[00:00:00] If you're looking to grow your business as a registered dietitian, you've come to the right place. If you're not sure what to do or what steps to take next so that you can create flexibility and freedom in your life, then you're going to learn a lot from tuning into our podcast here at dietitian boss.
[00:00:17] I'm Libby Rothschild, the founder of dietitian boss, a [00:00:20] fellow registered dietitian and business owner. And in our podcast, I share some The highs and the lows. And I talk all about how to grow your business, get it started. And I interview our clients to date. We've had over 200 interviews from clients who share their journey on our podcast, dietitian boss.
[00:00:37] Hello and welcome. They were [00:00:40] exploring tips and strategies to help dietitians like you maximize your earning potential and build successful careers. So today we're talking about higher paying dietician jobs because those, some of you might be wanting to build a private practice on the side and you're not ready to go full time or maybe you don't even want to ever go full [00:01:00] time, but right now you need something high paying.
[00:01:03] And I understand. I felt that way, too. So let's talk a little bit about what your options are to make sure that you're doing your due diligence to make the highest amount of money that you can as a registered dietitian. Many of you aren't sure what's possible. I know. I didn't back when I [00:01:20] got the position that I've.
[00:01:21] I could, and I still could have negotiated better. So we're going to dive into some money making strategies and cover negotiating raises, finding higher paying jobs and thinking outside of the traditional clinical role, which can boost your income. So, the 1st thing you want to do is [00:01:40] negotiate a raise. If you already have a job, this is something you want to think about.
[00:01:44] So you want to. Understand your worth by knowing your value and the unique skills that you bring to your role. So that might take a little bit of reflection. If you have a resume, you can even go through and see what's unique about you that you could use to help you leverage getting a raise. What are [00:02:00] some skills that you can bring to the position that you're in?
[00:02:03] You want to prepare for the conversation by gathering data on industry salary standards and your accomplishments. Thus far. 1 of the best ways I've done. This is through this salary calculator that it's available through the Academy. So, the salary calculator is a great tool as far as I'm concerned, you [00:02:20] can't access it unless if you're a paying member of the Academy of nutrition and dietetics, but there are a lot of different factors that can contribute to how the salary calculator Can give you an estimate about what you might be able to get paid.
[00:02:35] And typically it's going to be higher in my experience than what you're offered, [00:02:40] which we'll, we'll get into in a moment with negotiation. So in terms of negotiating strategies, you want to practice your pitch and think about being confident, which can take some practice and be prepared to discuss your contributions and how your contributions can help the bottom line of where you're working And therefore that can help merit a raise.
[00:02:59] So this is [00:03:00] tricky because it will require some sort of communication. It'll require some practice and it might even, uh, involve some rejection, right? You might ask for more money, or you might talk about your contributions, but they don't actually match with what the organization is looking for. And that can feel frustrating, but it doesn't mean that you shouldn't try again.
[00:03:19] You might just [00:03:20] need to. Take a different angle next time. Now, you also can look higher paying jobs, assuming that this is important to you, whether you don't have a job yet, or you do, but you're looking for another higher paying job. So you want to look at opportunities and that's where job postings can come in.
[00:03:36] You might already be on some listservs that you're getting where you learn about [00:03:40] jobs in your area. That offer competitive salaries and benefits, or you can go online and search the keywords of registered dietitian. Plus, let's say, you know, you live in New Jersey or California or wherever you're located.
[00:03:54] Or again, if you're looking for a virtual position, that's that can be a different way that you go [00:04:00] about that. But that's another option as well. If you're looking for something online, which is definitely becoming more and more trendy. Now, because a lot of dietitians are wanting those options and flexibility.
[00:04:13] Now, one thing I suggest is leveraging your professional network. So that means networking and [00:04:20] opportunities. It could be your local chapter. If you are part of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, where you live, you can find your chapter and figure out what's going on in your area. Or if you have a professional network of other healthcare practitioners, maybe you network with doctors, then you can talk to them and find out what some of the opportunities are through their network.
[00:04:39] [00:04:40] Or if you're a part of any business organizations, if you're not, I suggest to join them. And if you are, I suggest to participate. With those organizations and think about your qualifications. So if you do need extra certifications or specializations to make yourself more marketable, you can think of that.
[00:04:58] It's not my favorite way for you [00:05:00] to spend the most time looking for a higher paying job, because a lot of times those certifications can take a lot of time. So we're. They can work. I really encourage you to tap into your network because that can actually be a faster way for you to think about getting more opportunities.
