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Registered Dietitian

Culinary & Hospitality

Experience

1-2 years

Certification/License

RD or RDN credential (Commission on Dietetic Registration) + MN Board of Dietetics and Nutrition Practice licensure

Starting Wage/Range

$32–$37/hr

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Overview


Job Description

Registered Dietitians in aging services play a direct clinical role in resident health — assessing individual nutritional needs, developing personalized meal plans, and working with the culinary and care teams to ensure that every resident receives food that supports their health, preferences, and dignity.

Responsibilities include conducting nutritional assessments for new and existing residents, developing and updating care plans related to nutrition, providing education to residents, families, and staff, ensuring compliance with dietary regulations, and serving as the clinical nutrition expert for the interdisciplinary care team.

In aging services, a dietitian’s work is especially meaningful for residents managing chronic conditions like diabetes, heart disease, or kidney disease — where nutrition plays a central role in quality of life and health outcomes.


Education Requirements



Becoming a Registered Dietitian requires completing an accredited degree program in dietetics or nutrition (a bachelor’s degree minimum; a master’s degree is increasingly standard), completing a supervised practice internship, and passing the national Registration Examination for Dietitians through the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR). In Minnesota, active licensure through the Minnesota Board of Dietetics and Nutrition Practice is required to practice.


Resources

Minnesota Board of Dietetics and Nutrition Practice

A Day In This Role

A day might include conducting a nutritional assessment for a newly admitted resident, reviewing meal plans for several residents after a care conference, meeting with the Director of Culinary Services to discuss menu adjustments for modified diets, providing education to a resident’s family about therapeutic nutrition, and documenting care plan updates. The role is clinical, collaborative, and deeply tied to resident well-being.

Advancement Opportunities: Where this role can take you

Cross-Pathway Note: Registered Dietitians who develop deep experience in aging services operations sometimes move into director-level or administrative leadership roles — particularly in organizations where clinical nutrition expertise is valued at the leadership level.