How to start a career as a Dietitian (in India)?

A lot of students who have earned their degrees in Nutrition have no clue as to what should be their next step(I was one among them,not so long ago). For this very reason I approached none other than the President of the Indian Dietetic Association (IDA),Mrs Dharini Krishnan.

Ms. Dharini Krishnan

Ms.Dharini Krishnan is the current National President of the Indian Dietetic Association(IDA). She has several years of experience as a Dietitian, a teacher and as a research assistant. She consults at her clinic at Mylapore,Chennai. She has also developed a personalised diet software called 'Digest' which is being used by many dietitians and also in several hospitals. Her website www.edigestdoc.com helps individuals and patients maintain good health through analysis of exercise and diet regimens.

1. What is your advice for a student of nutrition who has just graduated and is interested in becoming a Dietitian?

The need for India is in preventive nutrition being the global capital for diabetes and cardiac disease

Any graduate should take at least 2 years experience in the field she or he is interested in pursuing, then branch of on their own. There is huge scope for independent consultant dietitians in various fields such as obesity, diabetes, cardiac disease, sport's nutrition and normal nutrition.

2. What are the requirements to sit for the Registered Dietitian(RD) exam?

Please check the website www.idaindia.com under the heading 'Registration' for all details related to RD, eligibility, when application forms are issued and so on.

3. Do you have a list of some of the hospitals in India which offer internship for the RD course?

The list will soon be up on the same website. As of now,here are some of the hospitals in:
Chennai:
Sundaram Medical Foundation
Ramchandra Medical College and Hospital
Bangalore:
Sagar Hospitals
Ludhiana:
Christian Medical College and Hospital

4. Other than hospitals, where else can the candidate look for jobs?

Fitness centres, centres which offer corporate counseling, diet clinics which are mushrooming under the corporate banner and private clinics, pediatric clinics and obstetric clinics.

5. Can a candidate look to the IDA for help in finding vacancies?

It is good to be a life member of IDA. Once any student finishes graduation, one should become a life member of IDA and take part in the activities of the local chapter. Every chapter announces the vacancies which they hear about in the monthly meetings.

6. Is it mandatory to become a member of the IDA?How does one benefit by becoming a member of the IDA?

It is not mandatory to become and IDA member to get a government job. In the private sector it is well recognised and a Registered Dietitian is also given some weightage. When students go abroad especially to the UAE and related countries registration is compulsory after a particular level. Membership in Dietetic Associations where you studied is compulsory. IDA is also aligned with International Confederation of Dietetic Associations(ICDA) and we also have one of our members on the ICDA board. These alignments call for promising future to be an IDA member. Finishing an RD gives the skill sets to practice as a dietitian.

7. Who all can become a member(can the general public join)?

Generally, a life member of the association should be a person who has studied nutrition and dietetics. We have other kinds of membership associate members, corporate members. Soon all this will be updated on the website with the fees for the same.

8.How many chapters does the IDA have?

IDA has 17 chapters scanning across the country. All details are available on the website with address, email contacts of each chapter

9. Are there any programmes/meeting conducted by the IDA at the national level as well as locally?

At the National level, every year we have a Annual National Conference which is usually held during the month of December. Local chapters are welcome to hold symposiums regional workshops and other such activities which is convenient to them.

Information for Students on Courses in Nutrition In India:

Since a lot of my friends have been asking me about how to get started in the field of Nutrition,I thought who could be better to enlighten the public than my very first boss,Ms.Swarupa Kakani. She's been a great teacher and I can proudly say that I learnt my Nutrition "A,B,C's" from her, when I started my career as a trainee at Manipal Hospital,Bangalore.
Here's a brief intro:

Ms.Swarupa Kakani

Ms.Swarupa Kakani is the Chief Nutritionist at Sagar Hospitals ,Bangalore.She has done her MSc in Food, Nutrition and Diet Therapy from Sri Venkateswara University, Tirupati and Diploma in Dietetics from Christian Medical College Hospital (CMCH), Vellore. She is presently persuing Ph.D in the field of Children with Diabetes.
She has in the past, worked at the CMC Hospital Vellore,Wockhardt Heart Institute, Bangalore and also Manipal Hospital, Bangalore.She has over 15 years of experience in the field of Clinical Nutrition and is also the President of the Indian Dietetic Association (IDA),Bangalore Chapter.

