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Dietitians and nutritionists

OaSIS code 31121.00

Dietitians and nutritionists assess nutrition related issues of individuals and groups and develop, implement and evaluate nutrition care plans to prevent, treat and manage disease. They manage food and nutrition service systems, and plan health promotion programs.

Overview

Also known as

  • Administrative dietitian
  • Clinical dietitian
  • Community nutritionist
  • Consultant dietitian
  • Dietitian
  • Dietitian-nutritionist
  • Nutrition specialist
  • Nutritionist
  • Public health dietitian
  • Public health nutritionist
  • Registered dietitian (RD)
  • Research dietitian

Main duties

This group performs some or all of the following duties:

  • Develop, implement and evaluate nutrition programs and services for individuals, communities and populations
  • Manage food service systems in hospitals, long-term care facilities, schools, privately owned-food service outlets or similar settings
  • Provide nutrition guidance, label interpretation and consultation services to health professionals, individuals, dietetic interns, community groups, government and the media
  • Evaluate nutritional status of individuals and aid in the prevention and/or treatment of inadequate nutrition
  • Plan, evaluate and conduct nutrition education programs and develop educational materials for various audiences
  • Practice on an individual basis or as a member of an interdisciplinary team to determine nutritional needs of patients and to plan, implement and evaluate normal and therapeutic diets to maintain and enhance general health
  • Analyze current scientific nutritional studies, conduct research and evaluate program effectiveness to improve the nutritional value, taste, appearance and preparation of food
  • Work within industry in the development, testing and evaluation, and marketing of food and nutrition products or as a company representative supplying product related information to health professionals
  • Confer with other health professionals, community groups, government and the media to provide consultation and advice in areas of nutrition interpretation, intervention and policy
  • Supervise training of dietetic interns.

Additional information

  • Dietitions and nutritionists are protected titles and used interchangeably in Nova Scotia, Quebec and Alberta. In these provinces, nutritionists require the same level of education and training as dietitians.
  • In some provinces, dietitians who work as Public Health Nutritionists and dietetic education program coordinators may require a Master’s degree.
  • Dietitians and nutritionists may progress to management positions through additional experience.
  • Dietitians and nutritionists may specialize in areas such as administrative dietetics, clinical dietetics, community dietetics, public health nutrition or research dietetics.

Similar occupations classified elsewhere

Exclusions:

NOC hierarchy breakdown

NOC version

NOC 2021 Version 1.0

Broad occupational category

3 – Health occupations

TEER

1 – Occupations usually require a university degree

Major group

31 – Professional occupations in health

Sub-major group

311 – Health treating and consultation services professionals

Minor group

3112 – Pharmacists and dietitians

Unit group

31121 – Dietitians and nutritionists

Occupational profile

31121.00 – Dietitians and nutritionists

Work characteristics

Work characteristics gathers the various components describing the work environment of each occupation, such as employers, work activities, and the work context. Each category displays up to 10 descriptors in descending order based, firstly, on their attributed ratings by the level of complexity (for Work Activities) or other measurement dimensions (for Work Context), and secondly, in alphabetical order. The whole list of descriptors and their ratings can be expanded at the bottom of each page.

Work Activities

Proficiency or complexity level
Coaching and Developing Others
5 - Highest Level
Assisting and Caring for Others
4 - High Level
Clerical Activities
4 - High Level
Communicating with Persons Outside Organization
4 - High Level
Coordinating the Work and Activities of Others
4 - High Level

Work Context

Structural Job Characteristics

Structured versus Unstructured Work
Degree of freedom to determine tasks and priorities
4 - High amount of freedom
Work Week Duration
Worked hours in a typical week
2 - Between 35 to 40 hours

Physical Work Environment

Physical Proximity
Physical distance from others
4 - Close (at arm’s length)

Physical Demands

Sitting
Duration
4 - More than half the time
Standing
Duration
2 - Less than half the time
Bending or Twisting the Body
Duration
1 - Very little time

Interpersonal Relations

Contact with Others
Frequency
4 - Every day, a few times per day
Duration
4 - More than half the time
Work with Work Group or Team
Importance
4 - Highly important
Frequency
4 - Every day, a few times per day

Workplaces/employers

  • Community and public health centres
  • Education institutions
  • Extended care facilities
  • Food and beverage industry
  • Governments
  • Home health-care agencies
  • Hospitals
  • Self-employed
  • Sports organizations

Skills and abilities

This section displays the various competencies required for an occupation. Each category displays up to 10 descriptors in descending order based, firstly, on their attributed ratings by the level of proficiency (for Skills and Abilities) or importance (for Personal Attributes) and secondly, in alphabetical order. The whole list of descriptors and their ratings can be expanded at the bottom of each page.

