You can find a dietitian at the American Dietetic Association. Include your zip code or city / state, the type of service you want (individual consultation) and area of expertise. If you have health insurance, it may pay for you to see a dietitian if you have diabetes or kidney disease.

A dietitian has at least a four-year Bachelor's degree in nutrition and dietetics (or graduate degree), has completed an internship and has passed a national registration exam from the American Dietetic Association. Registered Dietitians are a reliable source of nutrition information and capable at devising diet plans. In some states, persons who dispense nutritional information are licensed and these are usually dietitians.

A food technologist has at least a four year Bachelor's degree in food science (or graduate degree) and researches and develops new food products for food manufacturers like General Mills or Pillsbury.

A person with a master's degree in nutrition can be called a nutritionist. However, the title is used by a variety of persons, including those without any nutrition education possibly only a personal interest in nutrition. I would not recommend you rely on this title for expert nutrition information.

You can find a dietitian at the American Dietetic Association. Include your zip code or city / state, the type of service you want (individual consultation) and expertise. You can also contact your local hospital or doctor's clinic and ask to talk to a dietitian. Write back if you can't find a dietitian in your area

You can check the American Dietetic Association. Click on the links about a career in dietetics

I would recommend you contact the California Dietetic Association or search the "find a nutrition professional" at the American Dietetic Association.

At the health club can ask what the person's registration number is and check it online at the Commission on Dietetic Registration. If the person is presenting themselves as a registered dietitian and they are not, I would highly recommend you contact the American Dietetic Association at 312-899-0040.

Further, depending on the state where you live, dietitians may be licensed. What that means is people who provide nutrition or dietetic services must be licensed in order to call themselves a dietitian. I would recommend you contact the state licensure board in your state which can be found at Commission on Dietetic Registrationand they could guide you further

I am not familiar with the American Association for Nutritional Consultants or their certification program for CNC. Don't know what this certification would enable one to do or the educational qualifications that would enable one to apply. It appears that all you have to do is take an open book test to qualify. According to Quackwatch, the AANC and the CNC certificate are bogus.

I am aware that most states license who can provide nutrition services, including Pennsylvania. Contact your state licensure board to determine what the qualifications are to practice nutrition counseling in your state. There are 46 states that license who can provide nutrition services. The American Dietetic Association's Commission on Dietetic Registration has a list of all license boards.

MS = Masters of Science, RD = Registered Dietitian and LD = Licensed Dietitian which is required in almost all states for people who provide nutrition or dietetic services

You can ask your doctor for a referral to a Registered Dietitian if your health insurance requires a referral prior to coverage. Or you can call your medical out-patient clinic or local hospital and ask to talk to a dietitian. Another place to shop for a dietitian is to Find a Nutrition Professional at the American Dietetic Association. Click on the Find a Dietitian icon on their home page, then just fill in the form. Dietitians listed with ADA have their areas of practice listed so you can choose a dietitian to fit your health needs.

If your state has licensure for dietitians and nutritionists, you can check with your state licensure board for any reports. You can check a dietitian's credentials with the Commission on Dietetic Registration

Please write back if you run out of choices

Check the Journal of the American Dietetic Association's "Report on the 1999 Membership Database" in the August 2001 journal. There is a survey of members in public health with ranging years of experience. Your specific job responsibilities may not be exactly reported, but there should be information for you to determine your salary range

FYI, outside the US, many people spell dietitian as dietician (a tic in the middle) and in the United States, dietitian is spelled dietitian (a tit in the middle). Since the internet is worldwide, either spelling would be correct

I don't have any, but I would suggest you contact your local hospital and talk to their Dietary Department head. You may also want to contact long-term care facilities such as nursing homes with a similar request. Since you are a student, they may share their survey form with you as well as any results

Don't know what a certified nutritionist is. Unfortunately, people with an interest in nutrition or who sell nutritional supplements often call themselves nutritionists. Some states license who can call themselves nutritionist and those who qualify, become licensed. Therefore unless someone is a licensed nutritionist, the title nutritionist does not necessarily signify any education or training in nutrition or any qualifications to counsel people on nutrition. Traditionally, nutritionist had referred to a person who has a graduate degree in nutrition, but that practice has become less used because of the confusion caused by people without any degree calling them a nutritionist.

A registered dietitian has completed a 4-year college degree in nutrition or dietetics, completed an internship and passed a registration test by the American Dietetic Association. Check out the American Dietetic Association web site. In order to stay registered, dietitians have to complete 75 hours of continuing education every 5 years. Some states also license who can call themselves a dietitian.

Never heard of IAACN. What is the long name of the organization?

Check out the American Dietetic Association site. You can contact them at 312-899-0040 for a list of accredited dietetics programs. They have a referral network called "Find a Dietitian" on their web site to locate dietitians in your area