What or who are dietitians?
Dietitians are health care professionals who hold a Bachelor’s degree in food and nutrition science and have completed practical training in hospital or community settings. After rigorous education and training, dietitians are also required to complete a registration examination to ensure competence in practice in their province, and are required to maintain competence with the latest nutrition research and guidelines, which is regulated by a provincial regulatory body. In Alberta, this regulatory body is the College of Dietitians of Alberta.
Government protection of the public against poor nutrition advice.
In Alberta “Dietitian”, “Registered Dietitian” and “Registered Nutritionist” are law protected titles (under the Health Professions Act) for health care professionals who are registered with the College of Dietitians of Alberta.
The title “nutritionist” is not protected or reserved in Alberta for exclusive use by dietitians, though in some provinces it is. In Alberta, the term “nutritionist” is not a law-regulated term, so there is not the same level of accountability as “dietitians” in providing quality health care for the public. Essentially, anyone can call themselves a “nutritionist”.
Some people may use variations of the terms “registered” or “nutritionist” or “certified” to describe the services they provide, but they do not have the same degree of training and accountability as a dietitian. The accountability is for public protection for safe health information, and quality of service provided by a qualified health care professional.
To be sure if someone is a qualified health care professional specializing in nutrition counselling, go to Dietitians of Canada (www.dietitians.ca) or the College of Dietitians of Alberta (http://www.collegeofdietitians.ab.ca/) to find out if they are qualified and regulated. In Alberta, there are no other provincial government recognized boards to provide the same level of protection to the public against unqualified nutrition practice other than the two listed above.
What does this mean for you as a patient?
Look for the following titles when looking for reliable, evidence-based nutrition advice from a qualified health care professional:
• Registered Dietitian
• Dietitian
• Registered Nutritionist (not just nutritionist)
• R.D.
What about the term “Registered Holistic Nutritionist™?”
You may see there is a “TM” after the title “Registered Holistic Nutritionist™.” This is a trademark name that is protected under the Trade-mark Act, but is not the same as the Dietitian title that is under Alberta’s Health Professions Act. Just as Coca Cola™ is a trademark product, the “Registered Holistic Nutritionists™” are providing a trademark service that is not regulated by a health professions college.
Sally Ho is a Registered Dietitian and Certified Diabetes Educator at the Leduc Beaumont Devon Primary Care Network.
