This is a question that I recently got a discovery call and I was pretty surprised that no one has asked me this before since I started tutoring.
The only real qualification is that the tutor themselves has passed the registered dietitian exam. Hopefully they also have a history of teaching/tutoring and know the topics well enough to teach them, but there is no one checking this.
So let me tell you why I am qualified to be a tutor for the registered dietitian exam:
#1 I have passed the exam and am a registered dietitian. I also recently took it (Feb 2020) and I see this as a strength because I was in the shoes of my students not too long ago myself! I scored a 32 and I am proud of my score, but the score on the RD exam has no reflection on the quality of the dietitian you will be (my PSA to all by students)!
#2 I have experience tutoring and mentoring dietitian students. Since starting undergrad I have always been involved in clubs/organizations that allowed me to work with dietitian students because it takes a village! During my graduate studies I also served as a teaching assistant for a Medical Nutrition Therapy course at Boston University. This allowed me to gain experience in teaching and grading students
#3 I have a track record of satisfied students. When I started offering tutoring services I knew I wanted to allows be sure that I was offering my students a quality product. That is why in my tutoring packages I include not only the one-on-one session, but also the options for homework and in between session support. I want to be able to offer my students what they need to be successful, whether that be an explanation of tube feeding calculations or a pep talk.
#4 I have real world experience in many of the exam topics. During undergrad I worked for 3 years with Boston University's Dining Services as a manager for their student employees (food service, management). As a junior in college I worked to develop a food demonstration program (community nutrition, budgets). I also have worked in clinical research at both Mass General Hospital and Brigham and Women's Hospital (research). I currently work as an inpatient dietitian and as a private practice dietitian (MNT, counseling).
#5 My passion for tutoring. When I started tutoring I figured I would just use it for some cash flow until the Boston hospitals started hiring again (graduated right into COVID). As I started to build my lessons plans and work with so many fabulous students it switched from being a side hustle to a passion project and I launch my business, which was originally only going to be nutrition counseling and business consulting, with registered dietitian tutoring services as a service. Now my regular schedule is working 40 hours at the hospital and another 20 hours at night and on the weekends tutoring. In addition to my group classes and one-on-one sessions, I also host a free live session each week and run the my Facebook group to provide students with free study tips, resources and questions. It might be busy, but I wouldn't want it any other way!
I encourage any dietitian students looking to work with a tutor to ask them why they think they are qualified. During your search you should also read student reviews and take advantage of any free resources they use to give you a taste of their tutoring style (you can find my free Facebook group here). The best program is going to be the one that works best for you. If you are interested in learning about which of my services would be the best fit for you, reach out to my at danajfryernutrition@gmail.com or by filling out a contact form on my website.
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