How to become a nutritionist — nutritionist training courses

Clarifying the confusing path to nutritionist status

Well if you are finding the path to choosing where to study to become a nutritionist confusing you are not alone. As one of the most common questions we are asked we completely understand your confusion!

Currently in Australia and NZ there is no strict control over who can use the label ‘nutritionist’. Having said that, one of the central reasons you must undertake a relevant course is so that at the end of it you are:
a) Accepted by a reputable industry association and;
b) You can then gain public liability and indemnity insurances so you can practice safely.

In essence anyone can call themselves a ‘nutrition consultant’, ‘weight loss consultant’, ‘nutrition coach’ and so on and unless you check you won’t necessarily know if that person is accredited or registered or associated to an industry body who will have ensured a certain level of academic and clinical proficiency (current and ongoing); mental note to self to check these things…!

See also our short YouTube video on what to consider regarding nutrition courses.

What is the minimum requirement?
The simplest (and we are not judging it to be the easiest) way is via an Advanced Diploma of Nutrition Medicine. These are commonly offered by private colleges including:
Most colleges offer the degrees and diplomas via face-to-face, but also recognising that geography shouldn’t be a limitation they also offer distance options. Now, it is important to make mention of two considerations:

That few industry bodies recognised diplomas that have been gained via correspondence only. It makes sense, you really need to see actual patients and have hands on in this industry! So if you opt for distance ensure you chat to your chosen college about how many hours and subjects you should do face-to-face and how best to go about it!
It is highly possible that in the future the minimum requirement to practice nutrition will step up to a degree. Almost all colleges offer an upgrade to a Bachelor of Health Science. Now not only might this cover you in the future, but it also opens pathways to continue on to other levels of ‘nutritionist’ (more on this in a tick). We recommend you discuss how many and they type of extra subjects you may be required to complete, how long this might take and the total cost.

A blended option is the most ideal way to go which is another reason we have chosen Endeavour College as our pathway partner for health degrees.

Degree or diploma?
Its reported that by 2016 two year diplomas will no longer be offered, instead the minimum will be a three year degree to be a recognised nutritionist. We always recommend a college which has a pathway to a degree so you can upgrade your diploma if you chose, however this can add up to 2–4 years onto your final Bachelor status. The reality is you can gain a Bachelors degree in the same time (as the current two year degree with upgrade to a degree) but with the added professional benefit of pathways to post grad studies and potentially acceptance in nutrition bodies, a degree is likely to be the most ideal option.

Courses cost in the vicinity of $22,000 — $30,000, so it’s quite a commitment in time and money, don’t forget if all the science scares you and you are looking more to coach people in health you have option of our Lifestyle, Food and Wellness Coaching program. The Lifestyle, Food and Wellness Coaching program can be a gentle way of moving into the health field as well as a potential profession and income if you do go on and study.

What do you mean by different type of ‘nutritionists’?
Good question. Well you will see nutritionists refer to themselves in the following ways:

Accredited nutritionist/nutritionist — commonly diploma and/or degree qualified nutritionist who have registered with complimentary health bodies such as ATMS and ANTA.
Associate nutritionist (ANutr)- Generally with an undergrad degree in nutrition and is recognised by the Nutrition Society of Australia (NSA) as an ‘associate nutritionist’.
Registered nutritionist (RNutr)- Is the next step up from associate nutritionist, requiring three years full-time experience in the industry and a post-graduate qualification to register with the NSA.
Accredited and practicing dietitian — Holding a minimum of a master in dietetics which requires over 200 clinic hours in a hospital, registration is with the Dietitians Association of Australia (DAA) . Dietitians are eligible for Medicare rebates given they have a thorough knowledge of hospital based nutrition.

Our view
We have numerous nutritionists and dietitians who work with us, all with different expertise and backgrounds. And as you can see from the points above, there is no one type of ‘nutritionist’ that is necessarily better than the other. Instead, ensure a practitioner is registered with a body, has current insurance and try to find one who has long specialised in the area you require help with. Word-of-mouth is an excellent referral system and select a person you feel comfortable with. Don’t be too swayed by the seemingly impressive long lists of qualifications someone tacks on their website or business card, you can find sometimes half of them are in fact only memberships… tricky!!!!

The only courses that allow you to use nutrition professionally apart from the ones above are:

If you hold a Certificate IV in Fitness and complete our Accredited Certificate of Nutrition you can gain insurance to use basic nutrition with your clients (within the limits of the units of our course).
Our Certificate of Food & Wellness Coaching (for PTs or health professionals or those with a relevant background and who are registered with a relevant body)
And… the Lifestyle, Food and Wellness Coaching program for those who have a passion for health and nutrition but without a relevant qualification and want to work as lifestyle coaches. Keeping in mind we train you not to be an expert at giving advice or handing out diets, but to be professional at supporting and empowering clients to create their own pathway to a healthful lifestyle.

I’m not sure if i can use nutrition in my business!
The important point to note in most cases where you want to incorporate nutrition into your professional practice is that your base qualification relates directly to health/fitness, and that you hold registration to a relevant industry body, these are central to gaining liability insurance. For example if you have a degree in economics then it’s unlikely you can set yourself up to be a food coach with just the Certificate of Nutrition.

