Aidan reached out after coming across the series, he is an Accredited Practising Dietitian (APD) working in Australia. He has interesting insight into the job market for new grads and the potential for dietitians to work online, which was forced upon some with pandemic restrictions this year. It will be interesting to see how our profession adapts and the new skills we learn or pick up in the years to come.

Why did you become a RD?

I got interested in nutrition for personal reasons. Basically because I wanted to gain size and strength, and it wasn’t coming naturally to me just by training at the gym. Nutrition seemed like the solution for me. Then I went down that rabbit-hole and got interested in learning as much as I could, which led to the university qualification. Throughout that process I learned that I enjoyed working with people one-on-one, which is why I decided to go down that route as a dietitian. 

What area of dietetics do you work in?

I work in private practice seeing clients one-on-one.

How would you explain what you do?

I run my own business and currently see a 50/50 split of clients between athletes (mostly strength athletes e.g. powerlifters) and “general clients” who are typically either looking to lose weight or address IBS symptoms. 

In addition to this, I spend a large portion of my time trying to put out content on social media and on my website. 

What are your ‘typical’ daily/weekly tasks?

Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday are mostly dedicated to clients. Wednesday and Friday are mostly dedicated towards being “content days” where I work on blog content and Instagram content. Sunday is typically a complete day off, apart from responding to comments and DM’s on Instagram.

That being said, there is a bit of overlap, since I try to post on Instagram most days and also have the other aspects involved with running a business which creep into each day as well. 

What has been your career path?

Following university, I started a business seeing clients out of a large gym. It became clear pretty early though that I needed more experience. So I went and worked for other organizations for roughly 3 years, prior to transitioning back to doing what I do now. 

What advanced education or special training do you have?

Beyond the standard dietetics training, I have gone on to do further study through Sports Dietitians Australia to become an Accredited Sports Dietitian (ASD). 

I have also done further study through Monash University specific to IBS and FODMAPs. 

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

I’m not particularly sure, but I think making use of the online space is important. Personally, my service that I provide is the same whether it is online or in person. So that makes it easy for me. But I think there are plenty of ways dietitians in general could increase their impact through things like online programs, courses and e-books.

What are challenges you encounter as a RD?

I think the biggest challenge I faced early in my career, like most dietitians in Australia, is that it is hard to get a job. I didn’t initially start a business because there was demand for my services. I started the business because I didn’t have any other great options lined up. The discrepancy between supply of new-grad dietitians and the amount of demand there is, makes me think that most people should only choose to become dietitians if they are particularly passionate.

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

My tip is that if you are going to spend >3 hours per week on social media for business purposes, you should learn how to use it well. I see a lot of dietitians spending a lot of time on Instagram, without really getting results. Personally, I spent 3 years posting consistently before I started getting clients through it. Now it makes up a large portion of my business. 

It’s a great tool if you use it well. It can also be super helpful for networking and also learning about new research, based on what other practitioners have to say. But it can also be a massive time suck if not used well. 

More about Aidan:

Website: www.idealnutrition.com.au

Instagram: @aidan_the_dietitian

Thanks Aidan!