Featured Intern: The Difference between a Diet Technician and a Dietitian

Today is Registered Dietitian Day, which as you know is during March, National Nutrition Month (Check out our Widget on the Sidebar! - Kate). Though I am not yet a dietitian, I dream of the days when I soon will be. And if I want to be a dietitian I better start acting and thinking like one. That means acting more like a professional, and less like a student. But what does being a dietitian really mean?

After all, as interns, we all try to be as professional as possible. We get where we need to be on time (or at least we hope there isn’t a wreck on the interstate that clogs up traffic for an extra hour), we do our job as asked, and we act respectfully to all. But being a dietitian is more than just getting the job done. My preceptor gave this example to me while describing a renal patient, “You can’t just tell a patient ‘don’t eat bananas’. That is the difference between a diet technician and a dietitian. I had a patient who loved bananas. I educate them; it is ok to eat half a banana two to three times a week. You don’t say, ‘don’t eat this, only eat that’. You educate and work with the patient.”

During my renal rotation we simply gave out handouts of a list of food not to eat and a list of food that’s good to eat.  But I’ve learned you can’t just go around handing out educational materials. You have to teach the patient and help them reach their goals. Sometimes we are all guilty of this negligence because we might be rushed, overloaded and preoccupied, and we just have to remember why we want to be/are a dietitian in the first place—because we want people to live their best and healthiest life possible.