[00:05:14] It's just focusing on relationship building and thinking about what the needs are in your community. That's [00:05:20] how I was able to find higher paying jobs. That's how I was able to find a raise would be through networking in my local community in New York City. And I've talked about that various times. I was able to, I was a speaker and I was offered more and more speaking opportunities through my, through the network of physicians that I worked with.
[00:05:37] And I was able to get a lot of [00:05:40] consulting work before I ended up helping dieticians. Finding the work that I found and then a dietitian boss became full time. Now, another thing you can do is explore high paying dietitian roles. So the, some of the highest paying roles you might not be familiar with include director of nutrition.
[00:05:59] And that's where you [00:06:00] would oversee programs and staff. So there's quite a lot of responsibility. You're going to manage budgets and implement plans. Policies. Now, this is a lot of responsibility in this role. And the only negative about a role like the director of nutrition is that there's not that many positions open.
[00:06:17] So where there's a ton of maybe not a ton, but [00:06:20] there are more clinical entry level clinical positions open. There are less director roles. Because if you're overseeing a program and staff, there's going to be one of you to many staff, depending on how many you're managing. So where that can be an attractive position, keep in mind that they can be harder to get those positions because typically people in director roles don't leave [00:06:40] and there aren't as many options or opportunities doesn't mean that they're not around, but there aren't as many opportunities.
[00:06:47] Now, chief dietitian is another option where you can like a chief clinical or some type of a, again, management position. You might be overseeing a couple people. Um, I was chief clinical in a nursing home [00:07:00] and there's many different types of chief clinical. So if you're chief clinical, it could be that you're overseeing a large staff.
[00:07:05] I was overseeing a small amount of staff and that can be like, it's not quite like a director because you're not overseeing as much responsibility, but it can be higher pay than entry level. Um, There's also private practice, which I talk about all the time, and that's where you're running [00:07:20] your own business.
[00:07:21] You can set your own rates unless if you're working with insurance, then you have to set the rates that you have your contracts with for insurance companies. But if you do cash pay, you can set your own rates and you can work directly with clients. Also private practice means so many things. So private practice can also mean that you are writing for nutrition, that you're running group [00:07:40] programs for nutrition, that you're speaking for nutrition.
[00:07:42] So it doesn't just mean that you're seeing clients one on one. There are many opportunities eating disorder specialist providing care for individuals with eating disorders is a niche that is in high demand, and that can provide a higher level of pay as well. And then research dietician. So you're conducting research studies and [00:08:00] contributing to scientific knowledge and that can typically look like an academic environment or even research institution.
[00:08:06] Now, another high paying job that's not on this list I've shared so far could be a certified diabetes educator and any kind of nutrition manager. So I did mention chief clinical and director of nutrition, but management in general, maybe it's not a [00:08:20] director, it's not that high up, but you're still managing a staff is typically typically going to be a higher salary than entry level.
[00:08:27] And anything that you do to specialize in chronic disease, like if you're working with dialysis, uh, there can be higher pay. And those types of roles. So keep in mind what you're doing as a [00:08:40] dietitian. Are you clinical? Are you specialized in clinical? Are you general clinical dietitian? Corporate dietitians can make more money.
[00:08:47] And also, if you're working in like some type of a position where you're doing working with food, um. That can also you can earn a higher salary as well, but then you might also be doing more [00:09:00] business work, which some of you like, and some of you want to get more hands on with working with clients. So, no, I want you to take a moment and think outside of the clinical position.
[00:09:09] So the non traditional roles would be corporate wellness, public health media, which has gotten so popular in the last. Five or 10 years and then consulting. Now, I [00:09:20] like consulting a lot, which can include the media, but doesn't have to. And we've had tons of media dietitians and clients of ours on the podcast and interviewed them over the years.
[00:09:29] You can hear their experience, but that can be really fun. Like the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics has, they nominate a media dietitian. I think several in different states. Every year they're [00:09:40] recognized and then, of course, you can use social media to promote yourself as well and really build a community.
[00:09:46] There are leadership positions as well. And that would be what we spoke about earlier. Clinical manager, chief clinical or even director. And that's where there's a higher earning potential. But the. The caveat is there's far fewer of those positions than there are entry level [00:10:00] and entry levels where you're not going to get paid as high.
