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practice applicationsBUSINESS OF DIETETICS

Unique Careers for Dietetics Professionalstt

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ith genetically modified food,trendy diets, and cutting-edgefood science making head-

ines, it is a ripe, exciting time toake a living as a dietetics profes-

ional. Advances in computer technol-gy alone have created career oppor-unities that simply didn’t exist aecade ago.However, many of these dynamic

areers are in less obvious places,uch as non–food business corpora-ions, on the Internet, and evenithin the legal system. “To take ad-antage, we need to think out of theox. We’re always talking clinical oroodservice work, but we need tohink of ways to sell ourselves in aay that is more creative and moreell-rounded,” says Linda McDonald,S, RD, publisher of the information

ervice Supermarket Savvy. “Some-imes we have to go into areas andan’t sell ourselves only as [dieteticsrofessionals], but as food experts.”Dietetics professionals following

heir own path say that open-minded-ess is necessary not only to see theseidden positions, but to actually showhese nontraditional businesses howietetics can be of value to them. “Ifou want to work with big corpora-ions, you have to understand howhey work so you can market yourselfo these companies from a businessngle. Help them see that workplaceellness is not a business expense,ut a return on the bottom line,” saysean Caton, MS, RD, owner of Mc-inley Coaching and Consulting.

Many of these major corporationsre starting to recognize this, andhey pay much better than most of theood industry can pay.”

Four dietetics professionals haveound their own niche within someather unique environments. Theyaw opportunities, took several risks,nd, in the end, say they are happier

This article was written byDamon Brown, a freelancewriter in New Orleans, LA.

pdoi: 10.1016/j.jada.2005.07.018

358 Journal of the AMERICAN DIETETIC ASSOCIATI

han they would have been within araditional professional career track.

RDERING THE COURTancy Collins, PhD, RD, has alwaysnown that her main mission as aietetics professional was to improveursing home health care. However, aecade ago she discovered that somef her biggest influence would be notnly within the homes themselves,ut the legal system. Aside from run-ing her own Florida consulting firmince 1990, Collins has served as anxpert witness in several nursingome court cases.“It started out about 10 years agohen I was asked to do two cases. Theext year it was six, then 15. Rightow I’m involved in two dozen cases,”ays Collins, who is also chair of theutrition Entrepreneur dietetic prac-

ice group.She specializes in long-term care

nd geriatrics, specifically woundealing and involuntary weight loss.Many are in nursing homes, have aound that didn’t heal and loseeight and eventually die,” she says.ollins has done both defense (for theursing home company) and plaintifffor the loved one’s family) work,hich helps her see both sides of long-

erm care issues.Court cases can be time-consuming,

ut Collins, who has her PhD in die-etics, also has a busy consultingractice, primarily working withharmaceutical companies on mar-eting materials, white papers, andonographs, among other projects.he’s paid for her legal services and itnly makes up 25% of her annualork—people who become full-timexpert witness are generally consid-red opportunistic, she says. Further-ore, you should participate because

ou have an expertise and a desire toelp in a specific area, especially sinceou’ll be sitting on the stand . . . a lot.“You need thorough knowledge of

he law. I’ve seen a lot of dieteticsrofessionals try to rush and get a

roper understanding of the nursing F

ON © 2005

ystem before a trial, but the lawyer’sob is to break down your credibility.What makes you an expert?’ ‘Why doou know this?’ ” Collins says. “Youave to anticipate what they are go-

ng to ask and what you are going toe questioned about. A 10,000-pageistory of a patient is not uncommon,o you need to read it . . . and be ableo converse about it without gettingustered.”This confrontation is exactly why

ollins loves being a witness. “I likeetail-oriented work. To me, it’s like aental chess game.”

ELPING PEOPLE FIND THEIR WAYean Caton, MS, RD, has a simpleission statement: “Inspiring and

mpowering the women of the world,ne woman at a time.” It is a loftyoal, one that she found she couldchieve better leaving the corporateorld after 25 years and starting her

wn company, McKinley Coachingnd Consulting, 2 years ago.She found her calling as a life

oach, something she might not haveiscovered without being in a tradi-ional business environment. “Iorked in the field of marketing and,

n a way, was always coaching [otherrofessionals]. It was just who I was,”ays Caton, who also works on mar-eting and public relations for theutrition Entrepreneur dietetic prac-

ice group. “When I stepped out on mywn, I already had people calling me

Coach’.”Caton began studying at Coach U

www.coachu.com), a well-regardednline program that gives certifica-ions in coaching, and found that sheould do well in both professional andersonal coaching. “I work as both aife coach and a coach for businesseople. Your life and your work, well,t’s all your life. You don’t shut yourife off when you go to work in the

orning.”However, Caton’s view wasn’t al-ays so broad. “When I first em-arked on coaching, I called it ‘My

ood Coach’. But then I started get-

by the American Dietetic Association

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BUSINESS OF DIETETICS

1

ing clients interested in [healthful]iving, so I broadened it to ‘Healthyiving Coach,’ encompassing health,utrition, and so forth. And then Iealized that I was attracting peopleho didn’t want coaching, but diets—nd I didn’t want to get involved withiets. I realized that the problem wasy marketing. So I changed my mar-

eting strategy and now I coach peo-le on issues with personal identity,elf-esteem, and negative self-talk,ince you really have to clean up thenside in order to live a [more health-ul] lifestyle.”

