A Guide to Your Nutrition and Nutritionist

How do I become a Nutritionist/Dietitian?

So, how do I go about becoming a Nutritionist? Do I have to become a nurse first? and would I have to go to a four year college or is there a faster way to get a degree in nutrition? Oh and is there a difference in education/training that a nutritionist and a dietitian has to go through, or are they basically the same thing?
I just want some advice and a little information before I start looking for schools.

Ok I am a nurtitionist technically.
I have a bachelor’s degree in nutrition with a concentration in dietetics.
I am working towards being a Registered Dietitian. I will accomplish this by being accepted and completing a dietetic internship. After that I will take the RD exam, assuming I pass I will be a Registered Dieteitian.
Nutritionist and dietitian are incorrectly used interchangably.
A dietitian is only a dietitian after the internship and passage of the exam.
A nutritionist varies, it is a loose term. But I am a degreed nutritionist, meaning I have a degree in nutrition.
This is a 4 year degree. You do not have to go into nursing. You would just major in nutrition. The only cavet is that not all schools offer degrees in nutrition.
I am from Northern Ca and only San Jose and Sac state are the only schools closest to me (80 miles away). Merced, Stan State do not offer it.
You can take most of your lower division classes at a junior college.
Some of the courses you need to take are
Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, Biochemistry, Anatomy, Microbiology, Physiology, (most if not all can be taken at the JC level, I recommend this HIGHLY as they are FAR easier there)

Once you have completed your schooling and have your BS degree, you are a nutritionist.
You will need to complete your internship to be a dietitian.
Only sites recognised by the ADA (American Diabetes Association) will be allowed. They must be accredited, as well as the universities that offered the degree.
To get into an internship, you need to apply to many. I applied to 5.
You not only have to submit the application but 3 letters of recommendation (2 from current RD’s and 1 from an instructor) you will also have to write a professional letter that basically sells yourself. You also need all of your transcrips.
Then you will have to sign up for computer matching. A process where you submit your choices to an outside source as you send out your application packets. There is a deadline, In this case it was Feb 17th, computer matching selections and applications must be postmarked by this date.
Then you sit back and wait. I find out if I get accepted on April 20th at 12:01am. I find out online.

SO as a nutritionist I have found that work is well rather unplentiful. There is no work for a nutritionist. Nearly ALL jobs available for someone with a BS degree in nutrition requires registration as a dietitian with the ADA.

this might help get you started.
Know this website well.
Join the ADA, with memebership you will recieve the Journal of the American Diabetes Association.
Also memebership is REQUIRED for the internship.

http://www.eatright.org/cps/rde/xchg/ada/hs.xsl/career_401_ENU_HTML.htm

Additionally I HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend obtaining a job as a diet clerk or a diet aide or even a dietitian assistant in a hosiptal. You will gain necessary experience. You also need recomendation letters from dietitians.
I currently work as a dietitian assistant and have found that work incredibly valuable
You do not need a degree to get these jobs

Nutrition 101 (College Health Guru)

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