Joey was recommended via a Twitter thread on #guyititians and although modest (“Not very fancy but I somehow went from an entry level clinical manager to a regional director over multiple hospitals in 6 years”) he was happy to share his journey. He worked hard to gain necessary skills, learn on the go, and advance his career, but he also gives back as a mentor and by blogging and tweeting to share his experience.

Why did you become a RD?

I have always loved food and chemistry.  I was originally in pre-pharmacy and I took a basic principles of nutrition class and loved it.  I’ve been in dietetics ever since!

What area of dietetics do you work in? 

I am in leadership now.  Prior to moving into management, I was board certified in nutrition support (CNSC) and geriatric nutrition (CSG). 

How would you explain what you do? 

I oversee all nutritional services for my region.  I have three hospitals with 6 nutritional services departments under me.  I also chair the Nutritional Services Regulatory and Policy committee for our hospital system.  In a nutshell, I am responsible for ensuring my departments are meeting all their regulatory, financial, and productivity goals and meeting our systems mission, vision, and values.  It is a lot of process improvement and quality management. 

What are your ‘typical’ daily/weekly tasks?

I spend a lot of time in my mobile office (my Toyota Camry)!  In any given week, I may be on 4-5 different hospital campuses for meetings or support.  I review sales reports, productivity metrics, strategic initiatives, regulatory inspections, employee/patient satisfactions scores of my teams and find area for improvement.   I take in a lot of data and use quality assessment and process improvement to try to maximize our value to the organization. 

What has been your career path?

I started as an entry level RD, worked hard to get my CNSC (Certified Nutrition Support Clinician), and moved into ICU and nutrition support.  I also was an adjunct instructor for a university for many years.  I wanted to move into clinical nutrition management in the hospital but kept hitting barriers because of lack of management experience.  My current employer wouldn’t give me the experience, and no one would hire me without the experience.  I became involved in the local, state, and national Academy affiliates to gain leadership experience since I couldn’t get it at work.  I noticed that long term care companies had lots of Clinical Nutrition Manager positions and decided to take a swing at that instead of the hospital.  I was hired into management and from there just continued to work on my leadership, financial, and regulatory skills.  I had to relocate here to Orlando with my wife a few years back and found a job back in the hospital as a Clinical Manager.  Since then, opportunities have come up for me and I just keep saying yes to them (no matter how unprepared I may be).  In the past five years I have grown from Clinical Manager, to System Clinical Manager, to Market Director. 

What advanced education or special training do you have?

I have my Master’s Degree in Health Science/Nutrition.  I have started some course work to apply for a Master’s in Health Administration as well.  I was formally a CNSC and CSG (Board Certified Specialist in Gerontological Nutrition) but did not renew these.  I have also taken a lot of post-graduate courses and training programs in quality improvement, engagement, online learning theory, food service design, and generational theory. 

In an ideal world, what does the industry look like 5 years from now?

The industry is as wide open as it has ever bene.  A dietitian can do so much now from nutrigenomics to social media and marketing consulting.  For my area of management, I see a lot of the new generation of dietitians wanting to grow beyond the nutrition department.  I think you will see more RDs in senior management and executive positions with multi-department responsibilities and executive positions other than food and nutrition. 

What misinformation about RDs would you like to clear up?

We are not all female, 3.76% are male in the United States!!!

What would you like people to know about RDs?

We are not the food police.  We enjoy cake, and cookies, and fast food just like everyone else.

What are challenges you encounter as a RD?

Burnout and fad diet fatigue.  Dietitians work hard especially early in their careers and it takes a toll.  Also, the public gets overwhelmed with nutrition info that they get fatigued and don’t want to hear about another diet.

What do people think that you do for a living?

My wife and daughter have no idea what I do on a day-to-day basis lol.  They also don’t listen to me about nutrition.  But I don’t really know what their jobs are either, so I guess we are even. 

What are you passionate about in dietetics?

Food.  Food is a pillar of all cultures.  To be able to understand how food affects your body, your mental health, and your social interactions makes you a better person.

What makes RDs unique/different from other nutrition/wellness professionals?

The willingness to do the right thing.  We try to review the evidence and help people make the right choices for them regardless of what companies, celebrities, or other influencers are saying.

What is your favourite meal?

Take out Chinese food!  I am partial to Chow Mein Fun! 

What tip(s) would you give to our readers?

I got to where I am by basically saying “Yeah I can do that” whenever an opportunity came along (even when I had no idea how I would do it).  If you build a strong base of relationships, mentors, and connections that you can lean on for support, you really can do anything. 

More about Joey:

Twitter: @Guyatitians

Blog: Guyatitians.com

Thanks Joey!