The Utah Department of Health
has noted that the number of residents of Utah who qualify as obese or overweight has steadily risen from 1989 to 2020. Although Utah’s obesity and overweight rate is slightly lower than the national average as of 2020 (63.8 percent vs. 66.6 percent), the trend is still alarming. Across all age groups in Utah, males have a higher rate of obesity and overweight than females. Hispanic adults have a higher rate of obesity and overweight than non-Hispanic adults in Utah. The local health district with the highest rate of adult overweight and obesity in Utah is San Juan. The local health district in Utah with the lowest adult overweight/obesity rate is Summit County.
Even if you are not yet a nutrition professional, this data is disturbing. Many well-trained, educated health care professionals are needed to combat the overweight and obesity problem in Utah. Registered dietitians are educated in helping Utah residents make better food and lifestyle choices. If you’ve ever thought about becoming a Utah registered, certified dietitian, this article is for you.
Utah Certified Dietitians: Instruction and Practice
Utah’s Dietitian Certification Act states that applicants to become certified dietitians in the state must:
- Possess at least a bachelor’s degree in food, dietetics, food systems management, or an equivalent field
- Complete a preplanned baccalaureate or post-baccalaureate professional experience under a certified dietitian’s supervision
In addition to becoming certified before you can work in Utah, you must also become registered through the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR). This is a national-level registry that dictates what type of education and experience you must fulfill, and their requirements are actually more stringent than those of the Utah law. The CDR mandates that you graduate from an ACEND-accredited dietetic education program that includes 1000 hours of dietetic experience. (As of the first day of 2024, the CDR also mandates that you possess a minimum of a master’s degree). There are seven accredited programs in Utah as of October 2022, of the following types:
Didactic Program in Dietetics (DPD) – DPDs give you the didactic (classroom) portion of the dietetic education, not the experience. There are two DPDs in Utah as of Oct. 2022.
Dietetic Internship (DI)- DIs follow a DPD, and are the supervised professional dietetic practice of a minimum of 1000 hours. As of Oct. 2022, there are two DIs in Utah.
Coordinated Program in Dietetics (CP)- A CP blends the classroom and experience portions of the program into one complete dietetic education program. There are two CPs in Utah as of Oct. 2022.
Graduate Program (GP)– GPs also blend the classroom and experience portions of the dietetic education program, culminating in a graduate degree. There is just one GP in Utah as of October 2022.
A complete listing of all Utah dietetic education programs and Registered Dietitian Schools in Utah..
Utah Certified Dietitians: Examination
Utah’s Dietitian Certification Act also specifies that would-be dietitians must pass a competency exam approved by the Board. That exam is the CDR’s Registration Examination for Dietitians, also required by the CDR for registration. The Registration Examination for Dietitians Handbook for Candidates will give you a wealth of information on the examination.
Pearson VUE exam centers administer the exam and take your fee of $200. Utah’s Pearson VUE centers are in Salt Lake City, Draper, Bountiful, and Odgen.
You will know by the end of the examination if you have passed or failed. The CDR mails registration cards to those who pass, usually within a couple of weeks after the exam.
Utah Certified Dietitians: Certification Process
Passing the CDR exam means that you are prepared to file for dietitian certification in Utah. This must be done through their online process. You will be asked to upload your CDR card, and may be asked for additional documentation as well. You will also pay all certification fees online at this time.
Once you are certified, you must renew your certification every other year (even years). There is a certification fee to pay when you renew online. You must also maintain your CDR registration by renewing it every five years. During this time, you must log 75 continuing education hours.
Utah Certified Dietitians Salary
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) notes that Utha has the fourth-highest concentration of jobs for dietitians in the country, (circa May 2021), at 950, or 0.61 employment level per 1000 jobs. The hourly mean wage for certified dietitians in Utah is $25.58, and the annual mean wage is $53,200.
Dietitians practicing in the St. George area earn the highest salaries in the state, at $27.51 hourly and $57,210 annually. Those in the Salt Lake City area earn the second-highest salaries, at $27.18 per hour and $56,530 per year. Provo/Orem’s dietitians are next at $26.54 and $55,200, respectively. This is followed by dietitians in the Eastern nonmetropolitan area, who earn an hourly mean wage of $26.23 and an annual mean wage of $54,550. Finally, the other metropolitan area in which dietitians earn higher than the state average is Logan, at $25.86 hourly and $53,790 annually.
Utah Certified Dietitians: Jobs
Many jobs for registered, certified dietitians are advertised throughout Utah on a regular basis. Here are just a few examples of openings for dietitians in Utah as of October 2022:
- Dietitian Specialist II- Intermountain Healthcare, Salt Lake City
- Wages: $29.89-$46.14/hour
- Must have a MA/MS in nutrition or a related field
- Must have RDN credential
- Must be a CD in Utah
- Public Health Nutritionist – Salt Lake County, West Valley City
- Wages: $35,400 – $44,800/year
- Must have at least a BA/BS in nutrition or a related field
- Must have RDN credential
- Must be a CD in Utah
- Must possess a valid Utah driver’s license
- Registered Dietitian/Lifestyle Coach- Optum, Sandy
- Wages: $48,400 – $61,200/year
- Must have at least a BA/BS in nutrition or a related field
- RDN credential preferred
- CD in Utah preferred
- Must have 24 months of related experience
- Registered Dietitian – Central Utah Public Health Department, Richfield
- Wages: $33.17/hour
- Must have at least a BA/BS in nutrition or a related field
- Must have RDN credential
- Must be a CD in Utah
- Must pass a criminal background investigation
- Must possess a valid Utah driver’s license
- Registered Dietitian- Davis County Government, Farmington
- Wages: $21.38 – $33.02/hour
- Must have at least a BA/BS in nutrition or a related field
- Must have RDN credential
- Must be a CD in Utah
- Prefer candidates with work experience in public health
- Prefer candidates with fluency in Spanish and English
- Must pass a criminal background investigation
- Must possess a valid Utah driver’s license