[00:10:03] And there's entrepreneurial ventures. So starting a blog, creating an online course or a membership, writing a book, a cookbook, or creating programs online and packages and online coaching and consulting. And that's where you can generate additional income. You can even create [00:10:20] supplements or sell supplements as well.
[00:10:22] So there's so many different types of entrepreneurial ventures. And starting your own business like private practice will give you the autonomy and flexible hours. So let's say you want to work part time because maybe you're taking care of little ones, or you're taking care of your elderly family, or you want to travel, or maybe your partner [00:10:40] travels and you want to have that flexibility.
[00:10:41] That's what I love about private practice. That's why I started my private practice. Yes, I wanted to get paid more, but I really wanted the flexibility because my husband and I love to travel. So I want you to think about what kind of lifestyle you want and that can help you think about what type of high earning dietetic career you want to choose, right?
[00:10:59] And [00:11:00] also, you can set your own fees now, not for insurance with insurance. You have to go with the fees that you agreed to with who you're partnering with. But when it comes to cash pay, you can set your own rates, which is both scary and fun because you can really create the type of business model that you want now in [00:11:20] terms of steps to start a business plan is helpful.
[00:11:23] We have that offered inside of the library, and we do keep it simple. So you can build on it. But part of our business plan that we have helps you choose what you want to sell, how you want to market what you sell, right? So are you going to be leveraging referrals in person marketing? Are you going to work with?
[00:11:38] Doctors, or are [00:11:40] you going to grow social media following? Are you going to join, are you going to grow an email list? I suggest just choosing two different ways you want to market, but that's part of a business plan. So if you're interested in learning more about creating and executing a business plan, I invite you to join the library, which is our monthly membership.
[00:11:55] And you can find out more about that on our website at dietitianboss. com. You also [00:12:00] might need to get the necessary licenses. If you're practicing across state lines, and you're going to have to check with where you live and the legal, all the legalities associated with licensure, and then you're going to want to learn how to market your services, which is the most important part about selling.
[00:12:16] What you do is figuring out. Your marketing process, [00:12:20] and you know, we're big fans of online marketing, but that doesn't mean that in person marketing and community local marketing don't matter. They absolutely do. So I want you to think about the foundations about what is your plan to let people know you exist to help pique their interest and to get people to want to buy a service that you can actually, or a product that you can help [00:12:40] them.
[00:12:40] You can truly help them with their nutrition need. So those would be what I want you to think about when you're looking to get started. And then in terms of tips for success, building a strong online presence and networking with other professionals and continuously updating your skills are all important, right?
[00:12:56] So our skills as dietitians don't stop when we finish [00:13:00] school. We want to be constantly thinking. Thinking as we do with our continuing education requirements, what can we do to improve our listening skills or sales skills or marketing skills would translate really well to our counseling skills, our interpersonal skills when it comes to talking with referral partners, community, and even our own clients, current and past clients and proving [00:13:20] with how we provide a service or product to them.
[00:13:22] So in terms of a recap of today's episode, we discussed a bit about negotiating your rates, finding what the salaries are in your area, figure using the Academy's salary calculator tool to negotiate a higher rate, finding higher paying jobs. What do those look like? And exploring both traditional and [00:13:40] non traditional roles, which can maximize your income.
[00:13:43] And I want you to think about what type of position would be best for you right now. Now it doesn't mean that you'll be in that position long term, but think about what you can do now that might be a stepping stone for your next move. Now, to share a bit about my story, for [00:14:00] those of you that don't know, I was a chief clinical dietician and I was an entry level pediatric dietician.
[00:14:06] And in both of those positions, I worked as a nutrition consultant on the side, which helped me go full time in my online business. But I did work as an entry level dietician for a long time before I went full time. So I want you to think about, um, What is an [00:14:20] option that you can do now that might not be forever, but that can help you meet some of your goals.
[00:14:26] Looking for support to grow your dietician business or even get started. I invite you to join the library, our monthly affordable membership that shows you exactly what to do every step of the way so that you can create the business of your [00:14:40] dreams. Not sure if it's the right time. The membership gives you an option to Go at your own pace.
[00:14:46] We have modules, a roadmap to show you exactly what to do and monthly live calls, as well as new content that we release every single month based on requests. Inside of the library, we have four stages of business. So whether you come in getting [00:15:00] started or you want to enter the membership and grow or scale your business, we have the appropriate resources for you and our team, including myself available to answer your questions.
[00:15:09] Head on over to dietitianboston. com. Dot com and check out the library today. We'd love to see you there.
