Working as a dietitian: 5 Pros and 5 Cons
5 Pros
1. Collaborative multi-disciplinary professional environment
Dietitians enjoy working in multidisciplinary teams (with doctors, nurses, pharmacists, PAs/ACPs, other AHPs etc), promoting shared knowledge and expertise.
2. Wide range of clinical responsibilities
Dietitians have a wide range of healthcare tasks, from taking medical histories, examining patients, carrying out procedures (e.g. related to bariatric surgery) and giving treatment (e.g. nutritional support).
3. Crucial role in patient care
Dietitians have a significant impact patient on patient outcomes treating a wide range of conditions, teaching health promotion, prevention and providing valuable education.
Also, senior doctors, nurses and other AHPs, have alot of confidence in them.
4. Growing demand in the NHS, with diverse working environments
Dietitians benefit from a rapidly expanding career with increasing popularity, creating more job opportunities. They can work in diverse environments in the NHS: GP, hospital, mental health, community – gaining exposure to almost all medical and surgical disciplines.
5. Good working conditions
- Well paid position. Most dietitians begin their careers with a reasonable NHS Band 5 salary (£29,970 – £36,483 per year). Some start at Band 6. Either way, as it is quite a short training (3 years at university), it doesn’t take long to get to a good salary
- Enjoy a good work/life balance. Dietitians usually work regular hours – mainly Mon-Fri 9am-5pm (no nights). A few work weekends. This promotes overall well-being, and a good work/life balance
- Career flexibility. Dietitians benefit from the other good NHS working conditions, e.g. maternity leave, part-time working, good pension etc
- Able to work outside the UK. Dietitians are able to work in other countries, unlike some other health professionals
- Able to work in private practice. This can be very lucrative.
5 Cons
1. Supervision and limited autonomy
While dietitians work closely with doctors in hospitals, they work under the supervision of a senior doctor. This can mean less autonomy in decision-making and patient management compared to doctors.
2. Lack of career structure, with appropriate pay rises
Even though at the start of their careers, dietitians pay is generous, the career structure after that is quite flat, without good pay rises linked to promotion etc.
For example, most dietitians end up on a Band 6 salary. And quite often dietitians get ‘stuck’ at that level. Band 8 is their maximum pay scale but those roles are largely management with little patient contact.
3. Lack of educational development
Because of the flat career structure, they are less able to specialise, by getting extra training. So even though they are encouraged to do CPD, and go to conferences etc, this doesn’t always lead to career development.
4. Image in the eyes of the public (and within hospital)
The public may see them as important health professionals, but with limited areas of knowledge (e.g. diet and food). Their range of skills, and detailed knowledge of nutritional physiology, is not always appreciated.
Also, within a hospital, dietitians (and all AHPs) are rarely represented on hospital boards. They normally report to the hospital’s senior nurse. This limits their power to ‘change big things’ or ‘change the system’.
5. Physically and emotionally demanding work
The work can be both physically and emotionally demanding. And, when this is combined with the frustration of not being able to carry out (unrealistic) requested tasks (e.g. ‘please sort out this patient’s nutritional problem, and get them home today’), because of factors beyond their control (‘it’s not possible to do this in a day, and anyway we dont have the right type of NG tube’ etc), burnout is an issue.
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