Interview with Registered Dietitian

Jennifer Walters

507-494-0830

School Nutrition

WAPS, Winona Minnesota 55987

Kaitlin Ingle

Due: November 19th, 2015

 I chose to interview Jennifer Walters for the assignment of interviewing a Registered

Dietitian in the School Nutrition field. In my interview I went on to ask about her education, her

career history from graduation to present, her view on male dieticians and the relationship

between dieticians with other health care professionals, her opinion on the competiveness of the

field, the most frustrating part of her job, how education impacts her life, and what field she

thinks has the most potential.

Education of the Dietitian

Jennifer has a Bachelor of Science in Nutrition from University of Minnesota, St. Paul.

Her internship was completed at Viterbo University. Jennifer also went on to earn her School

Nutrition Specialist certification from the School Nutrition Association; along with a certification

as a Board Certified Specialist in Gerontological Nutrition, a dietitian that specializes in nutrition

and aging, which is a credential from the Commission on Dietetic Registration. Jennifer has also

been a member of AND (Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics) since 1996.

Career History from Graduation to Present

Jennifer started off her career as the School Nutrition Director of Viroqua Area Public

Schools. She then transferred to Long Term Care to have experience in both food service and

clinical dietetics. She continued to stay involved in school nutrition and taught classes. She once

again switched positions and became the Executive Director of Assisted Living. She realized this

was not the right career path for her and choose to open her own business with the motto

Nutrition Through The Ages,. Once again Jennifer realized this was not the career path for her
since it was a challenge she was not prepared for. Once the position opened up at WAPS, she

knew it was the right decision and became the schools Registered Dietician.

View on There Being More Female Dietitians than Males

In an article titled Males Make Headway, In Traditional Female Field, written by Bonnie

Coblents, it states,Only three percent of the dietetics profession is male,. When asked about

this Jennifer said In the past, dietetics was like nursing and many women went into the field.

They have same degree requirements.

Views on Interrelationship between Dietitians and Other Health Care Workers

When it comes to a Registered Dietitian, theyre going to collaborate with many different

health professionals. When Jennifer worked in long term care she was on a health team that

discussed patients from many different fields of expertise. Now as a Registered Dietician in a

school. She works with health professionals that may have patients attending the school.

Examples of these would be students with diabetes, allergies to certain foods, or anorexia. As

you can see, a Registered Dietitian is just one small part of the medical field.

Opinion on How Competitive this Field Is

When asked her option Jennifer said that, finding a full time position is competitive.

Many employers are hiring part-time or consultant dietitians. However finding a job isnt

always the hardest part according to All Access Internships With the 50% match rate (for

internships) it is pretty scary, (Jenny Westerkamp, 4).

When Asked What Is Most Frustrating Part of Job

She says that she cant go very in depth on this part of her job but the most frustrating

part has to be other employee issues. When I looked up some other responses to this question I

found an article called School VS. Clinical Dietetics thats written by a Registered Dietitian; she

claims that the hardest part of her job is, Making the menus. I tried to make everyone happy but

it was hard when you had to consider so many factors.

When Asked How Her Education Influences Her Life

Constantly being surrounded by how food affects your life and your body has made

Jennifer more in tuned with the food what she chooses to eat.

What Field of Dietetics Has the Most Potential

With her experience in many different jobs, Jennifer is a good resource when asking

about job growth in the Dietetics Field. Her prediction is that Health Education with be a

growing field since theres always a need to educate students along with people who have

unhealthy lifestyles or chronic diseases. Shes correct with this assumption; since the Bureau of

Labor Statistics states that a career in Health Education has a 21% growth rate.

To conclude to paper, I just want to say that during this interview Jennifer gave me some

beneficial knowledge when it comes to finding what I want to do. I dont need to know exactly
what job I want to work in right away; Im free to change my mind and switch jobs or continue

my education.
 Bibliography

Bonnie Coblents. (June 19th, 2008) Males Make Headway In Traditional Female Field

Retrieved From http://msucares.com/news/print/fcenews/fce08/080619.html

Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2014-

15 Edition, Health Educators and Community Health Workers,

Retrieved from http://www.bls.gov/ooh/community-and-social-service/health-

educators.htm

Sam. (September 3rd, 2014). School VS. Clinical Dietetics. Grapefruit & Granola.

Retrieved from http://www.grapefruitgranola.com/2014/09/03/school-vs-clinical-

dietetics/

Walters, Jennifer. E-mail interview. October 14th, 2015.

Jenny Westerkimp. All Access Internships: Get Matched.

Retrived from

http://www.allaccessinternships.com/GettingMatched.AGuideforDieteticsStudents.pdf