University of Western States’ Dr. Chris Browne explains how to become a nutritionist and unlock the healing power of functional medicine for your clients.
SUMMARY
- Pursuing nutritionist careers is a meaningful way to promote individual and community wellness.
- Nutritionists work in varied clinical settings and may be eligible for licensure, depending on where they practice.
- Nutritionists apply their tools and training to help clients overcome serious illness.
We humans must eat to live, but the picture is more complicated than that. It’s also possible to use food and natural supplements to improve our wellness and prevent illness. “Recognizing that nutrition is not just a passive requirement to stay alive but also shapes our physiology makes us wonder about how we could use it more specifically or in a more targeted fashion for health care goals,” says Chris Browne, DC, MS, program director of Human Nutrition and Functional Medicine and Doctor of Clinical Nutrition at University of Western States.
For anyone who wants to make a difference as a health care clinician in a way that helps clients to take control of their wellness, a career as a nutritionist in the field of Human Nutrition and Functional Medicine is a viable path. If you are wondering how to become a nutritionist, here are five steps to becoming a leader in this growing branch of integrative health care.
1. Study science, especially biology, chemistry, and biochemistry.
Chemistry is at the heart of nutrition and functional medicine both within the human body and in the foods we eat.
Understanding the microbiome, issues surrounding metabolism, and hormone regulation is vital to treating the chronic diseases that are a major cause of disease and death in the United States. A clinically focused course in nutritional biochemistry will be one of your first steps.
“To make sure that everybody is starting on a similarly solid foundation, we begin with some of the foundations of what is functional medicine and how it’s different from what we might call traditional or conventional health care approaches, and then what they have in common,” Dr. Browne says of his program at University of Western States, “because we are trying to take the best of what’s already been done and continue to improve it.”
2. Earn a post-graduate degree such as a master’s degree or a doctorate.
An advanced degree is crucial to a thorough grasp of the field, professional credibility, and, in some cases, the ability to practice in your community.
Nutritionists are clinicians who deliver health care to their clients and can benefit from the most current training available as they would get from a master’s degree to pursue nutritionist job opportunities. Some programs, such as the Master of Science in Human Nutrition and Functional Medicine (MS-HNFM) from University of Western States, utilize cutting-edge clinical tools and informational resources developed by the Institute for Functional Medicine (IFM).
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Advancements are being made every day in the field of human nutrition and functional medicine and a master’s degree or a Doctor of Clinical Nutrition (DCN) will give you the background to apply a science-based, patient-centered approach to helping clients achieve their health and nutritional goals.
3. Education requirements for nutritionists vary, so you will need to know your state’s requirements.
An important part of being a clinician is being aware of any regulations governing your practice.
“In most states, our graduates can apply their knowledge in some direct way with the people that they serve,” Dr. Browne says. Those with an advanced degree bring a lot of knowledge to our expanding understanding of nutrition and functional nutrition.
When it comes to practice, a nutritionist career path may include licensure, often as a certified nutrition specialist (CNS). The process will require completing supervision hours required by the state and the passing of a certification exam.
4. Find nutritionist job opportunities that suit your skills and interests.
The most common nutritionist job openings are in private or group practice.
What does a nutritionist do? Nutritionists treat clients for a range of serious conditions, including obesity, gastrointestinal disorders, and hormone imbalances. Developing a client base and a professional reputation is a pathway to success in the field. Integrated Connections, an organizationthat supports integrated and functional medicine practitioners, reports steady growth in the field .
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“There are now more opportunities than there used to be for students to join a functional health practice or another kind of clinic or health center,” Dr. Browne says. “In our master’s program, we have an elective course to support an entrepreneurial skill set and to provide an understanding what it takes to operate a successful business.”
5. Expand your knowledge into the science of human nutrition and wellness.
A Doctor of Clinical Nutrition degree will position you as an expert in the field.
An important part of being a nutritionist is keeping up with the newest information and research in the field and relaying that knowledge to clients and to the public, and a nutritionist receiving a Doctor of Clinical Nutrition “should be recognized as holding a terminal degree in their field as the highest level of expertise in clinical nutrition,” Dr. Browne says.
Once you’ve achieved your goal of becoming a certified nutritionist, an important part of the profession will be keeping up with the newest breakthroughs that may affect your clients. Among the innovations that are currently influencing the field of nutrition and functional medicine are discoveries in nutrigenetics and nutrigenomics.
“Nutrigenetics centers around how differences in genetic makeup change an individual’s nutritional needs,” Dr. Browne says. “The genomics side of the field focuses on how nutrients, how food and supplements, impact our genes.” These new theories fit in with the functional medicine approach of individualized nutrition plans for each client.