ACEND- Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics

Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics- ACEND is a well known accrediting agency for many reputed universities and colleges that are preparing students as a registered dietician or a nutritionist. ACEND is constantly working towards improving dietetic and nutrition programs and is always behind making a student's education exceptional. ACEND is certified by the United States Department of Education which again oversees if colleges meet national and international standards. 

Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics is the world's largest organization of nutrition and dietetic programs and education. This academy was established in the year 1917 with the motive to help the government understand the importance of food and help them conserve food and improve public health. 

ACEND Accreditation?

The universities offering programs in nutrition and dietetic have to voluntarily register at the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND) Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics for the accreditation. 

Source - eatrightpro.org

Why ACEND Accreditation?

 Accreditation recognizes the university and programs and helps them by assisting them with the improvements to be made. Accreditation helps in - 

• Increase the value of the institution and the programs offered by them and protect the students and public interests and values. 

• Accreditation helps to build trust among people and its a certification of the quality. 

• It promotes professionalism and enhances employment opportunities for eligible students. 

• It provides the assurance that the curriculum provides the required skills and knowledge to their students. 

Who is a Dietician?

A dietician is the one who is involved in guiding and counseling others on having hygiene food and maintaining a proper diet. They even help promote overall health and prevent illness.

Did you Know?

Almost half of the dieticians hold a graduate degree and have certifications in specialized health programs. 

What does a Dietician do?

As a dietician, you'll be primarily participating in overseeing food preparation, menu planning, provide tips on having healthy food. In addition, they also alert their patient based on their health condition and diagnose patient's nutritional problems.

Dieticians can be generally found in hospitals, nursing care, health agencies, and more. The minimum requirement to be a dietician is a bachelor's degree from a recognized and approved institution.

Universities in the U.S offering Nutrition Degree

It is very important to earn a degree from the program accredited by the Academy of Nutrition.

Here's the list of few universities that provide a degree in dietetics and nutrition. 

• University of Alaska Anchorage

• Arizona State University

• California State University, Los Angeles

• Colorado State University

• University of Connecticut 

Types of Dieticians - Careers after Nutrition Degree

Have you ever wondered what you can be with your Nutrition degree? The answer to that is here. Dieticians work in various fields and varieties of specialties in both public and private sectors. The following are the list of fields you can work in if you are a Registered Dietician (RD).

1. Clinical Dieticians

Clinical Dieticians are those who generally can be found in hospitals and other health care facilities to provide nutrition tips to their patients with different problems. These types of dieticians generally coordinate with hospitals and health care professionals and also to providing food management services, grocery shopping, and food preparation services.

2. Food Service Dieticians 

Food Service Dieticians are responsible for food planning and service on a large scale. They also perform the task of analyzing the recipe and prepare healthy, safe, and tasty food. 

3. Sports Dieticians

Sports Dieticians generally work with their clients in gyms, fitness centers, and sports clubs. They work on helping individuals who want to maintain fitness and help them plan the food that needs to be consumed by the sportspersons. 

4. Dietary Clerks

Dietary Clerks are also known as Dietary Workers. They prepare a diet chart for patients in hospitals by following the standards established by the dietitians. They also involve patient visits to assist with the nutrition screening of patients and departmental communication. 

5. Dietary Manager

The dietary Manager is an expert in the foodservice, management, and safety service. Certified Managers maintain sanitation standards, buy food materials, assist in food production, implement healthy and new menus, and many more. 

6. Dietary Host

Dietary Host is those who are involved in assisting the patient tray services in hospitals and other health care organizations. 

Who is a Nutritionist?

Nutritionists and Dieticians are almost the same, as even they are into planning and guiding their patients to have the proper healthy food, maintain a diet, and provide food tips. The main difference between Dieticians and Nutritionists is the legal restrictions that each one has. Nutritionists who register themselves with Commission on Dietetic Registration may call themselves RD's. 

The Nutritionist profession is less protected under the law. And also Dieticians who do not use the title RD's are completely free from the governments' regulations. 

How do you become a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN)?

In order to become an RDN, you must complete the following steps. 

Step 1 - You have to Complete ACEND  accredited academic coursework in a Didactic Program and should have a minimum of a bachelor's degree from a US-accredited university or a college. 

Step 2 - Obtain an original verification statement from the Director of the ACEND accredited DPD documenting completion of these requirements.

Step 3 - Enroll yourself and complete the ACEND-accredited requirements in a Dietetic Internship or Individualized Supervised Practice Program (ISPP) for registration eligibility.

Step 4 - You have to take up the CDR registration that is conducted to be a Dieticians and pass it. 

Conclusion 

Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics is the global accrediting agency that accredits all the universities proving the programs relating to the dietetics and nutrition. The agency has set its standards very high and it requires a university to have a good background. ACEND also helps students by providing information relating to nutrition and dietetics.