This is hands down the most asked question I get via Instagram and in my inbox. I have jumped on countless calls with strangers all over the country and written back to every email I have ever received on the topic. I wrote a blog post on it, but this one is geared more towards what you need to do if you are like me, with no background in nutrition in undergrad.
Becoming a Dietitian is NOT EASY, the process is not linear, AND there is no one way to do it.
BUT, it is the best field ever and worth all of the bumps along the way.
Things to know:
You can be a dietitian with and without a master’s degree (although that will be changing in 2024).
As of now, you can do it in 4 years (including undergraduate) if you either major in nutrition or complete your DPD courses (more on that in a moment).
You can also be a dietitian even if you didn’t major in nutrition in undergrad, like me. It will, however, take longer, and cost more money.
But, it will be worth it.
I will address a few simple things you must know and then I will share my path – which, is not necessarily the right path for you.
What are DPD courses: There are a bunch of classes you must complete in order to be eligible to become a Registered Dietitian. This list is not the complete list, and certain programs will require different courses.
Here are some examples:
- General Chemistry
- General Biology
- Anatomy
- Physiology
- Organic Chemistry
- Biochemistry
- Genetics
- Microbiology
- Pharmacology
- Pathophysiology
- Food and Nutrition classes such as: Introductory Nutrition, Lifespan Nutrition, Advanced Nutrition, Medical Nutrition Therapy, etc.
- Nutrient Metabolism, Nutritional Biochemistry, etc.
- Foods class and lab, Food Science, Food Chemistry, etc.
- Nutrition Counseling and Education, Health Counseling, etc.
- Community Nutrition, Public Health Nutrition, etc.
- Management in Foods and Nutrition, Foodservice Operations, etc.
- Accounting, Economics, etc.
- Psychology, Sociology, Anthropology, Human Development, etc.
- Statistics
- Organizational Management, Human Resources Management, etc.
Completion of DPD requirements makes you eligible to receive a “Verification Statement.” This statement is necessary in order to apply for a Dietetic Internship (more on that in a moment).
You cannot be an RD without completing a formal Dietetic Internship. The DPD course you will need for your verification statement depend on the program you are enrolled in/wish to enroll.
WHAT IS THE DIETETIC INTERNSHIP
This is an accredited program of at least 1200 hours of supervised practice. This is usually completed between 8-24 months depending on the program you choose. Upon completion, you can sit for the RD exam.
To apply for an internship, you must have your verification statement, volunteer experience, letters of recommendation, and complete a personal statement.
This is not a casual internship where you come/go as you please, or one that you can try to orchestrate yourself.
This is a formal process that involves rotations through a hospital, within food service rotations, and work in the community as well. On top of that, you have outside homework (lots of it at my program!), tests, and do not get paid. In fact, you PAY to do it. However, there are programs that provide stipends. Sadly, mine did not.
Upon completion of your internship, you are provided the paperwork that makes you eligible to sit for the RD EXAM. Once you pass that, you are a dietitian! PHEWWWW.
My winding road to becoming an RD without having an undergraduate degree in dietetics:
It was junior year of college, and I was studying abroad on Semester at Sea when I realized that in just over a year, I would have to get a real job – a career actually.
I double-majored in communications and psychology and while I found them interesting, neither was my passion.
In fact, the only sustained passion I had kept with over the past 4 years was nutrition.
I remember sitting down with my guidance counselor at Florida State University (I went there for a year, and then transferred to UMiami). She asked me what I was interested in and I said Nutrition. She then casually pulled up all the classes I would have to take including chemistry, organic chemistry, biochemistry, etc.
I got sweaty even thinking about those classes. NO WAY I could ever take and pass those classes – I barely got by in chemistry in high school. Plus, college was supposed to be fun. So I decided on fashion design instead (hahaha).
I transferred to the University of Miami and began taking classes in communication and psychology – they had neither a fashion nor a nutrition program.
College was extremely important in teaching me about my capabilities. In high school, I didn’t have any study skills and felt very intimidated by anything I couldn’t do. In college, I took my grades seriously. It started at FSU.
Because I was desperate to get out of there and transfer to U MIAMI, I had to do well. I taught myself how to study, and study well. I even learned that I like studying and tests and that I’m better at math and science than I thought.
So when the thought of taking chemistry, biochemistry, etc came around this time- I wasn’t as scared. I knew it would be tough, but I knew that I could do it.