Excerpts from the Interview with Ms. Kakani:

Q.What are the basic qualifications required to become a Nutritionist or a Dietitian?
Ans: a) B.Sc Home Science / Clinical Nutrition / Nutrition & Dietetics with 6 months internship or 1 year diploma in Nutrition & Dietetics.
b) M.Sc Foods, Nutrition & Diet Therapy / Dietetics and Food Service
Management.

Q.Are these courses available in all colleges?
Ans: Not in all colleges.

Q.Which are some of the well known colleges in India which offer these courses?
Ans:There are so many colleges that it is not possible to give all the names.Here are some of the colleges categorised state wise-
Karnataka:
• Mount Carmel College, Bangalore
• VHD Central Institute Of Home Science, Bangalore
• University Of Agricultural Sciences(UAS), Bangalore
• Manasagangothri University, Mysore
• Mangalore University, Mangalore
Tamil Nadu:
• Queen Mary’s College, Chennai
• MOP Vaishnav College for Women, Chennai
• Women’s Christian College, Chennai
• Avinashilingam Institute for Home Science, Coimbatore
• RVS College of Arts and Science, Coimbatore
Kerala:
• BCM College for Women, Kottayam
• College of Agriculture, Thiruvananthapuram
• College of Horticulture, Vellanikkara
• Kerala Agricultural University, Thrissur
Andhra Pradesh:
• The National Institute for Nutrition, Hyderabad
• University College for Women, Hyderabad
• Home Science College, Saifabad
• D.K Govt College for Women, Nellore
• Sri Satya Sai Institute for Higher Learning for Women, Anantpur
• Govt College For Women, Nagarjuna University, Guntur
• Joseph's College For Women, Andhra University, Waltair
Gujarat:
• Sardar Patel University, Vallabh Vidyanagar
• Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, Vadodara
• Matushri Virbaima Mahila College, Saurashtra University, Rajkot
• Seth P.T. Mahila College of Arts and Home Science (SNDT University), Surat
Delhi:
• Lady Irwin College, Delhi
• Institute of Home Science, Delhi
Maharashtra:
• Sophia College, Mumbai
• Nirmala Niketan, Mumbai
• SNDT ,Mumbai
• Lady Amritabai College for Women, Nagpur University, Nagpur
Rajasthan:
• Maharana Pratap University of Agriculture and Technology, Udaipur
• Banasthali Vidyapith, Banasthali
• College of Home science, Bikaner
• Smt. Indira Mani Mandatia Griha Vigyan Shiksha Niketan, Rajasthan University, Pilani
Assam:
• Assam Agricultural University, Jorhat
Uttar Pradesh:
• Ginni Devi Modi Girls (P.G) College, Ghaziabad
Punjab:
• Govt. College of Home Science (Punjab University), Chandigarh
• College of Home Science (Punjab Agricultural University) Kaoni, Faridkot
• S.D. College (Kurukshetra University), Ambala Cantt
West Bengal:
• Jwari Devi Birla Institute Of Home Science, Jadavpur University, Calcutta
• Viharilal College Of Home Science, Calcutta University Calcutta
Please note that this is a list of some of the colleges,there are many more colleges that offer the same courses.

Q.Is a post-graduation mandatory to get a job?
Ans: No it is not mandatory.

Q.What kind of jobs can a person qualified in nutrition get?
Ans: There are ample opportunities for nutritionists and dietitians in different industry, hospitals, schools, colleges, government agencies, and clinics etc. Students can also make career in research field especially in the biomedical and nutritional biochemistry fields. One can also find business-related opportunities in sales, marketing, customer service, employee wellness, human resources and general management. Apart from these, there are ample scopes for self-employment. You could open a consultancy clinic in some residential area, where you could interact with mothers, housewives, homemakers, adolescents and so forth.

Q.How many years of hospital training would you advise a fresher, to get a good grasp on the subject?
Ans: Minimum of six months.

Q.How would you say the job market is different from the time when you started your career and now?
Ans: Yes, there is a lot of difference from 1985 and now. Job opportunities are more and remuneration is much better.

Q.Does the Indian Dietetic Association (IDA) have a website?
Ans:The IDA has a website:www.idaindia.com

and lastly,
Q.What is your advice for people who want to take up nutrition as a career?
Ans:Nutrition and Dietetics is an emerging field which is expected to provide enormous opportunities in professional career. It would be a good idea to take up the Nutrition course since, an individual aspiring for a career in Nutrition and Dietetics should have a preliminary knowledge in biology, biochemistry, and physiology as well as the sociological and psychological dimensions of human nutrition. Such Knowledge is very important to day to day healthy living even if one is not working.