“I’m going to get a raise!” This sentiment is in the hearts and minds of practicing registered dietitians (RD) and dietitians to be right now.

You may have heard through chatting with other students, peers or dietitians that there is going to be a lack of dietitians entering the profession. With over 5,600 registered dietitian jobs available annually, there will likely not be enough RD’s to fill the expected demand. We’ll examine the market forces at play when it comes to this trend.

Trend #1 for fewer dietitians: Dropping student enrollment

It’s glaringly obvious there are less people enrolling into dietetics programs. There is an anticipated 25% drop in didactic programs (undergraduate RD programs) over the next 5 years. In 2023, computer matching (DICAS) to dietetic internship programs (1695 students) dropped by 34% compared to 2022 (2575 students) who computer matched into dietetic internship programs.

Live births in the United States declined from 4.1 million to 3.7 million from 1990 to 2019. This decline in the birth rate will ultimately be tied to lowering enrollment overall into college programs.

Trend #2: Master’s degree requirement

Starting January 1, 2024, a student must have a confirmed master’s degree in order to sit for the rd exam. The previous requirement was that students have a bachelor’s degree with an ACEND approved internship program to become a dietitian.  By requiring that additional year to two years of school, this puts added financial and time pressure to the budding RD to be.

There will be a lag time between when students will graduate with the master’s degree and when they can practice as a registered dietitian. At least for the next couple of years, we can see a dip in new people coming into the profession, as the master’s degree requirement catches up with students’ graduation timelines.

Trend #3: Decline in supervised practice preceptor sites

Fewer preceptors sites are taking on students. The pandemic has caused higher than normal turnover in nutrition departments across the country. People are leaving areas like clinical hospital settings to start online private practice. In a recent survey of clinical nutrition managers, 48% of managers surveyed stated higher than average turnover for the past year (2022-23) compared to the previous 5 years. Dietitians with <3 years of experience are leaving at a higher rate compared to other groups. They cite “taking another position within dietetics” as the reason for leaving. Pay and burnout are a few of the top reasons cited for the turnover.

This shuffle has led to a degree of instability which causes clinicians to think twice about taking on a dietetic intern for any amount of time. Without those important internship preceptors, internships cannot enroll as many students in their programs. Hence, less students graduating from internship programs.

Trend #4: The RD exam has gotten harder.

The most recent pass rate data shows a 65% pass rate for students taking their first attempt at the rd exam. Thankfully, within one year of finishing an internship program 88% of students were able to pass the rd exam. Initially failing the exam can potentially lead to that student missing employment opportunities, delaying their entry into the profession and the financial burden of additional testing fees.

At Sage, we hear students tell us all the time the situational type questions on the exam can be complex, where there are multiple concepts in one question with seemingly four correct answers. The test isn’t impossible, but it takes that added layer of critical thinking.

Trend #5: Lack of perceived value for the degree/pay.

The new master’s degree requirement will require more time spent in school, which will delay them entering the profession. This additional time in school will cost not only more tuition money, but opportunity cost. They cannot enter the profession as quickly, which delays their earning potential.

Rising student loan debt coupled with a median average salary of $66,450 have made potential registered dietitians question their excitement about the profession. With other allied health professionals making significantly more money (physician assistant, pharmacist, nurse practitioners), many high-performing students are following the dollars.  Go to school for an additional year and make 30 K more per year? Sign me up! 

Many are aware that to become a dietitian you have to go through a 1000 hour unpaid internship. This again puts a financial burden on struggling students. They have to go through that year of paying bills with no income. Typically the opinion is student loans or living with relatives to get through the internship. I personally had to live on loans during my internship. With inflation continuing to pinch the wallets of Americans, the cost of an unpaid internship can be viewed as impossible. 

Final thoughts

The dietetics profession is facing some strong headwinds in the years ahead. Those who are considering entering the dietitian profession have a lot of options to weigh. Many people enter this field because they love nutrition and helping others. So I encourage you to not lose sight of why you want to become a dietitian.

I believe the pay will eventually adjust to the added cost of a master’s degree, but it will take some time. I am seeing it in my area. When I started as a dietitian with a master’s degree in 2010, I made $18.65/hr. Now the going rate in my area is $35-$45/hr. 

We typically don’t get into this profession for the pay, right? 

Talk soon,

Lauren