A dietitian plays a key role in building a healthy society at a global level. This is why the Australian health sector considers a dietitian to be of utmost importance in building a healthy nation. You need specific qualifications, skills, and credentials to work as a dietitian in Australia.

Such is the importance that the healthcare sector has given to a dietitian which is why it is also a lucrative career. Read on to learn how to become a dietitian in Australia, work settings, pay rates, job rates, and more on this role.

Dietitian career in Australia

A dietitian plays the role of creating plans and managing the health, diet, and nutrition of people of all ages. This role involves working with different levels of healthcare workers, community members, and patients to identify nutritional aspects and recognize a diet’s health consequences.

Australia provides excellent job opportunities for a dietitian with specific skills. He should have a genuine interest in food, nutrition, and health and enjoy working with different types of people. A dietitian should also be good at numbers as this job role requires calculations like finding the body mass index and calorie count.

Qualifications to practice as a Dietitian[M1] 

You need specific qualifications to become a dietitian in Australia. This ensures that high quality and standards are maintained throughout the healthcare sector in Australia. Here is what you should do to follow a career in dietetics in Australia.

First, you need to obtain a degree in one of two ways. One is to complete a dietetics degree in Australia accredited by the Dietitian Association of Australia (DAA). The other is to complete an undergraduate degree and follow up with a post-graduate dietetics degree.

The DAA website provides a list of accredited courses. Completing such courses make you eligible to gain membership with the association. Gaining the status “Accredited Practicing Dietitian” (APD) from the DAA is mandatory to practice as a dietitian in Australia. You are eligible to apply for this accreditation once you complete one year of the supervised provisional program. You should also demonstrate 30 hours of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) annually to keep your accreditation active. You should renew your accreditation once a year.

·        Here is a step-by-step breakdown of what you need to do to become a dietitian in Australia:Complete a bachelor’s degree in dietetics. It should be approved by the DAA.

·        Fresh graduates must find and work with an Accredited Practising Dietitian for a 12-month mentoring partnership which helps them build and expand the skills required to work in this role.

·        Some Australian states require you to obtain a National Police Certificate, Working with Children Check, and First Aid Certificate and immunizations to practice as a dietitian.

·        Once you complete a degree and 12-month supervised program and complete the necessary checks as required by the state, you can apply to obtain your APD accreditation.

·        As an APD you need to complete 30 hours of CPDs to remain in active status in terms of your APD accreditation. The DAA supports this by conducting webinars, podcasts, informational courses, and events so that you can obtain your CPDs.

Types of specialties

There are three types of specialties in which you can work as a dietitian in Australia.

·        Clinical Dietitian: A clinical dietitian works in healthcare settings including hospitals, nursing homes, and long-term care facilities. Their role involves providing medical nutrition to patients in these healthcare settings.

·        Community Dietitian: A community dietitian works in the public arena including government agencies, public health clinics, and health maintenance organizations. The role mainly involves conducting educational programs related to nutrition for specific groups of people like pregnant women.

·        Management Dietitian: The role of a management dietitian is mainly involved with developing meal plans, handling kitchen staff, and managing daily operations. The work settings of this role include the food service industry in hospitals, cafeterias, and corporations.

Highest-paid dietician jobs based in cities

Here is a summary of the highest-paying dietitian jobs based in different cities.

·        Canberra: $92,823 a year

·        Sydney: $86,861 a year

·        Melbourne: $85, 604 a year

·        Brisbane: $78,346

Pay rates for a Dietitian in Australia

Irrespective of the city of work, a dietitian earns an average of $66,194 per year. It is equivalent to an hourly rate of $33.79. The average salary differs according to the experience level. Here are the annual average salaries based on experience.

·        Entry level (less than one year of experience): $58,174

·        Early-career stage (one to four years of experience): $63,781

·        Mid-career stage (five to nine years of experience): $76,798

·        Experienced level (ten to nineteen years of experience): $80,904

Work settings

A dietitian works in many work settings that all require specific services from this job role. Their knowledge in food science and health and nutrition makes their job role highly demanding in different health organizations including the following:

·        Public and private hospitals

·        Medical centres and clinics

·        Aged care facilities

·        Mental health facilities

·        Fitness centres

·        Sports clubs

·        Community health centres

·        Government and non-government organizations

·        Private health practices

·        Corporate organizations

·        Paediatric centres

·        Food science and technology centres

·        Food safety and regulation agencies

·        Educational institutions and training centres

A dietitian can even run a private practice or consulting service which gives this profession the required freedom and flexibility.

Below are the major industries for employment.

·        Health Care And Social Assistance: 86.1%

·        Public Administration And Safety: 4.5%

·        Education And Training: 3.0%

·        Other Services: 1.3%

·        Other Industries: 4.4%

Here is an outline of dietitian employment percentage across Australia:

·        New South Wales: 33.1%

·        Victoria: 25.8%

·        Queensland: 21.1%

·        Western Australia: 8.6%

·        South Australia: 6.5%

·        Australian Capital Territory: 2.2%

·        Tasmania: 1.6%

·        Northern Territory: 1.2%

The role of a dietitian is not limited to a 9 to 5 job. In fact, as a dietitian, you may be required to work after hours, on weekends, and even on public holidays.

What is the difference between a Dietitian and Nutritionist?

People tend to confuse the role of a dietitian and nutritionist. These are two different roles with individual job specifications. The primary difference is that a nutritionist does not require formal qualifications and DAA accreditation to work in Australia. However, for a dietitian in Australia, these qualifications and accreditations are mandatory. That is why a dietitian can work as a nutritionist but not vice versa.

Only a dietitian can work in a healthcare setting like a hospital or medical centre. An accredited dietitian is also entitled to receive rebates via Medicare, NDIS, DVA, and a range of Health Insurance Funds. 

Conclusion

Working as a dietitian in Australia is a rewarding and lucrative career given that you have obtained the right qualifications and accreditation.

Medfuture guides you in finding a suitable job as a dietitian or any other medical job role. Visit our website for a list of the latest medical jobs including allied health jobs in Australia.

Here is a related article to read:

Allied Health Occupation Growth in Australia