NHS Royal Devon | Dietitians

Dietitians

Explore this role:

Working with us
Career routes
What does a career pathway look like?
Training
Next steps
Preceptorship
Experienced Dietitians
Case study
What can I expect to get paid?
Video

Dietitians translate the science of nutrition into everyday information about food. You’ll be advising about nutrition choices to promote good health, prevent illness and support patients with dietary-related health issues such as allergies and other conditions. Joining the team at the Royal Devon presents a whole host of opportunities, including the chance to work in different settings with a rotational work pattern.

It’s a brilliant way to glean exposure and experience. You’ll be making a difference every day, transforming the way our patients carry out day-to-day activities, improving their mobility and regaining their independence after illness, injury or trauma. Funding is available for continued professional development, so take your pick of the acute and community pathways that open up as you strive to progress.

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What is it like to work at the Royal Devon?

What can you expect from joining us? You can expect to be part of a team that is at the forefront of innovation and development, in both our services and our people. You can expect to be invested in, supported, and given the tools you need to succeed in your role and progress in your career.

Training and development opportunities are in high supply here, whether you are interested in clinical or leadership development, courses, secondments or placements. We’ll support you in finding the best way to grow.

The culture we have built has earned us a reputation within the Trust and our clear vision and plans instilled the belief and support required to access further financial investment. This allows us to improve patient pathways including early supported discharge in rehabilitation.

More about us

Becoming a Dietitian at the Royal Devon

How do I train to become a Dietitian?

The first step to becoming a Dietitian is to take a degree-level programme approved by the HCPC. This may be full-time or part-time if you are working in a relevant role. Once you have qualified, you will need to register with the HCPC, then you can start a Band 5 role.

Training and development

Other routes into Therapies

Another potential career route will see you grow from a Healthcare Support Worker, gaining relevant qualifications and experience along the way. We will support you on your journey, providing opportunities to achieve qualifications as you progress along your ideal career route.

Support Worker Assistant Practitioner

Newly qualified Dietitian

To become a Registered Dietitian, you will need a relevant degree. This can be achieved via an apprenticeship when working as an Assistant Practitioner. Once qualified, you will need to register with the Health and Care Professions Council.

What does a career pathway look like?

There are so many ways to achieve a fulfilling and rewarding career as a Dietitian. You may be starting afresh and looking for a brand new role, or perhaps you have dedicated a few years to other goals and are looking to return to practice. If you are interested in developing your role, we have a wealth of opportunities you can harness too.

To help you on your way, we produced a brochure to kick start your career with us.

Download our brochure

Your bespoke learning journey

You’ll be supported to create your own personal development plan. This is used to identify your individual training needs, which can be met from the wide range of learning opportunities available such as clinical skills, management development, coaching and mentoring, IT skills and much more.

Learn with us

Advancing your career

Registered Dietitian

Joining the team at the Royal Devon presents a whole host of opportunities, including the chance to work in different settings with a rotational work pattern. It’s a brilliant way to glean exposure and experience. You’ll be making a difference every day, transforming the way our patients carry out day-to-day activities, improving their mobility and regaining their independence after illness, injury or trauma.

Funding is available for continued professional development, so take your pick of the acute and community pathways that open up as you strive to progress.

Training and development

Advanced Clinical Practitioners

Advanced Clinical Practitioners or Consultants (band 8s) are educated to Master’s level and have developed the skills and knowledge to allow them to take on expanded roles and scope of practice caring for patients. These roles will see you take on increased responsibility in your job roles as well as delivering expert clinical practice, professional leadership, education, training, research and evaluation.

You’ll need to complete a Master’s Degree Level 7 qualification in your chosen subject. You’ll receive lots of guidance and support whilst you do so. There is now a level seven (master’s level) apprenticeship in advanced clinical practice available, which can be funded through the apprenticeship levy. You can learn more about this on the Health Education England website.

Advanced and enhanced practice Advanced Practice toolkit

Preceptorship programme

Whether you are newly qualified, joining us from outside the UK, or returning to practice, our Preceptorship Programme will help you find your feet so you feel as confident and competent as possible.

The structured programme consists of a series of study days, after which you will apply theory to practice and hone the skills you have learned as you gain experience within your clinical area. These study days are spread over the course of a year.

Find out more

Experienced Dietitians

Welcome back

The Royal Devon can offer you fully-funded Return to Practice routes back into Dietetics. We’ll give you dedicated time to care, providing a bespoke support package to help you on your way. We'll guide you through the process of re-registering with the HCPC and empower you to achieve the required criteria.

Return to practice

Overseas

If you’re interested in bringing your skills to England, you’ve come to the right place. When you work with us, you’ll join our passionate team and enjoy job security, a competitive salary and flexible hours.

Overseas

Case study

Donna Murray-Holland, Dietitian

I love talking about food and I find it really helps people to open up when I ask them what they like to eat at home and what their favourite foods are. This creates a collaborative relationship where I make suggestions to support nutrition according to what is available in hospital and their medical condition. I always work with what appeals to patients as everyone benefits from that element of comfort in their food whilst in hospital.

I’m a newly qualified Band 5 Dietitian currently on a general medical rotation. I assess, review and monitor the patients on my caseload before passing them to the outpatient team where required upon discharge from hospital. I was attracted to this role after I came to the North Devon District Hospital for my student placements. There is a small dietetics team here but I always felt supported and encouraged to broaden my experience and knowledge.

Working in hospital is quite a unique environment and not like other jobs I have had in the past. It can be a big, noisy place with lots of different people at first but I feel like I’m getting used to understanding who everyone is and how our roles interact for the benefit of our patients. I’m most proud of the days when a patient thanks me for making a difference to their treatment progression. Everyone needs food and nutrition, without it, treating patients’ medical needs can become so much more complex. Anyone interested in food, nutrition or wellbeing would find a dietitian role interesting.

There are so many strands involved in our patient assessments and its so rewarding to know we have helped them through their recovery. One of my patients had suffered a stroke and was being supported with their nutrition through different phases of recovering their swallow. This involved multiple supplements and texture modified meals. They were so pleased that we had been able to offer our input as otherwise their recovery could have taken much longer.

What can I expect to get paid?

Agenda for change

Known as ‘Agenda for Change’, NHS pay is structured around different bandings for a fair and transparent pay structure. Levels of pay vary within each band according to experience. As your career develops, you can expect to earn more and move to the top of your pay banding before working your way up to the next one.

Healthcare Support Workers and Trainee Assistant Practitioners are usually within Bands 2 to 4
Registered Practitioners usually start within Band 5 or Band 6
Advanced Practitioners can advance all the way up to Band 7 and Band 8

Watch

Watch: working as a Dietitian

Work flexibly

Choose your shifts to suit your needs, apply to join our Staff Bank.

We'll help you feel at home

We have a bespoke package of support, guidance and resources to help you get settled.