The nine-month certificate program encompasses the fall semester, winter session and the spring semester. Smith says registered dietitians are more visible today. They are no longer associated only with hospitals. Their role there is actually on a decline because of the diminished finances of those institutions. RDs now work as much with preventing disease as with those who are already ill.
Continual research provides new information for RDs to pass on to the public.
The ADA says the field of nutrition is more popular than ever and careers in the field of dietetics are abundant, especially in the areas of healthcare, education and research. RDs are trained to work with business and industry and with the media, educating the public about good nutrition. Last Thanksgiving intern Sheila Naab assumed the role of Betty, the Bacteria Buster, on KJEO TV's presentation on food safety. Her job was to work with a home economist with the UC Cooperative Extension to make the kitchen safe from bad bacteria lurking in the usual aftermath of a Thanksgiving feast. Working in large institutions, interns are taught how to feed a crowd nutritiously and economically.