitian Education Program.
- Pass the Commission on Dietetic Registration's dietetic registration exam.
- Gain licensure in your state of practice, if applicable.
- Maintain continuing education.
Basically the traditional route to become a dietitian - get a 4 year degree in nutrition. Apply for an accredited internship. Complete it and take the national exam. Once you've passed, your now an Registered Dietitian. You then can work in a variety of settings - many work in a healthcare setting but others like myself work in the food industry.
As for a nutritionist - anyone can call themselves that. So a dietitian can be a nutritionist but a nutritionist may not be a dietitian.
As for a hygiene officer, it's not a specific term used. But the description above makes sense.