Her own challenge in finding aiche gives her the perspective to helpther ambitious dietetics profession-ls as a consultant. “I also coach [di-tetics professionals] on businesskills. Many are great [dietetics pro-essionals] and have opened their ownractice, but they don’t have the busi-ess skills in their tool bag,” she says.That’s how we are going to move for-ard. Whether we are entrepreneur-

al [dietetics professionals] or work-ng within a hospital, we’re stillusiness people. You need businesskills and strong self-assurance, evenf you’re trying to get a promotion orsking for a raise.”

ATCHING OUT FOR SHOPPERSor Linda McDonald, MS, RD, pub-

isher of Supermarket Savvy, herusiness that would eventually spanhe past 2 decades of her life camehrough one of her clients. Luckily,he was paying attention.McDonald says she was doing food

ndustry consulting and public rela-ions, regularly contacting then-Su-ermarket Savvy publisher Lenieed, MPH, RD, about reviewing

ompany products in her newsletter.eed was one of the first dietetics pro-

essionals to do supermarket toursnd, with Supermarket Savvy, sheave the pros and cons of new majorroducts on the shelf.“So one time Leni mentioned that

he was looking for someone to buyhe company so she could move on tother endeavors, and at that point Ias interested in having my ownusiness,” McDonald says. She madeeed an offer, realizing that she was

ulfilling a special niche that she hadlways been interested in. “Thereeren’t a whole lot of materials for

dietetics professionals] to use to edu- fi

360 September 2005 Volume 105 Number 9

ate consumers about shopping andthe newsletter is] a great format toet the info out to consumers aboutheir buying decisions.”

The monthly print newsletter isow available online every otheronth, and McDonald hopes to go

ully electronic soon. Her companylso provides tip sheets, PowerPointresentations, and other tools to helpietetics professionals educate theirlientele.However, she wants to reach more

onsumers directly as well, and hopeshat going completely electronic—aheaper route than print—will bringupermarket Savvy to a price pointelcome to the health-conscious lay-erson.“What has intrigued me is taking

he science info we are inundatedith and putting it into terms, repre-

entations, and visuals in ways thatonsumers will understand,” sheays. “The bigger challenge to me is toake one of these concepts, like n-3atty acids or whole grains, and to putt into a form that will really makehe consumer want to choose a partic-lar product.”

ONG-DISTANCE DIETETICSt took Renata Shiloah, MS, RD, onlyyear of working in a hospital envi-

onment to realize that wasn’t wherehe wanted to be. “It was the samehing every day, but here it’s differentvery day.” When Shiloah says “here,”he means her house.For the past 2 years, Shiloah has

un a virtual dietetics business, Nu-ritionist 4 U Counseling, from herome office. Using the Internet, sheuides and counsels clients on losingeight and having healthful diets. “Iave a Yahoo! support group onlinealled ‘Lose Weight Feel Great’,hich consists of patients from myart-time work at a doctor’s office andy own clients,” she says. Shiloah

lso provides a monthly newsletterith recipes and other dietary tools.She began virtual dietetics counsel-

ng on America Online in 1997,round the time the Internet wasaining popularity. It was a chat-oom setup and, in those couple ofears working with America Online,he realized the positives of being airtual dietetics professional for herlients. “People can ask questions and

nd goal buddies. It works because

t’s a way to keep them motivated ando meet other people, but they don’teel the pressure online. No one reallyees you,” Shiloah says.At the same time, virtual counsel-

ng has allowed her to spend timeith her five children while working

rom home. It’s all based on e-mailnd Web updates, so punching a clocksn’t a problem. “I could do work athree in the morning if I liked,” sheays. This also means that patientsan contact her, via e-mail, any timehey are in need. Some patients evennclude her on an instant messengerervice, such as AOL Instant Messen-er, that allows them to talk with hermmediately in a chat room if she’s onhe computer when they are.

Shiloah warns that, like most en-repreneur ventures, shifts in clientsan mean money could be great oneeek and nonexistent the next. She

ecommends versatility. Like Catonnd Collins, she has other work thateeps her financially secure, includ-

ng dietetics work at a gym and a localoctor’s office. “You have to do differ-nt things to get ahead,” Shiloahays.

Contact these RDs

● Nancy Collins, expert witness andconsultant, NCtheRD@aol.com

● Jean Caton, McKinley Coachingand Consulting, catonjr@sbcglobal.net

● Linda McDonald, MS, RD,Supermarket Savvy, www.supermarketsavvy.com

● Renata Shiloah, virtual coun-

selor, www.nutritionist4u.com