Based on a study by the
University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health, 41.2 percent of adults in the state and 14.8 percent of its children are obese as of 2018. Counties in which the obesity rate is considered to be the highest—that is, over 37 percent – include Grant, Dodge, Marquette, Adams, Trempealeau, Clark, Chippewa, Washburn, Price, Lincoln, Forest, and Menominee.
In some neighborhoods, the study found, children are almost six times more likely to be obese than children living in other neighborhoods. Rural communities typically have higher rates of obesity than urban areas. Rural communities may lack access to healthier foods and strategies for promoting healthy eating.
This is where registered dietitians can help. They can advise, counsel and educate Wisconsin’s children and adults on the types of foods that promote healthy lifestyles. In Wisconsin, you must become certified by the state (as well as nationally registered) if you want to work as a dietitian. Keep reading to find out how to work as a certified, registered dietician in Wisconsin.
Certified Wisconsin Dietician: Education and Experience
Wisconsin’s law states the types of education and experience that would-be dieticians must have. For education, Wisconsin law offers the following choices:
- A bachelor’s, master’s or doctoral degree in food and nutrition, nutrition education, human nutrition, dietetics or food management systems from an accredited US college or university
- A bachelor’s, master’s or doctoral degree in food and nutrition, dietetics, nutrition education, human nutrition, or food management systems from a college or university located in another country if that program is equivalent to the US
Additionally, Wisconsin law dictates that all candidates to become certified dieticians must complete 900 hours of dietetic practice under the supervision of a certified and/or registered dietician. These hours must include 300 hours in clinical dietetics, 120 hours in food service administration, and 120 hours in community nutrition.
However, Wisconsin law also states that all certified dieticians must pass the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR)’s Registration Examination for Dietitians, meaning that the above -mentioned education and experience requirements are not exactly right. The CDR requires that all examination candidates have at least a bachelor’s degree in dietetics/related field, and complete 1000 hours’ monitored dietetic practice. (By 2024, that requirement will be increased to a master’s degree).
The school that you choose to fulfill the education and experience portion of the requirements must be approved by the Accreditation Council on Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND). A complete listing of all such programs in Wisconsin is here (link to Registered Dietitian Schools). The types of programs available in Wisconsin are Didactic Programs in Dietetics (DPDs), which offer strictly the courses required and must be followed by a Dietetic Internship (DI); Coordinated Programs in Dietetics (CP), which combine the coursework and the experiential portion into one program at the undergraduate or graduate level; and Graduate Programs (GP), which also combine the courses and experience necessary into one graduate-level program. You may choose to attend an ACEND-accredited program in any state.
Certified Wisconsin Dietician: Registered Examination for Dieticians
Once you have completed your education and experience, you must pass the CDR’s Registration Examination for Dietitians. The Registration Examination for Dietitians Handbook for Candidates will give you much valuable information about the test, which costs $200 and is given at Pearson VUE centers. In Wisconsin, those centers may be found in Green Bay, Madison, Brookfield, Milwaukee, and Kenosha.
You will be notified on the day of the exam of your passing status. If you pass, you will receive your CDR registration card delivered to your home by the postal service a couple of weeks after taking the exam.
Certified Wisconsin Dietician: Certification
You are now a registered dietician in Wisconsin, but before you may legally work there, you must become certified by the state. Use the state’s online license application portal, LicensE, to apply. You must supply all requested documentation and pay the $60 credential fee online.
Once you are certified as a dietician in Wisconsin, your certification must be renewed by Oct. 31 of even years. The renewal fee is $60, and this can be accomplished at the LicensE link as well. Additionally, make sure to maintain your registration with the CDR, which renews every five years and requires that you complete 75 hours of continuing education during each renewal period.
Certified Wisconsin Dietician: Salaries
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports that dieticians in Wisconsin earn an hourly median wage of $29.04 and an annual median wage of $60,400 (circa May 2021). Dieticians working in various metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas of Wisconsin may make more or less than these median wages, as you can see here:
| Area | Hourly median wage | Annual median wage |
| Milwaukee/Waukesha/West Allis | $29.91 | $62,220 |
| Madison | $29.83 | $62,050 |
| Appleton | $29.73 | $61,830 |
| Western nonmetro area | $29.02 | $60,350 |
| Green Bay | $28.90 | $60,110 |
| Wausau | $28.90 | $60,110 |
| Racine | $28.89 | $60,100 |
| Northeastern nonmetro area | $28.87 | $60,040 |
| La Crosse/Onalaska | $28.71 | $59,710 |
| Eau Claire | $28.56 | $59,410 |
| South Central nonmetro area | $28.46 | $59,200 |
Certified Wisconsin Dietician Jobs
Registered, certified dieticians are in demand across Wisconsin, if the following recent job openings are any indication:
- Dietician – Mayo Clinic, La Crosse
- Pay rate: $58,200 – $73,600/year
- You shall have at least a bachelor’s degree in nutrition/related field (master’s degree preferred)
- You shall have one year of clinical dietetics experience
- You shall be a RD
- You shall be a CD in Wisconsin
- WIC Health Educator/Nutritionist – County of Wood, Wisconsin Rapids
- Pay rate: $26.71 – $34.34/hour
- You shall have at least a bachelor’s degree in nutrition/related field
- You shall have one to two years of nutrition counseling experience
- You shall have your own transportation
- You shall be a RD
- You shall be a CD in Wisconsin
- Registered Dietitian – State of Wisconsin, Hartford
- Pay rate: $40/hour
- You shall have at least a bachelor’s degree in nutrition/related field
- You shall be a RD
- You shall be a CD in Wisconsin
- You shall have BLS certification
- Clinical Dietician – Sauk Prairie Healthcare, Prairie du Sac
- Pay rate: not specified
- You shall have at least a bachelor’s degree in nutrition/related field (master’s degree preferred)
- You shall be a RD
- You shall be a CD in Wisconsin
- Candidates with three to five years of experience in clinical setting preferred
- Diabetes Educator – Advocate Aurora Health, Grafton
- Pay rate: $31.30-$47/hour
- You shall have at least a bachelor’s degree in nutrition/related field
- You shall be a RD
- You shall be a CD in Wisconsin
- You shall be able to obtain CDE (diabetes educator certification) within two years
- You shall have two years of clinical dietitian experience