Why do people choose the life of dietician to pursue? Dieticians show interest and love food, health and science. And clearly, they are in love with how they can use this information and change lives for better. Dieticians are a key component of the health care industry.
A dietician translates scientific information (one that most of us don’t like) about nutrition into simple words that can be understood by all. Practical advice is given to help people make conscious decisions regarding their health. They assess, diagnose and treat nutrition-related issues. They also aim to raise awareness about how our eating habits and unhealthy diets can harm us in the future.
Responsibilities
Dieticians aid to alter the lives of people, therefore they need to be precise and professional at all times. Every dietician must portray and promote the significance of diet and nutrition, but this does not mean that they cannot indulge in occasional junk. Food is a source of pleasure and everyone must enjoy it, a principle to be kept in mind while working with patients. For detailed information, visit the Dietitian Life.
Responsibilities mentioned below are of hospitals, athletes and in other settings.
Working in a Hospital
- Dieticians working in hospitals need to take on nutritional assessments of patients with numerous complex health disorders.
- They aware and advice their patients with diet-related complaints about the significance of adopting healthy eating habits and how it also aids to reduce the chances of other complex diseases.
- They prepare, monitor, re-examine and improve nutritional care plans that they have set for their patients. These plans require changes according to health fluctuations of the patient.
- They deliver group sessions that include people of all ages. In these sessions, the importance of healthcare and healthy eating must be emphasized along with a couple of practical advice. These sessions will provide reassurance to the patients as well. In these group sessions, dieticians can earn the trust of their patients and work together with fluid coordination.
- They also negotiate with the hospital staff and external agencies to ensure smooth discharge of their patients, this also allows the patients to follow the prescribed routine without any interference.
- They aim to promote good health by informing the public about the importance of diet and nutrition.
- They help and advice other health care professional when in doubt. Likewise, they get help from other professionals when they are in doubt.
- They advise the hospital catering department about the dietary requirements of their patients and ensure quality food is given to the patients.
- They record, assess and make reports of each individual patient professionally. The systematic organization allows them to refer to the relevant patient history when required.
- They also prepare additional material that promotes the importance of diet and nutrition through flyers, packs, and other promotional material.
- With experience, they are also requested to train and mentor pre-registration students, as well as supporting and supervising less experienced staff in the hospital.
Working With Athletes and Sportspeople
If a dietician is working with athletes and sports people them he/she also had to add these to their oh-so-full responsibility list.
- They must advise on how diets will boost their performance and promote faster healing. Athletes have a very different lifestyle, therefore they must be treated carefully.
- They must educate the athletes and sportspeople about the physiology and biochemistry about the different types of exercise and how they affect the body and the role of nutrition throughout the process.
In some cases dieticians must also be involved in developing new food products with higher nutritional value, setting up and monitoring clinical trials of patients, advising the food and pharmaceutical industry about the specific do’s and don’ts.