Pathway to Become a Registered Dietitian (RDN)

The field of nutrition and dietetics is dynamic, diverse, and continuously evolving. Dietitians provide medical nutrition therapy in hospitals and clinics. They are also employed as consultants and managers, in public relations, and food and culinary positions where they manage food service operations in health care or other institutional and commercial settings. They write books, articles, and newsletters. Dietitians are active in the health and wellness industry and in corporate wellness where they address health promotion and chronic disease prevention. Dietitians also work in national, international, and state government agencies for programs such as Women Infants and Children (WIC) and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program-Education (SNAP-ED), as well as agencies such as the USDA and FDA. A growing number of RDNs work in private practice or as entrepreneurs providing nutrition products and services to consumers. RDNs also work as humanitarians around the world in public policy to help during times of nutritional crises.

Here are the steps that you need to take to become a registered dietitian/nutritionist (RDN) as required by the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR):

• Individuals’ complete coursework in a Didactic Program in Dietetics (DPD) accredited by ACEND (Accreditation Council for Education of Nutritionists and Dietitians) which is achieved by completing a bachelor of science degree from an accredited program at a four-year university.
• Graduates from DPD programs apply to Dietetic Internships (also called supervised practice in programs) approved by ACEND. The dietetic internship is an intensive training program (lasting 1,200 hours) where graduates are mentored by practicing dietitians and receive graduate credit. These internships typically cost between $9,000 and $14,000. There are a few that have a much lower fee and some that are free and pay a stipend. Programs that offer a graduate degree along with the supervised practice will be more expensive. There are limited no-cost programs, and few offer a stipend. Application into a DI program is competitive and not all graduates who apply are matched.
• Once graduates have completed the DI/supervised practice program they can apply to take the CDR credentialing exam to become an RDN. The national registration examination is administered by the CDR website.
• Graduates who successfully complete the ACEND-accredited DPD program at the University of Massachusetts Amherst are eligible to apply to an ACEND-accredited DI. The UMass acceptance rate has averaged over 80 percent for the last three years. ACEND is located at 120 South Riverside Plaza, Suite 2190, Chicago, IL 60606-6995; 312-899-0040, (web: ACEND [at] eatright [dot] org).