educator to consultant?

[MaryM]

I would like to solicit input and hear what people who have graduated from the nutrition consultant program think.  I completed the nutrition educator program and totally loved it. I can't seem to get enough information about the subject. (OCD perhaps?) I am interested in pursuing more more more information.  I am a nurse and my dream is to counsel and help low income folks live a healthier life. My burning question is whether or not completing the nutrition consultant program would truthfully assist me in making this dream come true.  Any thoughts are gratefully accepted...

[jodi f.]

Hi Mary,

As well as working for Bauman College, I've also got a small private practice out of my house, something I've been doing now for 5 years. To be perfectly honest, most of what I do is help people learn how to make more healthful food choices. People really have so little knowledge about what constitutes real food that will nourish their bodies.

However, I would also have to say that most people who come see me have chronic degenerative health issues. Many of these folks are in the over 50 crowd, so have been dealing with these for a long, long time. This is where the Consultant certificate comes in. Yes, these people need education in regard to food choices, but they also benefit from my knowledge of how to get appropriately tested for function vs. pathology, and how to support their specific conditions through food, supplement, and herbal nutrients. Personally, I would feel incompetent without the clinical education.

Now, if you're going to be working with kids and adults, simply to help them make better food choices, then the Educator certificate will serve you well. And helping low-income folks make good food choices within their budgets will be a big job. If this is the full extent of your envisioned practice, the NE should be fine. If you'd also like to work with them on health conditions, this will be beyond the scope of NE.