Cheap, fast track courses to becoming a nutritionist
You will find increasing numbers of courses in nutrition this and that, some now offer international accreditation so that you can gain insurance to do all manner of things, some even suggest you can call yourself a ‘nutritionist’ after just nine months. Ask yourself how you would feel going to a ‘nutritionist’ with a serious medical condition who has just nine months of training. Your answer should reflect the validity of such a course. In all likelihood the insurer for such courses would not be party to this if they knew. Remember it it sounds too good to be true it probably is!

You may also have seen some nutrition sounding courses offered by RTOs such as a Diploma in Public Health or Certificate IV in Allied Health Assistance that are nationally recognised providing you with a national certificate. While this is a great thing to have as it will mean you have covered a number units in a larger training package, we do suggest you consider where you want your studies to take you; what career path you want to go into. You can find more obscure courses have fairly narrow professional relevance in nutrition, discuss with the provider exactly what level of advice you can provide and what specific roles you might be able to apply for, few if any other than the diploma of nutrition allow you to practice in nutrition. Mental note to self!

How much study is involved in becoming a nutritionist?
We won’t kid you, it is a long and costly process (of around $20,000+ over three years), but for most people it is a very enjoyable one with a great reward at the end! We built our business on a single course that we knew people wanted, an inexpensive course to ‘test the water’, to see if they wanted to invest lots of time and money into becoming a nutritionist! The Accredited Certificate of Nutrition, which is only a few hundred dollars and 42\> hours of study, reflects closely first year units in nutrition and remains our most popular course 15 years later! In fact we announced in January 2014 that is is a pathway to a Bachelor in Health Science (Nutritional Medicine or Naturopathy), with Endeavour College, and worth a full subject credit.

So, here’s a glimpse of what’s involved in the three-year Advanced Diploma of Nutritional Medicine: Anatomy and Physiology (100+hrs), biochemistry and chemistry (100+ hours), diagnosis and pathology, pharmacology (300hrs), nutrition (400hrs), professional practice studies (160hrs), communication and counseling (30+hrs), supervised clinical training (200hrs), safe practice (15hrs), First Aid Certificate.

Where to find out more about university?
We recommend you grab yourself a copy of the UAC guide or simply Google ‘nutrition degree’, there are numerous universities across Australia offering undergraduate courses.Likewise if you have a degree and are considering post graduate (for example if you want to become a registered nutritionist or accredited dietitian) google ‘post graduate nutrition degrees’.

A few examples of universities to look at (and keep in mind who offers what and when changes regularly):

Our recommendations for getting on the road to working with nutrition or becoming a nutritionist
1. Fitness path
If you are keen to tackle health from both an eating and fitness side (makes perfect sense) then consider undertaking the Certificate IV in Fitness with an approved RTO provider Personal Training Academy and completing our Accredited Certificate in Nutrition or Certificate of Food and Wellness Coaching either at the same time or straight after. While the Cert IV only allows PTs to provide general information based on Dietary Guidelines, combining it with our course enables you to work with both fitness and nutrition to:

Provide healthy eating advice
Undertake basic meal analysis
Provide basic meal plans

2. The Diploma option
If you want to make sure nutrition is for you consider starting with our Accredited Certificate of Nutrition it is a whole lot cheaper than most private colleges certificates in nutrition (usually around $700) that lead into full qualifications and yet closely reflects year one content. So we can save you time, money and help you make a big decision.

3. The degree path
You can either upgrade your diploma above to a Health Science degree or apply perhaps as an adult student (you don’t always need HSc to get into uni) to a university of your choice. Remember, its our feeling that the degree will become the ‘status quo’ in the next five or so years so potentially the degree pathway is more viable. Generally the time and cost is very similar, but the outcome have huge implications. We are very excited to announce that our Accredited Certificate of Nutrition course provides you with a subject credit towards a Bachelor of Health Science.

Questions to ask colleges
Don’t be fooled by price tag and funky sounding course names; there are now dozens of courses promising all sorts of fabulous sounding careers, ‘nutrition counsellor’, ‘weight loss counsellor’, ‘weight loss consultant’ and much more. Most often these types of courses aren’t recognised by industry bodies and as such you can find you are out of pocket several thousands of dollars and no-one will insure you to practice your ‘trade’.

Ask what the end result qualifies you do actually do
What registering body recognises the course
How much will the course cost, all up, including clinics, assessments, lab fees, student clinics and so on
Can you apply for Fee Help
What university does the college partner with
How long is the degree upgrade and how much does it cost
What online support and learning tools do they offer
How the college supports your learning, what systems do they use, what libraries do you have access to, how can you contact staff and other students and so on
What academic staff do they have and what is their background
How many hours do you have to complete in their student clinic (and what is the cost) and how many can you do externally

Career advice — not sales
Yes, we hear you! You have tried calling a few colleges and all you get is ill-informed reception staff whose main aim is to sell ‘bums on seats’. Or, you’ve seen small colleges with dodgey looking sites and were concerned about what your money will get you. If you are still stuck on where to start feel free to call us. While we believe our courses are the best, we also know they sell themselves. We promise to give you unbiased information to help you in what we know is a very big decision, no catches!

No pester power, you won’t see us on all manner of website all over the net and we won’t email bombard you!

Originally published at www.cadencehealth.com.au.