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Health Care Providers: Registered Dietitians (RDs)

Medically reviewed by: KidsHealth Medical Experts

What Is a Registered Dietitian (RD)?

A registered dietitian (dye-uh-TIH-shin) is a medical professional who works with patients and families to create specific diets, teach about nutrition, and talk about healthy lifestyle choices.

Why Would Someone Need One?

Registered dietitians (RDs) offer support to people with a variety of conditions, such as:

They can help patients with:

What Is Their Training?

Registered dietitians have training that includes:

  • 4 years of undergraduate education at a college or university
  • an internship with at least 1,200 hours of supervised practice

They also will be:

  • nationally certified as a registered dietitian
  • licensed in the state where they practice

Good to Know

Some RDs are called registered dietitian nutritionists (RDNs) because they focus on the nutrition aspects of their training.

Medically reviewed by: KidsHealth Medical Experts
Date reviewed: September 2022