Ep. 67 - Nutritionist and Registered Dietitian - Brianna McAlister, Community Action Pioneer Valley

Welcome back to the Joust About Careers podcast! This episode features a conversation with 2015 VB graduate Brianna (Orchard) McAlister, who is a registered dietician who currently works as a nutritionist for Community Action Pioneer Valley in Massachusetts. In the interview, Brianna shares how a typical day looks, the differences between being a dietitian and a nutritionist, the many career options in this field, and much more. Whether you are interested in a career in dietetics and nutrition or are still exploring your options, I hope that what Brianna shares today will help all of you make better career decisions and have fulfilling career journeys. Enjoy the show! 1:32 - A typical day for a nutritionist 3:41 - What is WIC? 4:47 - How being a nutritionist is different from being a registered dietitian 6:00 - 18 patients a day vs. 6-8, different lengths of appointments - a few of the differences 7:32 - Bree knew she wanted to be a dietitian since her freshman year of high school 8:13 - Sports nutrition was also something she was interested in doing, but she didn’t consider WIC until she was in college. 8:52 - Ohio State was a great place for Bree to start her career journey. 10:15 - The process of pursuing an internship in this field 12:00 - The process of pursuing a master’s degree 13:20 - What Bree learned from her time as a nutrition aide at The Heritage Nursing Home in Findlay as she was starting her career 15:26 - There are MANY different opportunities in this field to specialize and gain additional certifications. 18:40 - People in this field don’t have to stick to one path. 19:45 - Bree has a dietetics intern who is in her 40s. 20:19 - Becoming a dietitian can be strenuous, but it is possible to over prepare. 21:25 - Bree did not get accepted into the dietetics program at OSU when she applied the first time. Questions? Connect with Brian on LinkedIn (www.linkedin.com/in/brian-bratt/) or e-mail ([email protected]). Connect with Bree on LinkedIn (linkedin.com/in/brianna-orchard) or by e-mail ([email protected]).