Abilities

Proficiency or complexity level
Categorization Flexibility
4 - High Level
Fluency of Ideas
4 - High Level
Information Ordering
4 - High Level
Problem Identification
4 - High Level
Speech Clarity
4 - High Level

Skills

Proficiency or complexity level
Learning and Teaching Strategies
5 - Highest Level
Persuading
5 - Highest Level
Coordinating
4 - High Level
Critical Thinking
4 - High Level
Decision Making
4 - High Level

Personal Attributes

Importance
Attention to Detail
5 - Extremely important
Independence
5 - Extremely important
Adaptability
4 - Highly important
Analytical Thinking
4 - Highly important
Collaboration
4 - Highly important

Interests

The OaSIS uses the Holland Codes to describe the work-related interests. According to the Holland model, people work best in work environments that match their preferences, which means that people and work environments can be matched for a best fit. Occupational environments in Holland’s theory are described according to a combination of main interests and the activities they represent. There are six interests in the Holland typology: Realistic, Investigative, Artistic, Social, Enterprising and Conventional. All occupations in OaSIS have up to three interests assigned to them.

Interests

Preferences for work environments and outcomes.

Interests profile: ISE

Investigative (I)

Investigative occupations are characterized by the dominance of activities that entail the observation and systematic or creative investigation of physical, biological, or cultural phenomena. These occupations require an extensive amount of thinking and frequently involve working with ideas, searching for facts and figuring out problems mentally.

Social (S)

Social occupations are characterized by the dominance of activities that entail the interaction with others to inform, train, aid, develop, cure, or enlighten. These occupations often involve helping or providing service to others, teaching, working or communicating with people.

Enterprising (E)

Enterprising occupations are characterized by the dominance of action-oriented activities to attain organizational or self-interest goals. They frequently involve starting up and carrying out projects, influencing, leading or mobilizing people, making decisions, and sometimes require risk taking and dealing with business.

Employment requirements

Employment requirements includes the education, training, certifications and the knowledge required to work in each occupation. The Knowledge category displays up to 10 descriptors in descending order based, firstly, on their attributed ratings by the level of proficiency, and secondly, in alphabetical order. The whole list of Knowledge descriptors and their ratings can be expanded at the bottom of each page.

Education, certification and licensing

  • Dietitians require a bachelor's degree in dietetics, nutrition or a related field such as food and nutritional science from a program accredited by the Partnership for Dietetic Education and Practice (PDEP), and a period of supervised practical training.
  • Successful completion of the Canadian Dietetic Registration Exam (CDRE) is required in all provinces except Quebec.
  • Registration with a regulatory body is required in all provinces for dietitians.
  • Membership in the national association, Dietitians of Canada, is voluntary.
  • Registration with a regulatory body is required for nutritionists in Nova Scotia, Quebec and Alberta. In the remaining provinces, nutritionists may require the same education and practical training as dietitians.
  • Membership with the national association, Dietitians of Canada, and/or a provincial regulatory body is available for nutritionists who have the same education and practical training as dietitians.

Knowledge

Knowledge level
Biology
2 - Intermediate Level
Languages
2 - Intermediate Level
Mathematics
2 - Intermediate Level
Performance Measurement
2 - Intermediate Level
Physical Health
2 - Intermediate Level

Skills for success

 
Skills for Success Model
 
Skills for Success are skills that help you in a quickly changing world. Everyone benefits from having these skills. They can help you to get a job, progress at your current job or even change jobs. The skills also help you become an active member of your community and succeed in learning.
 
 
Linkages Between ESDC Skills Models and Frameworks
 
ESDC makes available a dictionary of over 300 terms (or descriptors) and definitions, known as the Skills and Competencies Taxonomy (SCT). Descriptor information from the Taxonomy is used in the Occupational and Skills Information System (OaSIS).
 
While there is general commonality of meaning between the descriptors in the SCT and the Skills for Success model, there are some differences in their definitions due to their distinct purposes. The Skills for Success Model [9 broadly defined skills] identifies the skills that are universally applicable. The SCT displays specific skills and competency requirements for 900 occupations. Users of the Skills for Success Model and Essential Skills content may find competency information from the Taxonomy and the OaSIS to be complementary.
 
Stay tuned to this section for more information and updates regarding linkages between the Skills for Success model and the OaSIS.

O*NET in-it

This page includes information from the O*NET 27.2 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. Employment and Social Development Canada has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications.

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