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CONTENTS

1. Routes to becoming a dietician

2. Skills required

3. Finding work experience

4. How to get a job as a dietician

5. What it’s like to be a dietician

Routes to becoming a dietician

Dieticians are experts in food and nutrition. They help people understand the science behind food and diet. They diagnose and treat any eating or nutritional issues and promote healthy eating in communities.

To become a dietician, you’ll need an approved degree in Dietetics and to be registered with the Health & Care Professions Council (HCPC). The most common degree is at undergraduate level, but there are postgraduate options and degree apprenticeships too (see below).

A degree course will teach you how to:

• Assess and treat people
• Use scientific and medical research
• Supply practical advice

Courses cover areas like biochemistry, nutrition, physiology and diet therapy. They usually include practical training in clinical environments.

Funding may be available for different programmes. You can find more information about funding from course providers.

Undergraduate degrees

Undergraduate degrees in Dietetics usually last three or four years if you study full time. They take longer if you study part time. The NHS offers a grant of £5,000 per year if you study Dietetics at a university in England. This is known as the NHS Learning Support Fund; you don’t have to pay this back.

Our Dietetics subject guide breaks down what you can expect from a Dietetics course, along with different degree options and entry requirements.

Degree apprenticeships

Degree apprenticeships teach you how to be a dietician on the job while you study for a degree. You’re paid for the work you do, and you spend less time at university than on a normal undergraduate degree.

You apply for a degree apprenticeship through the healthcare provider that you working with. You usually need level 3 qualifications to be eligible.

Postgraduate degrees

You can take a postgraduate programme in Dietetics if you have an undergraduate degree in a subject that covers areas of biochemistry and human physiology.

Master’s degrees and postgraduate diplomas are available. These last one or two years if you study full time.

Skills required

Typical skills that you’ll need to be a successful dietician include:

• Scientific understanding of food and nutrition
• Communication and interpersonal skills
• Ability to explain complex information simply
• Multidisciplinary teamwork
• Research and IT literacy
• Empathy and compassion

Finding work experience

When applying for a degree or job, you might need some relevant experience. This could be in either a voluntary or paid position. Or you could shadow a dietician to see what a day in the life of a professional is like. Places where you could find opportunities include:

• Dietetic department at a hospital
• With a community dietician
• GP surgery
• Food or nutrition charity
• Companies like Unilever, GSK or Nestlé

How to get a job as a dietician

After you’ve successfully completed an approved Dietetics degree, you must register with the HCPC. Then you can apply for professional dietician jobs. To stay on the HCPC register, you must keep your skills up to date and pay an annual fee.

You can look for job opportunities on online job boards like ,  and .

For broader job opportunities, you can take extra training or specialise in areas such as:

• Cancer
• Diabetes
• Elderly patients
• Sports nutrition
• Learning difficulties

What’s it like to be a dietician?

Dieticians work in hospitals or community spaces with healthy people as well as sick patients. As a dietician, you could travel to visit people in their homes or care homes. You could be helping them with digestive problems, sports performance, weight loss or eating disorders, for example.

Daily tasks vary but can include:

• Visiting clients, working out what support they need and helping them make changes to their diets
• Ensuring critically ill patients receive the right nutrients through different methods like tubes or drips
• Monitoring patients’ progress and keeping up-to-date records
• Teaching the public about healthy eating and how to prevent disease
• Training or supervising other healthcare staff
• Working on nutrition protocols and policies
• Planning a dietician service and budget

You could work alone or as part of a multidisciplinary team. Other healthcare professionals you may work with include doctors, nurses, pharmacists and therapists.

You can join the British Dietetic Association (BDA). The BDA helps with professional development and hosts career and networking events.

Dieticians, especially those in the NHS, usually work a 37.5-hour week. They often have to work on weekends. Entry-level dietician jobs pay around £25,000 per year, but with more experience, dieticians can earn £40,000 and above.

Is a role as a dietician right for you? 

A career as a dietician is varied. You get to work with lots of different people with various health issues.

Depending on the area you work in, it can be a challenging role, as dieticians regularly work with people with serious health concerns. It can be emotionally difficult when you have to with sick patients in critical care. You may also spend long periods of time on your feet, have a lot of responsibility and work night shifts or on weekends.

Despite this, it can be a very rewarding role. You help people to get better and live healthy lives.