The "RD" credential is a legally protected title that can only be used by practitioners who are authorized by the Commission on Dietetic Registration of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Some RDs may call themselves "nutritionists," but not all nutritionists are registered dietitians. The definition and requirements for the term "nutritionist" vary. Some states have laws that define the range of practice for someone using the designation "nutritionist," but in other states, virtually anyone can call him- or herself a "nutritionist" regardless of education or training. Individuals with the RD credential have fulfilled specific requirements, including having earned at least a bachelor's degree (about half of RDs hold advanced degrees), completed a supervised practice program and passed a registration examination — in addition to maintaining continuing education requirements for re-certification. ("What is a RD?")
In the state of New Mexico, nutritionists must be licensed
in order to be considered a health professional. Dietitians are more common
than nutritionists because of the different opportunities. I had the privilege
of interviewing a lecturer at UNM named Jean Cerami, who is also a registered dietitian She says "[To] be a nutritionist in our state, we need to be
licensed and get an advanced degree in the master's program. [Nutritionists have
fewer certifications than dietitians.] Dietitians can work at hospitals while
nutritionists cannot" (Cerami). Only dietitians are allowed to work at
hospitals because they have had hands-on experience with patients. The
internship will be dealing with clinical care, food service management, and
community nutrition programs. Jean Cerami is the head coordinator for the
dietetic internship. She decides if the interns have the ability to become
registered dietitians.
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