As college was wrapping up, I was ready to get back to New York so I started googling programs in NYC. I found Columbia University. It was certainly prestigious so I reached out to the prospective student advisor, Dr. Lora Sporny. This woman’s warmth could be felt in the emails. As soon as I was back from abroad, I met with her and her warmth was real. I loved her SO much that I didn’t apply anywhere else.
She explained to me what I would have to do to get into this program and I followed her steps. For Columbia, I had to take a handful of the DPD courses prior, get good grades (read: As only), and take the GRE. Not all programs require the GRE, but this one did. I spent the next year scrambling to take these courses. When you are not an enrolled student, or in a DPD program, it’s very hard to get into the classes you want. This part of the process alone is enough to leave you in tears. I spent more time on the phone with the registrar’s offices than I care to count!
For a year, I was all over the map (literally). I took classes on long island at Hofstra University, Borough of Manhattan Community College in NYC, and classes online.
I tackled the science by meeting with a tutor (my high school chemistry teacher, Mr. Appell) every single week for 3 hours.
Chemistry never got easier, but I got smarter in how I approached it. I got As in every single class.
For the GRE, I also had a tutor and spent countless nights basically preparing for the SAT again. The first time I took it I scored way below what Columbia wanted, so I took it again. No shocker at this point.
Finally, I got into Columbia! Specifically Teacher’s College and chose their “nutrition and education” program. Within the first year, I realized that I was missing a critical component to my interests…. Exercise! They had a more comprehensive program called “Nutrition and Exercise Physiology” but it required more classwork. I transferred into that, tacking on an extra year to my Master’s Degree. This was the best thing I ever did. For someone who didn’t have an undergraduate degree in nutrition, this helped to pull all of the science together.
During my graduate studies, I did volunteer work here and there, but my focus was on getting good grades! I recommend really amping up the volunteer work before you apply. I don’t know for sure what they look for, but it seems as if most people I knew that got in the first time around had either a lot of hours of volunteer work at a hospital or had a real unrelated job prior (work experience is work experience!). To volunteer at a hospital: contact your local hospital. Go to the dietary office and tell them what you are looking to do. If that doesn’t work, go to the general volunteer office. Your job task may not directly have to do with nutrition, but learning hospital systems is important nonetheless!
Finally, it was time to apply for the Dietetic internship! I applied all around New York + a few out of states options.
REJECTION. No one accepted me.
I was devastated.
This was the moment I had to take a good look at myself and figure out what to do. I had spent 3-4 years getting to this door, to learn that the door was locked, and there were NO OTHER DOORS AVAILABLE to get where I needed to go.
I went over all the possible explanations and took a hard look at my resume to learn what was missing. My grades were great. I had an almost completed Master’s degree from Columbia fricken University. BUT, I was missing real volunteer/work experience. A lot of programs look for work experience and clinical experience (that means lots of hours within a hospital).
I had a choice: to give up and change careers (to not go through with becoming an RD) or to wait another year to apply, and try again.
I don’t give up very easily if you can’t tell by now!
At this point, a volunteer job wouldn’t cut it. I was in my mid 20’s and hadn’t had a real job or income yet. I immediately got a job as a hostess (that was related to food and the pay was good) spent that summer working at a weight loss camp and then went on a long job hunt.
I had a year to kill and I wanted to make the most out of it so that the next time I applied, I wouldn’t be rejected.
So I killed two birds with one stone – I got a job working in food service at a hospital. Experience, within a hospital, and pay.
That was the hardest/most humbling/most important year of my life, but that’s for another blog post!
I then applied again to an internship and matched at the hospital I worked at, North Shore University Hospital, now called NorthWell Health.
After 9 very difficult demanding months, I sat for the exam and passed it on my first go. That’s not normally how things go for me as you have now learned, so that was a pleasant surprise!
Finally, I was an RD!
This is my story, and as you can see, there were a lot of twists, turns, rejections, and pain!
I recommend doing your research- looking into a program that works for YOU, and finding out what THEY need.
Most importantly, make personal relationships, volunteer a ton (in a hospital), and never give up.
There will be thousands of roadblocks if you choose to take this journey, but the reward is worth it. Being a dietitian is incredible – there are so many opportunities within our field!
Head here to read Rachael Devaux’s path to becoming an RD. Rachael is a dear friend with a very different path as she did do her undergrad in dietetics! She shares great tips + how even she was rejected at first.
Questions? Pop them into the comments!
