A recent report by Rhode Island
Kids Count notes that childhood obesity rates are up in the state. In 2019, 31 percent of Rhode Island’s children between the ages of 2 and 17 were classified as overweight or obese. By 2020, that number had increased to 35 percent. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, only five cities and towns in Rhode Island had childhood obesity rates over 36 percent. As of 2020, there are 11 such cities and towns. Places in Rhode Island in which childhood obesity and overweight rates are highest include Central Falls, at 52 percent; Woonsocket, at 48 percent; Pawtucket, at 43 percent; North Providence, at 43 percent; and Johnston, at 39 percent.
One of the ways in which Rhode Island can fight childhood obesity is by educating parents and families on healthier foods for children to eat. Registered dietitians are quite important in that regard. These health care professionals are specially trained to offer assessments, intervention and motivation to clients who are seeking to live healthier lifestyles. If you would like to learn how to transform yourself into a registered dietitian in Rhode Island, keep reading.
Training and Experience for Rhode Island Dietitians
Rhode Island’s Dietitian Nutritionist Act calls for every dietitian/nutritionist to become licensed before they may legally work in the Ocean State. This involves fulfilling the mandates of the national Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR): in short, graduating from an ACEND (Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics)-accredited dietetic degree program, completing 1000 supervised experience hours, and passing an examination. While you may choose any program approved by ACEND in any state, the following are currently found within Rhode Island:
- Master of Science in Dietetics (online or on campus)- University of Rhode Island: This is a Graduate Program (GP) that combines the coursework you need to become a dietitian with the 1000 hours of supervised experiential learning.
- Master of Science in Nutrition and Dietetic Internship combined program – University of Rhode Island: This program combines two semesters of didactic coursework with two semesters of experiential learning and supportive coursework (dietetic internship).
While there are two other Rhode Island bachelor’s degree dietetic programs, the CDR has decreed that, circa Jan. 1, 2024, registered dietitians must have a minimum of a master’s degree.
Registration Examination for Rhode Island Dietitians
Once your education and experience have been completed, you must next pass the CDR’s Registration Examination for Dietitians. The Registration Examination for Dietitians Handbook for Candidates should be of great help to you in preparing to take the test. You will sign up for the exam online through Pearson VUE exam centers and pay the test fee of $200. Although you may take the test at any Pearson VUE test center in the U.S. or Canada, the only Rhode Island center currently is found in Warwick.
If you pass the exam, the CDR will mail your registration card identifying you as a registered dietitian within a few weeks. You are then ready to take the next step: licensure.
Licensing of Dietitians in Rhode Island
Before you may legally practice as a Rhode Island dietitian, you must file the Rhode Island Board of Dietetics Practice Application for License as a Dietitian/Nutritionist. Send it, along with required supporting documents, and the $75 fee, to: Rhode Island Board of Dietetics Practice, Room 104, 3 Capitol Hill, Providence, RI 02908-5097. If you have questions about the application process, call (401) 222-2828.
Your license is viable for two years, and must be renewed on November 1 of each odd-numbered year. You must complete 20 credit hours of continuing education every two years to maintain your license (along with the 75 credit hours of continuing education required by the CDR every five years to maintain registration).
Salary for Rhode Island Dietitians
The U.S. Dept. of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) noted that, as of May 2021, there were 220 nutritionists and dietitians working statewide in Rhode Island. These professionals made an hourly median wage of $36.04 and an annual median wage of $74,970. Those working in the Providence/Warwick metropolitan area made $35.16 as an hourly median wage, and $73,130 as an annual median wage.
Jobs for Dietitians in Rhode Island
In a state the size of Rhode Island, a better way to gauge what actual licensed, registered dietitians are making can be to see what advertised registered dietitian jobs are offering to pay applicants by searching the online classified ads. Some examples of available dietitian positions in Rhode Island, requiring a registration and license, as of October 2022, are:
- Clinical Dietitian – NutraCo, Providence
- Salary: $30-34/hour
- Bachelor’s degree necessary
- Registration through CDR necessary
- Licensure through Rhode Island Board of Dietetics necessary
- Registered Dietitian- Elevate, East Greenwich
- Salary: $30-$40/hour
- Bachelor’s degree necessary
- Registration through CDR necessary
- Licensure through Rhode Island Board of Dietetics necessary
- Registered Dietitian – RD Nutrition Consultants, Pawtucket
- Salary: $30-$38/hour
- Bachelor’s degree necessary
- Registration through CDR necessary
- Licensure through Rhode Island Board of Dietetics necessary
- It is preferred that you have at least a year of clinical dietitian experience, which should include providing general nutrition education
- Registered Dietitian Nutritionist – Claxton Dietetic Solutions, LLC, Providence
- Salary: $28-$32/hour
- Bachelor’s degree necessary
- Registration through CDR necessary
- Licensure through Rhode Island Board of Dietetics necessary
- Registered Dietitian- Lifespan, Providence
- Salary: $24-$37/hour
- Bachelor’s degree necessary
- Registration through CDR necessary
- Licensure through Rhode Island Board of Dietetics necessary