OnCore Nutrition - Two Peas in a Podcast podcast

Episode 37 - Tips for starting and progressing your nutrition career

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Find and Fuel Your Fire Workshop

Tickets via Eventbrite

 

Getting a nutrition job is HARD! 

The Dietetics Workforce Report 2018

  • There has been a 95% increase in dietetic grads over the last 7 years.
  • Grads in Vic ↑ from 65 to 127 per year from 2010 to 2016.
  • There is great concern that there is an oversupply of practitioners causing difficulties in new graduates finding positions and inhibiting movement for existing employees. 
  • Many grads are still seeking work up to 12 mths post graduation.
  • In this time, grads are driven to volunteering - but not always meaningful 
  • You are highly qualified. There is a significant need for your skills. We have an ageing population, chronic disease and dietitians provide such important prevention and management care
  • The report highlighted that Dietitians are highly qualified, however there are obvious gaps in business and professional skills in many courses. 
  • Despite working in a clinical role 30% of dietitians had no clinical supervisor.

file:///C:/Users/laure/Downloads/Dietetics%20Workforce%20Report.pdf

Potential career pathways 

Clinical dietetics

  • Popular!
  • When we’ve advertised for grad jobs there have been >100 applicants. 
  • A quarter of organisations reported receiving >50 applicants for junior positions and advertisements were rare! 
  • Hard to get grad jobs 

Consultancy and private practice

  • Often don’t graduate with skills for business set up and challenging to dive into sole practitioner position without prior experience. Requires ++ mentoring and supervision. 
  • Important for your own development but also for the reputation of the profession 

 

Food service

Media and marketing

  • Don’t expect to get here straight away - need some experience behind you 
  • Be responsible with what you put out into the world, social media etc. Don’t know what you don’t know. 

 

Public health and nutrition

Eventually policy, health promotion, advocacy

  • Often start as a public health dietitian, community dietitian

Food industry

  • Consulting
  • Food analysis and product development, sensory evaluation
  • Food technology and science
  • Research 

 

Nutrition research and education

  • Generally requires specialisation and smaller projects or honours, masters, PhD

https://www.deakin.edu.au/exercise-nutrition-sciences/careers-in-nutrition-and-dietetics

https://www.myhealthcareer.com.au/dietetics-career/

Our tips

  • Volunteer meaningfully
  • Upskill 
  • Get a mentor - a meaningful one
  • Apply for everything - know your limits/hard passes
  • Apply well
  • Prepare for interviews 
  • Seek feedback - and actually be prepared to take it 

Our upcoming workshops

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/find-and-fuel-your-fire-student-early-dietitian-nutritionist-workshop-tickets-112762650122

Wed 26th Aug at 6pm 

Sun 29th aug at 2pm

Topics to cover 

How to land the job you want

  • Job application preparation
  • Interview (including phone/video interview) preparation 
  • Setting yourself apart 
  • What NOT to do! 
  • Volunteer / work experience opportunities
  • Professional development 

Finding your career niche / Progressing your career 

  • Specialising 
  • Quality projects opportunities in nutrition 
  • Education opportunities in nutrition 
  • Research opportunities in nutrition 
  • Conference / presentation opportunities 

Supervision and mentoring

  • Finding the right supervisor

Innovation in dietetics  

  • Identifying gaps
  • Pitching your idea
  • Introduction to grants and proposals 

Delivery 

  • Online 
  • 2hr workshop 
  • 2 sessions - one evening, one weekend 
  • ‘Take home’ toolkit of resources 

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