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Difference between Dietitian, Nutritionist and hygiene officer jobs?

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emanmostafa868

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Posted 10 March 2019 - 03:29 AM

Could you please tell me the difference between dietitian, Nutritionist and hygiene officer jobs according to educational background and job description?


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Sparkle27

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Posted 11 March 2019 - 12:23 AM

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.

 


zanorias

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Posted 11 March 2019 - 09:15 PM

From my understanding of it, in UK at least:

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?



kfromNE

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Posted 12 March 2019 - 02:07 PM

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
  1. 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.)
  2. 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.
  3. Pass the Commission on Dietetic Registration's dietetic registration exam.
  4. Gain licensure in your state of practice, if applicable.
  5. 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.





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